Latest Terrorism Monitor Articles
Muqtada al-Sadr Calls for a New Role for the Jaysh al-Mahdi Militia in Iraq
Recent calls by the radical Iraqi Shi’a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to his Jaysh al-Mahdi (JaM) militia to become involved in protecting local Shi’a mosques have ignited fear of a new sectarian confrontation in Iraq. Al-Sadr has suggested that his followers join the national security forces... MORE
Breaking Yemen Apart: Al-Qaeda Exploits Social Divisions to Further its Agenda
Since its emergence in January 2009, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has become much more ambitious in carrying out international terrorist operations. The group’s ambition quickly grew beyond its stated desire to overthrow the Yemeni regime, reaching first into Saudi Arabia and then into... MORE
What Kind of Relations Does Egypt’s Islamic Group Seek With Cairo’s Al-Azhar?
Since opening its doors to academic studies in 975 CE, Cairo’s al-Azhar University has become the Islamic world’s preeminent institution of Islamic studies and its Shaykh (or leader) has been traditionally regarded as the Sunni Islamic world’s most authoritative voice. However, since the Egyptian Revolution... MORE
Al-Qaeda Infiltration of the Western Sahara’s Polisario Movement
Jihadi forum participants were excited about a posting entitled: "Al-Qaeda penetrates the Polisario army and the Mauritanian army is in danger" (atahadi.com, April 20). Endeavors to penetrate the Polisario Front of the Western Sahara have long been on al-Qaeda's agenda.The posting gives a short brief... MORE
Pakistan’s Ongoing Azm-e-Nau-3 Military Exercises Define Strategic Priorities
For the last few years, the Pakistan Army has been slowly but surely drifting away from fighting the war on terror and placing more stress on building its capabilities to fight its archrival, nuclear-armed India. The process was accelerated when General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani took... MORE
The Succession Question: The Islamic State of Iraq Searches for New Leaders
The killing of the two top leaders of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI - al-Qaeda’s umbrella group in Iraq), Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayub al-Masri (a.k.a Abu Hamza al-Muhajir), came at a crucial time for the organization. The need for symbolic figures in... MORE
Rashid Rauf and the New York City Subway Bombing Plot
As security agencies pursue ethnic Pakistani suspects in the attempted Times Square bombing, another New York City bomb plot with connections to Pakistan and the U.K. is working its way through U.S. courts. The case involves an aborted attempt by natives of Pakistan and Afghanistan... MORE
The Hazara Division of Pakistan–Growing Talibanization amidst Political Instability and Ethnic Tensions
Recently the terrorism-battered northwest frontier of Pakistan was hit by another kind of mayhem when the previously peaceful Hazara Division of the former North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) witnessed bloody clashes between police and rioters over the issue of renaming the province “Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa” (Dawn [Karachi], April... MORE
HuJI Operations Expand Beyond the Indian Subcontinent
Formed in 1984, the Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI – Movement of Islamic Holy War) has fought Soviets in Afghanistan and Indians in Kashmir before expanding to Bangladesh. From its focused beginnings, HuJI has developed into an international jihadi group that appears ready to demonstrate its global... MORE
Iranian Naval Exercises Display Advancements in IRGC Armed Capabilities
On April 22, the Iranian armed forces began an annual series of military exercises over the course of three days in the strategic Strait of Hormuz region (The Great Prophet 5) (IRNA, April 23; Press TV, April 23; Mehr, April 23; Keyhan, April 23). Named... MORE