Latest Terrorism Focus Articles
Was Alleged al-Qaeda Attack a Failed Attempt to Occupy the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul?
The July 9 attack on the U.S. consulate in Istanbul refocused international attention on al-Qaeda’s Turkish branch. Three attackers and three police officers died in the ensuing gun battle. Unlike al-Qaeda’s trademark bomb attacks, this assault took the form of a gun battle. If it... MORE
Moroccan Crackdown on Salafiya Jihadiya Recruitment of Fighters for Iraq
For the third time this year, Morocco has announced the dismantling of a terrorist group. The latest operation occurred only a few months after the complex Belliraj affair in February and the arrest of a cell in May suspected of plotting attacks in Morocco and... MORE
Investigation of Turkey’s “Deep State” Ergenekon Plot Spreads to Military
The arrests of two retired Turkish general officers on July 6 are the latest detentions in an ongoing investigation into Turkish government allegations of a conspiracy to overthrow the government. Most alarming among the allegations against the conspirators is that, in addition to seeking to... MORE
Local Islamist Movement Massacred in Chad after Threatening Holy War
An alleged rising led by an Islamic preacher in the oil-rich southern region of Chad was repressed with great loss of life by government forces in the first days of July. The incident in the town of Kouno came in response to calls for an... MORE
Saudi Salafism a Stronger Force in Islamist Militancy than Recanting Clerics
In the past month, the media have reported an attack on India’s embassy in Kabul, killing 41; an attack on the Red Mosque in Islamabad, killing 10; an attack on the U.S. consulate in Istanbul, killing six; a raid by the Taliban and its allies... MORE
Trying the Suspect or the Government? The Media’s Approach to the Trial of al-Qaeda’s Canadian Operative
In the aftermath of al-Qaeda’s 9/11 raids on New York City and Washington D.C., the Western media thundered damnation at the governments of the United States and its allies for having failed to take seriously the growth in post-Cold War national security threats from transnational... MORE
Emerging Cracks in Somalia’s Islamist Insurgency
Serious cracks have emerged in the alliance of Somali Islamists who have been waging a holy war against Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) since 2006. In Djibouti, some Islamists regarded as moderates and led by Shaykh Sherif Shaykh Ahmad, chairman of the Alliance for the... MORE
Can Turkey’s Anti-Terrorism Cooperation with Iran Lead to a Strategic Partnership?
Turkish Land Forces Commander General Ilker Basbug surprised some by announcing a partnership between Turkey and Iran in the fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorist organization (Cumhuriyet, June 6). In fact, the debate on choosing Iran as a close partner is not new.... MORE
Fighting in Lebanon’s Palestinian Refugee Camps Result of Increased Islamist Influence
Approximately a year has passed since the outbreak of violence between the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the armed Islamist group Fatah al-Islam in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared in Northern Lebanon; and yet—one year later—the situation in the camps is far from... MORE
History’s Muse Prepares to Ring the Closing Bell on the West’s War in Afghanistan
So far this year, we have seen U.S. and Western leaders continuing to deal with Afghanistan in an ahistorical manner, as if their Afghan problem can easily wait until they can finally work our correct levels of troop strength and funding to solve it. For... MORE