Latest Terrorism Monitor Articles
Confronting the Sadrists: The Issue of State and Militia in Iraq
On April 26, Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr stood down from his threat to wage an all-out war against the Iraqi government and the coalition. A week before, the anti-American cleric had issued a statement threatening to declare an open war if the security crackdown... MORE
Afghanistan’s National Army: The Ambiguous Prospects of Afghanization
Over the last few years the Afghan National Army (ANA) has often been presented as a success story. This certainly holds some truth, at least in comparison with Afghanistan’s national police, which is widely seen as a complete failure. The ANA is reasonably well behaved... MORE
Susurluk and the Legacy of Turkey’s Dirty War
On April 23 the Turkish Council of State ordered former Interior Minister Mehmet Agar to stand trial for allegedly “forming a criminal organization” in the dirty war against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) during the 1990s, a period most Turks refer to as the “Susurluk”... MORE
Europol Reveals Trends in Jihadi Terrorism in Europe
Terrorist activities in Europe increased dramatically in 2007, according to the annual report published by Europol, the European Union’s criminal intelligence agency [1]. Terrorists carried out—or attempted to carry out—583 attacks last year, a 24 percent increase from the previous year. Accompanying this increase in... MORE
Al-Qaeda’s Palestinian Inroads
When al-Qaeda invited journalists and the people at large to direct questions by internet to al-Qaeda’s second-in-command, Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, one of the most frequent questions was: “Why does al-Qaeda not launch operations in Palestine?” Al-Zawahiri responded with an audio message published on al-Sahab, the... MORE
Capabilities and Restraints in Turkey’s Counter-Terrorism Policy
Turkey has long faced a broad range of domestic terrorist threats, ranging from left-wing and Kurdish radicals to violent indigenous Islamist groups and Turkish militants affiliated with or sympathetic to transnational organizations such as al-Qaeda. The country’s geographical location, often porous borders and thriving black... MORE
Sino-Pakistani Defense Relations and the War on Terrorism
Concurrent with Pakistan’s often tumultuous military relationship with the United States is a growing and highly amicable economic and military relationship with China that poses vital questions regarding Pakistan’s future approach to the War on Terrorism. While suspicion of American motives runs high in Pakistan,... MORE
Dostum: Afghanistan’s Embattled Warlord
While the resurgence of the Taliban is the focus of interest in the Pashtun south of Afghanistan, the year started with a different story in the north that many are depicting as one of the greatest challenges to the Karzai government. Namely the surreal confrontation... MORE
Jordan’s Jihad Scholar al-Maqdisi is Freed from Prison
On March 12, Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi—born Isam Muhammad Tahir al-Barqawi in 1959—was released from a Jordanian prison after almost three years imprisonment without trial (Al-Sharq al-Awsat, March 13). Maqdisi has long played a pivotal role in defining jihadist ideology. After taking part in the Afghan... MORE
Under Pressure – The PKK Launches 2008 Campaign
On April 2, the Turkish General Staff (TGS) issued a statement claiming to have killed 16 militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for the loss of three Turkish soldiers during two days of fierce fighting in the province of Sirnak on Turkey’s border with... MORE