Latest Articles about Syria
The Islamic State’s Oil Network
The Islamic State, previously the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has been a key focus of global attention for the past several months, becoming the number one terrorist target for the United States and its Western allies. [1] However, one of the remarkable... MORE
IS Spokesman Issues Appeal to End the Inter-Jihadist Rivalry
On September 29, jihadist media outlet al-Furqan published a message by Abu Muhammad al-Adnani al-Shami, the so-called spokesman of the Islamic State (formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – ISIS) and the amir of ISIS in Syria. This 41-minute audio message was posted... MORE
Situation of Circassian Refugees from Syria Reportedly Precarious in Karachaevo-Cherkessia
As civil war rages in Syria, Circassians there are trying to escape to other countries, but few of them have been able to return to their historical homeland in the North Caucasus. A handful of the Circassians ended up in Karachaevo-Cherkessia, where Circassians are the... MORE
Rising through the Ranks: A Portrait of Jabhat al-Nusra’s Abu Malik al-Shami
Abu Malik al-Shami (a.k.a. Abu Malik al-Tala) is the commander of al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra (JN – Victory Front) in Syria’s mountainous Qalamoun region on the Syrian-Lebanese border west of Damascus. Al-Shami’s faction of JN has become one of the most powerful armed opposition factions... MORE
Abu Muhammad al-Adnani: The Syrian Face of ‘Islamic State’
One of the major pieces of advice that jihadist ideologues have been giving their followers in the new areas where they are operating is to make local members leaders in order to reassure their local hosts and convince them to adopt their jihadist ideology. Abu... MORE
Kurdish Stronghold in Eastern Syria Defies Assaults by Islamic State
On September 15, the Islamic State, previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), launched a fourth siege on the Syrian city of Kobani (Ayn al-Arab in Arabic), capturing dozens of villages (International Business Times, September 22, 2014). The strategic location of... MORE
Chechen Fighters Make Waves in Syria
Chechens have been quite active in the ranks of the armed opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the past two to three years. Chechens have formed several groups that made waves in a country that is alien to them, both culturally and linguistically, as... MORE
Russia Is Seriously Concerned About Threat Posed by Islamic State
Russian observers reacted quite strongly to an Internet video released by the Islamic State, the group formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) that is operating in Iraq and Syria as well as Lebanese border areas, in which militants are threatening... MORE
Islamic Caliphate for Kazakhstan: Disturbing Signs and Signals
On June 29, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) declared the emergence of an Islamic caliphate and renamed itself the Islamic State (IS). The organisation proclaimed that all existing Muslim states should support and provide their allegiances to the Caliphate, which according to... MORE
Recruits From Chechnya and Central Asia Bolster Ranks of Islamic State
The proclamation of the Islamic State on the territory under the control of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s armed groups in Syria and Iraq illuminates the degree of radicalization of young Muslims who live in Russia and European countries. Since the Islamic State was proclaimed (ng.ru, July... MORE