Latest Terrorism Focus Articles

Reports of PKK Internal Dissension on the Rise

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An increasing number of recent reports detail what appear to be the signs of growing stress within the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). First, there are reports of numbers of people leaving the PKK, a sign of a beleaguered organization, not one that is thriving. It... MORE

Hizb-ut-Tahrir Under Increasing Pressure in the UK

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In recent months, Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HT), a global Islamist group which aims to re-establish the caliphate, has come under increasing pressure in the United Kingdom from several sources: through the high-profile defections of ex-members, from sustained media scrutiny and from members of parliament who have called... MORE

Iran Moves Against PJAK in Northern Iraq

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The Iranian Revolutionary Guard's most recent campaign of shelling Kurdish villages in northern Iraq, which allegedly targeted members of the outlawed Kurdish opposition group the Party for Freedom and Life in Kurdistan (PJAK), eventually culminated with Iranian troops entering Iraqi Kurdish territory on August 23.... MORE

Analysis of Osama bin Laden’s September 7 Video Statement

The September 7 release of a new video statement by Osama bin Laden puts to rest, at least for now, widespread speculation that he is dead, retired, or has been pushed aside by his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri [1]. With a newly trimmed and dyed beard,... MORE

PKK Recruitment of Female Operatives

Since its establishment, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has included a small number of female militants. Over time, however, this number has increased significantly. By the early 1990s, 30 percent of its 17,000 armed militants were women (Cumhuriyet, June 17, 1993). The PKK's increased use... MORE

Abu Yahya al-Libi: Al-Qaeda’s Theological Enforcer – Part 2

Today, the most lethal strategic danger to al-Qaeda's viability and goals is the same as when Osama bin Laden declared war on the United States in 1996: the threat of a premature, worldwide intra-civilizational conflict between Sunni Muslims and Shiites. Bin Laden has always kept... MORE

PKK Arms Scandal Fuels Turkish Suspicions

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U.S. policy in Kurdish northern Iraq seems to be in flux, reflecting differences within the U.S. administration and the growing bitterness in U.S.-Turkish relations since Turkey prohibited the movement of U.S. troops through its territory during the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. Claims last spring... MORE

AQIM Renews its Threats Against France

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In July, newly elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited Algiers to reaffirm France's "deep friendship" with the Maghreb and present his project of a "Mediterranean Union" designed to promote a strong and durable relationship between the Maghreb and Europe. In the aftermath of Sarkozy's visit,... MORE