Briefs
Aslam Farooqi: Head of Islamic State-Khorasan Arrested
On April 4, an operation conducted by Afghanistan’s intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), successfully captured the head of Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), Aslam Farooqi, along with 19 other militants (TOLO News, April 4; Al Jazeera, April 4). Farooqi was arrested during a multi-day... MORE
Bashir Qorgab—al-Shabaab Veteran Commander Killed in U.S. Airstrike
On February 22, an airstrike carried out by U.S. Africa Command killed a senior al-Shabaab leader, Bashir Mohamed Mahamoud (a.k.a. Bashir Qorgab) (Radio Muqdisho, March 7). As a senior operational commander in the Somali militant group, Qorgab is believed to have been involved in the... MORE
Latest Profiles
AQIM’s Next Generation Mauritanian Theologian, Archivist and Mediator: Abu Numan Qutayba al-Shinqiti
Since al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)’s formation in 2007, its most important members have not only been militants, but also theologians. The latter, such as Abu Ubaydah Yusuf Annabi, have justified AQIM’s tactics, including suicide bombings, and AQIM’s targeting, including on Algerian and West... MORE
An Update on Mokhtar Belmokhtar: Is the One-Eyed Jihadist Still Alive?
Who is Mokhtar Belmokhtar? Mokhtar Belmokhtar is an Algerian national who fought in the country’s 1990s civil conflict and later became a commander in al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)’s southern branch. He was given the moniker “Mr. Marlboro” on account of his role in... MORE
Decoding Ustadh Usama Mahmoud—The Shadowy and Uncrowned Leader of AQIS
Following the death of al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent’s (AQIS) founding leader Asim Umar and several of his associates in September 2019 in Afghanistan, it was believed that the youngest franchise of the international terrorist organization would be in disarray. However, the jihadist franchise seems to... MORE
Abu Alaa al-Walai: Tehran’s Loyal Iraqi Militiaman
"All Americans in Iraq will be hostages if a war broke out between the U.S. and Iran. Because we will stand with Iran, period,” said Abu Ala’a al-Walai, the prominent Iraqi Shia militia leader, in a TV interview last August (Alalam TV, August 28, 2019; YouTube,... MORE