Briefs
Iran’s Man in Nineveh: Waad Qado and the PMF’s 30th Brigade
On May 12, the U.S. Department of State released its annual report on International Religious Freedom. Though the report drew media attention for calling out abuses of religious freedom from geopolitical rivals to the United States, including Russia and China, what received less attention was... MORE
Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Assassination of Taliban Shadow Governor in Peshawar
On April 19, two members of Islamic State (IS) riding on motorcycles fired upon a vehicle traveling in the area of Haji Camp, near Peshawar, in Pakistan. The shooting resulted in the death of Maulvi Naik Muhammad Rahbar, the Taliban’s shadow governor of Nangarhar province.... MORE
Latest Profiles
Terrorist-Turned-Pilot: A Profile of al-Shabab’s Rashid Mwalimu
In March, Kenyan security agencies issued an alert for the arrest of Rashid Mwalimu, an allegedly armed and dangerous pilot linked to al-Shabaab, the Somali-based al-Qaeda affiliate in East Africa. According to the police, Mwalimu was planning terrorist strikes in Kenya as revenge for the... MORE
‘Creating Anarchy in the Country’: The TLP’s New Challenges Under Saad Hussain Rizvi
Saad Hussain Rizvi is the emir, or chairman, of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a right-wing politico-religious party, which Pakistani authorities banned in April under the country's anti-terrorism laws. In November 2020, Saad Rizvi succeeded his father Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi in the post. Khadim Rizvi was... MORE
Hazara Militia Leader Abdul Ghani Alipoor Emerges as Counter-Weight to Taliban and Islamic State Forces in Behsud
Introduction Around midnight on March 18, an Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) helicopter was shot down in the Behsud district of Afghanistan’s central Maidan Wardak province. Nine military personnel, including the pilot, were killed in the attack. The Afghan Ministry of Defense blamed... MORE
An In-Depth Portrait of a Pakistani Taliban Founding Father: Umar Khalid Khurasani
In August 2020, eight important Pakistani jihadist groups opposed to Islamabad joined the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Among them was an influential group led by Commander Umar Khalid Khurasani, a.k.a. Abdul Wali Mohmand. The TTP chief, Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, declared that... MORE