Latest Terrorism Focus Articles
Somalia Hostilities Threaten Outbreak of Regional War
After years of mutual hostility, the armed forces of two states and the armed militias of one failed state are poised to unleash a potentially devastating war in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia are each moving troops up to their borders in... MORE
Online Jihadi Forums Provide Curriculum for Aspiring Mujahideen
A recent discussion on https://tajdeed.org.uk demonstrates the increasingly common practice of training up-and-coming mujahideen via the internet. The postings attached archived copies of al-Ansar magazine, Sawt al-Jihad and Mu'askat al-Battar, all of which were clearinghouses for al-Qaeda's jihadi strategists. Such forum postings illustrate the way... MORE
Israel Accuses Syria of Smuggling Arms into Lebanon
Renewed Israeli claims that Syria continues to rearm Hezbollah in defiance of UN Resolution 1701 come at a time when there are fears in Israel that Arab groups in Gaza and the Golan Heights may be planning to emulate Hezbollah's tactics in last summer's fighting.... MORE
Islamic Army in Iraq Pursues Strategy of Negotiation and Violence
The Islamic Army in Iraq, a prominent insurgent group, is pulling away from the purely rejectionist trend of most Sunni Arab insurgents, refining its approach toward conducting the Iraqi insurgency. Instead of exclusively focusing on the military fight (as most Sunni insurgents have done), or... MORE
The Kurdistan Freedom Falcons Emerges as a Rival to the PKK
On August 28, the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (also known as the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks, Teyrêbazên Azadiya Kurdistan, or TAK) set off several bombs in the Turkish cities of Marmaris, Istanbul and Antalya. The attacks, the latest in a series, killed three people and injured 21.... MORE
The West is Running Out of Time in Afghanistan
From all observables, the Taliban insurgency is spreading from its deeply rooted base in southern and southeastern Afghanistan to provinces in the west and east. In addition, several Islamist insurgent organizations active during the 1979-89 jihad against the Soviet Union's occupation of Afghanistan—the "old mujahideen"—have... MORE
Jihadis Provide Internet Training for Female Mujahideen
The use of female suicide bombers by Islamist militant groups in countries such as Iraq, Jordan, Afghanistan and Indian Kashmir has exceeded the traditional constraints that Salafi-Jihadi ideology imposes on women. Observers of jihadi cyber activities have noticed an increase in the number of websites... MORE
Al-Sadr’s Weakening Grip on the Mahdi Army
In recent weeks, Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army continues to be blamed for the sectarian killings that are plaguing Iraq. Al-Sadr, however, has repeatedly called on his followers to show restraint and not be provoked into violence. Yet the killings continue, and this has... MORE
EIG’s Muhammed al-Hakaima Continues to Incite Jihad
In a videotaped statement issued on August 5, al-Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri announced what he described as a merger between members of Egyptian Gama'a al-Islamiyya (EIG, Egyptian Islamic Group), under the leadership of Muhammed Khalil al-Hakaima, and al-Qaeda. Muhammed Shawqi Islambouli, the younger brother of... MORE
Saudi Arabia to Build Security Fence on Iraqi Border
Following a series of reports that began to appear in late September, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Interior Minister Prince Ahmed bin Abdel Aziz has confirmed that Riyadh intends to construct a 560-mile security fence along the kingdom's northern border with Iraq (al-Arabiya, October 4). This comes... MORE