Latest Terrorism Focus Articles
Disarray in the Algerian GSPC
Under the barrage of daily news reports detailing armed attacks by militants, it might appear over-optimistic to sound the last post for an Islamist insurgency that has since 1992 accounted for 150,000 deaths in Algeria. The extremist Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) had... MORE
Al-Qaeda Ensures a Violent Ramadan in Iraq
On October 15 the Muslim month of Ramadan kicked off with a crop of attacks, justifying Iraqi fears that the traditional holy month of fasting and prayer has been transformed into a harbinger of violence. On that day a powerful car bomb exploded in Baghdad... MORE
Kashmir Initiative Likely to Spark More Violence
President Pervez Musharraf's surprise initiative, revealed on October 25, to solve the Kashmir dispute which has plagued relations with India for almost 60 years, has plunged political circles in Pakistan into turmoil. The initiative, broadly speaking, is an examination of a number of options to... MORE
Al-Qaeda Videotape Threatens “to Dwarf 9/11”
A flurry of intense interest has greeted the revelation, made on October 28, that al-Qaeda had issued a videotape a few days earlier warning that the next terror attack would "dwarf 9/11." The veiled speaker goes on to describe how "the streets will run with... MORE
Thailand on the Brink of an Insurgency
The pace of violence in southern Thailand continues to rise, and is fast taking on the appearance of a prototype to a full-blown insurgency. The rate of killing accelerated markedly last April when over 100 Islamist militants were killed by security forces. Earlier this month... MORE
THE HUNT FOR SHUKRIJUMAH
The confirmation by U.S. officials on October 5 that Adnan El-Shukrijumah, a high-ranking al-Qaeda leader, had attempted to obtain radioactive material for the production and smuggling of a ‘dirty bomb' into the United States, focused media attention on the ongoing pursuit of this al-Qaeda leader... MORE
VIOLENCE IN SOUTHERN THAILAND
The pace of Islamist insurgent activity in southern Thailand has stepped up to the point of near constant violence over the past two weeks. In the first week of October, Muslim extremists mounted a series of 10 shootings and bombings that left six dead. Most... MORE
AL-QAEDA THREATENS KOREA
A ‘warning to the Korean Government' was posted on an Arabic-language site al-Muntada on October 10, threatening to ‘make Korea suffer' if Korean troops were not pulled out from Iraq within 14 days. The declaration, published by the Korean Chosun Ilbo newspaper, was made by... MORE
LIBYA ARRESTS AL-QAEDA SUSPECTS
Libya this week arrested 17 members of a group it believes is linked to the al-Qaeda network, who were attempting an illegal entry into the country. Libyan Public Order Minister Nasser al-Mabruk remained non-committal on the nature of the links but gave their identity as... MORE
AL-QAEDA COMMENTARIES ON RAMADAN, IRAQ AND THE JIHAD
The latest issue (no. 20) of the online al-Qaeda periodical Mu'askar al-Battar dismisses at the outset any reservations about fighting in the holy month of Ramadan. The Foreword written by Al-Faruq al-‘Amiri emphasizes the precedent set not only by their mujahid ancestors from the time... MORE