
Latest Terrorism Monitor Articles

Kata’ib al-Farouq al-Islamiya: A Key Armed Opposition Group in the Battle to Cut Assad Off from Damascus
Kata’ib al-Farouq al-Islamiya (KFI - Islamic al-Farouq Brigades) is a newly formed Syrian Islamist armed opposition group that constitutes an important faction within the powerful umbrella rebel organization Jabhat Tahrir Suria al-Islamiya (SILF-Syrian Islamic Liberation Front). This fighting group is currently growing in public visibility... MORE

Syrian Jihadists React to the Threat of U.S. Military Intervention
Various reservations have been raised by the opponents of a military action in Syria by Western countries against the Bashar al-Assad regime for its alleged use of chemical weapons. Perhaps the most common of these objections was the one linked to the presence of jihadists... MORE

Egypt’s Military Devises Strategy to Move Egypt beyond Political Islamism
Many local media channels in Egypt are constantly broadcasting the banner “Egypt Fighting Terrorism” in what seems to be a media campaign to mobilize the masses to support the military and police in their crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood members. One large poster near the state... MORE

Meeting the Jihad Challenge in Tunisia: The Military and Political Response
Tunisia continues to go through a critical phase—to its economic and social difficulties, it now adds a political crisis. It is in this context that new security challenges have emerged. In a climate already made ??tense by the July 25 assassination of a leading member... MORE

Egypt and Hamas Struggle with the Growing Salafist Threat in the Sinai
The July 3 coup d’état in Egypt was an occasion few mainstream Islamists had cause to celebrate. As the remonstrations of Muslim Brotherhood supporters were drowned out by the rattle of tank treads and the rhythmic palaver of General Abd al-Fatah al-Sisi, Islamic parties in... MORE
After the Crackdown in Cairo: Understanding Why The Egyptian Army Deposed Muhammad Mursi
Egyptian Interior Ministry police executed on August 14 the long anticipated break-up of the two pro-Mursi “sit-in” protest camps in Cairo, which have been a daily presence since the former Islamist president was removed from office on July 3. The latest move by government forces... MORE

Royal Rivalry in the Levant: Saudi Arabia and Qatar Duel over Syria
The cycle of calamity plaguing Syria continues to intensify with no end in sight. Syria’s predicament today is far removed from the initial outburst of mass dissent witnessed in March 2011 that saw the Ba’athist regime violently suppress demonstrations demanding political change and reform. This... MORE

Bahrain’s Monarchy Determined to Prevent Egyptian-Style Revolt in Mid-August
Bahrain’s Interior Ministry has warned the nation’s largely Shiite political opposition against following through with plans for massive Egyptian-style pro-democracy street demonstrations planned for August 14. The opposition is calling for free elections in the Sunni-dominated monarchy and an end to the authoritative rule of... MORE

Somalia’s al-Shabaab Movement Turns on Itself
Once strong and united, Somalia’s al-Shabaab militant group is on the brink of self-destruction following a multi-year power struggle and the development of internal divisions within its leadership. At present, the group’s amir, Ahmad Abdi Godane (a.k.a. Shaykh Mukhtar Abu Zubayr), is attempting to consolidate... MORE

Syrian Jihadists Struggle for Supremacy in the Armed Opposition
Infighting in recent weeks between jihadists and other rebels in northern Syria that led to the assassination of two Free Syrian Army commanders is likely to worsen, compounding a power struggle within rebel ranks at a time when an emboldened Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is... MORE