Latest Terrorism Monitor Articles

Anti-Balaka Militias Target Muslims in the Central African Republic
Recent fighting in the resource-rich Central African Republic (CAR) is inflicting a “human disaster” on the country. [1] Nearly one million residents of the country have been displaced, a majority of them from the northwestern region of the CAR that borders Cameroon and Chad, with... MORE

“With These Guns We Will Return to Kurdistan”: The Resurgence of Kurdish Jihadism
Kurdish jihadist militants, who were dealt a devastating blow by the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, have recently made a powerful resurgence thanks to the absence of U.S. troops in Iraq and the safe havens for extremism created by the Syrian civil war. Kurdish jihadists... MORE

Tripoli Battles Shadowy Qaddafists While Tribal Rivals Fight Over Southern Libya
Despite living in the midst of some of the world’s most open and sparsely populated spaces, Libya’s southern tribes are engaged in a new round of bitter urban warfare, as snipers, gun-battles and mortar fire take a heavy toll on the civilian population. At stake... MORE

The Struggle for Arabistan: Tensions and Militancy in Iran’s Khuzestan Province
Thousands of Iranians were reported to have sought medical attention in November 2013 due to complaints of shortness of breath and other maladies following a spell of acid rain that blanketed parts of the southwestern province of Khuzestan. Due to the impact of the local... MORE

Al-Qaeda Leader al-Zawahiri Urges Jihad Against the “Anti-Islamic” Government of Bangladesh
Widespread violence, marked by protest rallies, hartals (general shutdowns), group clashes and bombings have led to massive confrontations between secular and Islamist forces in Bangladesh over the last year. Now, al-Qaeda leader Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri has issued a call for jihad in Bangladesh, the fourth... MORE

Northern Cameroon Under Threat from Boko Haram and Séléka Militants
The Tenth Parallel North has been described as the “fault line where Islam and Christianity meet and clash.” [1] In Africa, the Tenth Parallel passes west to east through Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Sudan and Somalia. Cameroon is the only one... MORE

Tunisian Extremists Expand Beyond Their Bases in Jebel Chaambi
2013 marked the return of terrorism to Tunisia. Since the middle of the year, terrorist incidents have occurred with greater frequency and now pose an alarming threat to the safety of Tunisia. During the first half of 2013, the Tunisian security forces were the target... MORE

Ansar al-Shari’a: Transforming Libya into a Land of Jihad
In the first attack of its kind in Libya, a suicide car bomber drove an explosive-laden truck into a military checkpoint in Bersis (east of Benghazi) on December 22, 2013 that killed 13 people and injured 17 others (Jeune Afrique, December 23, 2013). The investigation... MORE

Kurdish Strategy Towards Ethnically-Mixed Areas in the Syrian Conflict
Kurdish fighters in Syria have taken greater control of areas inhabited by both Arabs and Kurds since July 16, and aim to capture three other mixed areas in the governorates of Raqqah, Aleppo and Hasakah in order to connect existing Kurdish areas (al-Monitor, October 25).... MORE

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Attacks Morocco’s “Kingdom of Corruption and Despotism”
Al-Andalus, the media branch of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), released a rather sophisticated and detailed video on Morocco titled “Le royaume de la corruption et du despotisme" (The kingdom of corruption and despotism) on September 12. [1] The video mixed a series of... MORE