Latest Terrorism Focus Articles
Sunni Rivalries in al-Anbar Province Threaten Iraq’s Security
Growing rivalries between Sunni factions in Iraq’s al-Anbar province threaten the gains made by local “Awakening Councils” working in cooperation with U.S. forces against al-Qaeda gunmen. Leading tribal shaykhs in the province have demanded the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP) leave the province within days. The... MORE
Turkey’s Generals and Government Deny U.S. Interference in Operation Gunes
The Turkish General Staff launched Operation Gunes (Sun) on February 21 against a number of locations in northern Iraq occupied by the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Infantry, artillery, and air force units took primary roles in the operation. International reaction to the Turkish incursion... MORE
Morocco Charges Cooperation Between Terrorists and Organized Crime
Moroccan intelligence is claiming its greatest success against terrorism since the 2003 suicide attacks in Casablanca that killed 45 people. Two weeks ago, the government announced the arrest of 35 alleged members of a cell led by Abdelkader Belliraj, who holds both Belgian and Moroccan... MORE
Musharraf and Pakistan’s Military Try to Restore Security amidst Rising Anti-U.S. Sentiment
The old saying that “things can always get worse” has never been truer than for Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and his former colleagues in the country’s military. Faced with rampant terrorism, growing domestic instability, an increasingly hated U.S. ally and a NATO force in Afghanistan... MORE
Turkish Recognition of Kosova Risks New Terrorist Attacks
Turkey’s international relationships are increasingly fraught with the danger of revenge-type attacks by a variety of opponents in numerous locations around the world. The most recent example—one that is already prompting anti-Turkish violence—is the Turkish decision to join France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain and the... MORE
Mergers and Acquisitions within the Iraqi Insurgency
For the U.S. military, 2007 was the year of the surge in Iraq. The controversial troop increase—along with the rise of the Sunni Awakening councils and Moqtada al-Sadr’s truce—has combined to help tame both sectarian and insurgent violence. As for the insurgents, 2007 was a... MORE
Turkey’s Operation Gunes Attempts to Eliminate the PKK Threat
As Turkish troops and armor cross the border as part of Operation Gunes (Sun), the embattled nation of Iraq is once more host to a major military offensive, this time in its remote and sparsely populated northeastern region. Surprising many who expected Turkey to wait... MORE
New Tests for Turkey’s Evolving Security Relationship with Israel
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s visit to Ankara on February 12 and 13 attracted much attention from Turkish political and military officials (Milliyet, February 13). The visit may stand as a turning point in Turkish-Israeli relations by giving a boost to military cooperation between the... MORE
Al-Qaeda Warns Iraq Will Be Base for Attacks on Israel
“We will not recognize a state for the Jews, not even one inch of the land of Palestine … Blood calls for more blood and demolishing calls for further demolishing” [1]. Osama bin Laden said these words on December 29, 2007, signaling the accomplishment of... MORE
German Intelligence Describes a “New Quality” in Jihadi Threats
Germany fears that it may have moved toward the top of al-Qaeda’s list of targets. An increasing number of messages on jihadi websites call for an attack on German soil. Simultaneously, there seems to be a “new quality” in the Islamic propaganda, in the words... MORE