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Latest Articles about Afghanistan
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Al-Qaeda Loses Another Rising Leader: The Death of Emir Asim Umar
On September 23, Asim Umar, chief of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), was killed in a joint operation by American and Afghan forces on a Taliban compound in Afghanistan’s Helmand province. This is the latest in a string of setbacks suffered by al-Qaeda in... MORE
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Death of AQIS Emir Asim Umar has Serious Implications for Al-Qaeda
Following the death of Hamza bin Laden, al-Qaeda has lost another key leader in late September after U.S. and Afghan security forces killed al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) emir Asim Umar in Musa Qila district of Helmand province. Six other senior members of AQIS... MORE
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Central Asian Perspectives of the Tsentr 2019 Military Exercises
Tsentr 2019, this year’s largest Russian strategic-operational exercise, involving both Russian troops and seven regional allies and partners, was a highly promoted event by Russia’s state-owned news outlets. According to Sputnik News, the maneuvers (September 16–21) “demonstrated to the world the unprecedented defensive capabilities of... MORE
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Briefs
Maldives: Presidential Commission Findings Prompt Proposed Changes to Anti-Terror Act Brian M. Perkins The Maldivian government introduced a sweeping new bill that would amend the 2015 Anti-Terrorism Act as the country continues to grapple with rising radicalization and the prospect of returning fighters. The proposed... MORE
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Unveiling the Role of Women in Jihadist Groups
On July 21, two back-to-back terror attacks rocked Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The first was carried out by two unidentified gunmen, who opened fire at a checkpoint at Kotla Saidan, killing two policemen. Soon after, a suicide bomber struck a hospital to... MORE
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Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai—The ISI-Approved Leader of the Taliban Negotiation Team
In February, the Taliban named Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai as the head of its 14-member team that would participate in negotiations with U.S. Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad (Pajhwok, February 12). Stanikzai has led the Taliban team not only in several rounds of... MORE
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Tajik Military Increasingly Part of Russian Army in All But Name
Tajikistan’s military, according to Moscow-based defense analyst Vladimir Mukhin, “today represents a small outpost of the Russian Army. It is completely equipped with Russian arms, has the same organizational structure,” its soldiers and officers are being trained by Russians and in Russian military schools, and... MORE
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Russian Intrigues in the Middle East
Russian diplomacy is well known for its apparent readiness to engage with all parties to the multiple conflicts in the Middle East, and this characteristic has recently produced another awkward tangle of opportunistic intrigues. President Vladimir Putin fancies himself a master of communicating with difficult... MORE
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Al-Qaeda and Islamic State Reinvigorating East Turkistan Jihad
China is increasingly facing transnational jihadist threats as a result of the long-standing plight of its ethnic Uighur Muslim citizens, who are mostly concentrated in the country’s northwestern region of Xinjiang (Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region). Amid mounting Western criticism of China’s handling of its minorities in... MORE
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A Profile of Taliban Fundraiser Anas Haqqani
On February 12, the Taliban announced the 14-member team who would negotiate with U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Doha, Qatar later that month. Among the names in its list was Anas Haqqani, son of the late Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder and leader of the... MORE