Latest Terrorism Focus Articles
Somalia’s Islamist Leadership: Where Are They Now?
Bombings, shootings and mortar attacks continue in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu and the southern port city of Kismayo, as Somali Islamists engage Ethiopian occupation forces. Many Islamist leaders took refuge in Yemen's capital of Sanaa, where they were joined by Islamic Courts Union (ICU) second-in-command... MORE
Kirkuk’s Referendum Revives Fears of Ethnic Violence
Last week, the Iraqi government called for the implementation of Article 140 of the country's permanent constitution, which calls for the "normalization" of the situation in Kirkuk (Asharq al-Awsat, February 2). This gives Kurds the go-ahead to reverse Saddam Hussein's "Arabization" of Iraq's fourth-largest city.... MORE
Iraqi Insurgents Claim New Generation of Missiles Being Used
In the short span of January 20 to February 7, four U.S. military and two private security firm helicopters were lost due to enemy ground fire in Iraq, raising concerns that insurgents have introduced new tactics or weapons in their battle against coalition air supremacy.... MORE
The Kurdish Security Network in Northern Iraq
In spite of escalating violence in Iraq, the very region that served as the gateway for al-Qaeda in Iraq is now one of the most secure areas in the country. Iraqi Kurdistan, formally the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), has taken the opposite trajectory than most... MORE
Accusations Fly After the Pierre Gemayel Assassination
In the aftermath of the war with Israel, Hezbollah and its allies (the Shiite Amal Party and Christian leader General Michel Aoun) are struggling to depose the Lebanese government of Sunni Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and his March 14 coalition of anti-Syrian Sunni, Druze and... MORE
Turks Join the Jihad in Iraq and Afghanistan
While it is a long held maxim that Turkey is "with" the West in the war on terrorism—especially after the 2003 Istanbul bombings—the invasion of Iraq has made anti-Americanism vogue in Turkey. Some Turks believe that Jews blew up the World Trade Center and that... MORE
Pakistan’s Chitral District: A Refuge for al-Qaeda’s Top Leadership?
In the hunt for Osama bin Laden and other top al-Qaeda leaders, security services continue to focus on Pakistan's Chitral district in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP). Chitral became a concern after the release of a bin Laden videotape from September 2003 in which trees... MORE
Ethnic Somalis Threaten to Destabilize Eastern Ethiopia
With Ethiopia sending troops across the border in Somalia to protect the Baidoa-based Transitional Federal Government (TFG), the possibility for a regional conflict looms in the future. To understand why Ethiopia is concerned with the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) takeover in Somalia, it is necessary... MORE
Islamist Websites Succeed in Recruiting Muslims for Jihad
Jihadi leaders continue to establish new websites on the internet by which they spread their ideology and identify users who can be recruited for the global jihad. If preaching and disseminating fanatical and extreme ideas on the internet is itself a concern, the use of... MORE
Jemaah Islamiya Enters Regrouping Phase
In response to President George W. Bush's November visit to Indonesia, there have been demonstrations by Islamist parties and organizations, as well as increased terrorism threat warnings (Jakarta Post, November 19, 20). Indonesian security officials have braced themselves for an attack for several months now.... MORE