Latest Terrorism Focus Articles
Al-Qaeda’s Golden Opportunity to Deal a Devastating Blow to the United States
When Osama bin Laden declared war on the United States in al-Qaeda’s name in the late summer of 1996, he outlined ambitious worldwide Islamist goals, but noted that al-Qaeda could not accomplish them on its own. He said that al-Qaeda could, at best, serve as... MORE
Hamas Arrests Pro-al-Qaeda Leader of Jaysh al-Umma in Gaza
In a deserted area of southern Gaza, the recently formed Jaysh al-Ummah (The Army of the Nation - JAU) organized its first public training session on September 1. The local Reuters video crew was given access to record the training of this little-known armed group.... MORE
Turkey Planning to Eliminate Kurdish PKK Insurgents in the Coming Year
Turkey’s leading politicians and security officials gathered at the Prime Minister’s residence on September 11 to discuss approaches for Turkey’s ongoing struggle against the Kurdistan Workers Party (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan – PKK). Despite a long summer of small-scale attacks on Turkish security forces in predominantly... MORE
Iraqi Military Operation in Diyala Province Risks Renewal of Kurdish-Arab Conflict
As tensions rise between Iraqi Kurds, Arab Sunnis, and Arab Shiites in ethnically mixed Diyala Province during a massive and ongoing military operation by the Iraqi Army, a bombing in the disputed city of Khanaqin threatens to launch the region into new convulsions of violence.... MORE
Transatlantic Airline Bombing Case Collapses in the United Kingdom
The stunning collapse of the case against a group of British citizens charged with plotting to blow up a number of passenger planes out of the sky has sent shock waves through counterterrorism and security services in both the UK and the United States. After... MORE
Turkish Generals Deliver Critical Counterterrorism Messages
The last week of August has a special meaning for the Turkish Republic and its military. Since the inception of the Republic, August 30 has been the day for commemorating the Turkish army’s victory against the occupation forces in Anatolia in 1922. This tradition has... MORE
Playing With Fire: Pakistan’s Unintended Strategic Challenge in India’s Homeland
Having examined India’s Afghan policy as a challenge meant to undermine Pakistani security (see Terrorism Focus, August 12), this article examines Pakistan’s low-intensity war against India which, while long ongoing, has been effectively broadened since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan and India’s expanding presence there.... MORE
Bosnian Authorities Face Charges Over Transfer of “Algerian Six” to Guantanamo
Former Bosnian officials who handed over six members of the so-called “Algerian Group” to U.S. authorities, who in turn transferred them to the Guantanamo Bay military detention center, are facing an inquiry into their actions, which the Sarajevo Prosecutor's Office describes as illegal. The Prosecutor's... MORE
Is the PKK Seeking New Bases in the Turkish Interior?
As of August 2008, it appears that operations of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan – PKK) have shifted toward a strip of Turkish territory crossing through Tunceli, Bingol, Mus, and Bitlis provinces, a region where the PKK previously conducted limited activities. The following... MORE
Mass Attack on French Paratroopers Heralds New Taliban Tactics
Conflicting accounts of a Taliban ambush of an elite French military unit in the Surubi district of Kabul Province on August 18 have raised new concerns about the future of France’s politically unpopular deployment in Afghanistan. Ten soldiers were killed and 21 wounded in one... MORE