
Latest Articles about South Asia

Özgür Altun: Turkish Media Mastermind for IS–KP Arrested
Executive Summary: Özgür Altun, a Turkish national and leading propagandist for IS–KP, was arrested in Pakistan after years of orchestrating the group’s online media, recruitment, and logistics networks. His detention marks a major setback for IS–KP’s transnational communications and recruitment efforts across Turkey, Central Asia,... MORE

Mahal Baloch: Legacy of Female Suicide Bomber Amid U.S. Blacklisting
Executive Summary: The U.S. designation of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and its Majeed Brigade as Foreign Terrorist Organizations on August 11 marks a major shift in international recognition of the Baloch insurgency as a threat. The blacklisting isolates the BLA internationally and reflects eroded... MORE

Abdul Haq Wasiq: Afghan Taliban Spymaster Possibly Detained in Guantanamo Engages with CIA
Executive Summary: Mullah Abdul Haq Wasiq, Taliban intelligence chief and former Guantanamo detainee, has become central to Afghanistan’s internal security and counter–Islamic State efforts. Once tied to al-Qaeda, Wasiq now engages in high-level talks with the CIA, including negotiations over detained Americans and coordination against... MORE

Asif Adnan: Urban, Young, and Digital Face of Islamist Extremism in Bangladesh
Executive Summary: Asif Adnan, son of a High Court judge and former musician, became radicalized after the 2013 Shapla Square movement and was arrested in 2014 for ties to Ansarullah Bangla Team and al-Qaeda networks, though quickly released on bail. Since then, he has reinvented... MORE

Hizb ut-Tahrir on the Rise in Bangladesh
Executive Summary: Since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, the banned Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir Bangladesh (HTB) has taken advantage of weak interim governance to openly campaign for its legalization, as well as stage protests and recruit among students, professionals, and elements of... MORE

The BLA and ISKP Clash in Balochistan
Executive Summary: A deadly March 2025 clash in Mastung District in Balochistan ended the uneasy coexistence between the secular Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Islamic State–Khorasan Province (IS–KP). The rivalry creates an opportunity for the Pakistani government to exploit as the two groups dedicate resources... MORE

India Remains a Key Financier for Kremlin
Executive Summary: India’s increased economic cooperation with Russia since 2022, despite Western sanctions, has provided the Russian military-industrial complex with critical technological and financial support. India has helped Russia evade Western sanctions by providing Moscow with Nvidia artificial intelligence (AI) chips, octogen, and Swiss-made precision... MORE

Thadiyantavide Nazeer: Lashkar-e-Taiba-Linked Ideologue Recruiting in India From Prison
Executive Summary: Thadiyantavide Nazeer is a key Islamic extremist associated with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistan and India’s homegrown jihadist group, Indian Mujahedeen (IM), and has been under arrest since 2013. Nazeer has managed to use his time in prison to radicalize others and was... MORE

Rahman Gul: The Former Pakistani Army Captain Now Commanding the BLA’s Majeed Brigade
Executive Summary: Captain Rahman Gul, the Baloch Liberation Army’s second-in-command, is thought to be behind the group’s turn toward sophisticated suicide attacks in recent years. A poet and former member of Pakistan’s security forces, Rahman Gul provides his group with both military training and effective... MORE

Dr. Aminul Haq: Osama bin Laden Associate Released from Prison in Pakistan
Executive Summary: Top al-Qaeda leader Dr. Aminul Haq has been in and out of Pakistani prisons over the years. Most recently, he was released in April 2025 and deported to Afghanistan after having been arrested in July 2024. Officially designated as a terrorist by the... MORE