Latest Terrorism Focus Articles
Spain’s Operation Suez Reveals al-Qaeda Support Rings in Europe
Two recent counter-terrorism developments in Spain highlight how Spanish officials are trying to confront the threat posed by Islamist terrorism. In the first incident, the attorney general attached to the Spanish Federal Court announced in mid-November that the court is seeking prison sentences—totaling 270,885 years—for... MORE
Accuracy of New UN Report on Somalia Doubtful
A report by the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia leaked to the Washington Post on November 14 has set off a wave of denials and denunciations from various countries alleged to be fueling the conflict in Somalia. Djibouti, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia, Eritrea,... MORE
Hezbollah Denounces Alleged Attempt to Turn Lebanon into a ‘New Iraq’
Three months after the end of the Israeli/Hezbollah war, there is growing tension between Hezbollah and the "March 14" anti-Syrian political coalition that dominates the Lebanese government. In an October 31 interview with al-Manar TV and al-Nur Radio (Hezbollah-owned media sources), Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan... MORE
Mujahideen Consider American Elections a Sign of U.S. Defeat in Iraq
The results of the U.S. interim elections last Tuesday resonated with the mujahideen and their supporters online. Discussion centered around a theme of victory for the Iraqi mujahideen and an inevitable U.S. military defeat in Iraq, demonstrated by the Republicans' resounding loss. The election results... MORE
A Rewarding Month for Al-Qaeda and its Allies
It has become common in the United States and the West to acknowledge the difficulty of integrating and making sense of the disparate, geographically diverse events that occur in the war on terrorism and to assess which side is winning. The first half of November,... MORE
Kenya Boosts Security Measures on Border with Somalia
The Islamists who control most of southern Somalia and who are grouped under the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) continue to accuse Kenya of being biased in support of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) as well as backing plans to send African Union peacekeeping troops to... MORE
Jihadi Forums Tune into History Channel for Counter-Terrorism Intelligence
Recent chatter on jihadi websites has focused on monitoring the counter-terrorism strategies of the United States and its allies in the global war on terrorism. Jihadi websites and forums are studying and translating the texts of Western analysts who assess current counter-terrorism efforts. The jihadis... MORE
After Bajaur Strike, Peace Deal with Agency Militants Still Ahead
On October 30, Pakistan bombed a religious school in Bajaur Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on the very day it was set to sign a peace deal with those who ran the school. In anticipation of the deal, Islamabad had even released... MORE
Musharraf Contends with the Pashtun Element in the Pakistani Army
The recently concluded peace deal between the Pakistani army and pro-Taliban tribal elements in North Waziristan has led analysts to question why Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has backed down from military confrontation (Terrorism Monitor, October 5). The reason that the government made this decision is... MORE
Al-Qaeda Doctrine for International Political Warfare
Do Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and their al-Qaeda organization and its allies conduct diplomacy in the traditional sense of that activity? Given that al-Qaeda and its affiliated factions are not nation-states, have no capital cities and neither send nor receive representatives who can be... MORE