Latest Articles about South Asia
Al-Zawahiri’s September 11 Video Hits Main Themes of al-Qaeda Doctrine
On the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, al-Qaeda's media production unit presented a 70-plus-minute videotape of an interview with second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri [1]. Unlike videos issued to commemorate earlier 9/11 anniversaries, al-Zawahiri's video was not dedicated solely or even primarily to the actions... MORE
Al-Qaeda’s Evolving Strategy Five Years after September 11
Five years after September 11, al-Qaeda is, in its own words, "continuing the policy of bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy," drawing the United States into a gradually widening conflict until it is no longer sustainable to continue operations against the mujahideen. Osama bin... MORE
The Evolution of Jihadi Electronic Counter-Measures
After each attempted terrorist attack, whether botched or successful, government security forces worldwide are typically tasked with reviewing and analyzing the incident to draw lessons from the mistakes made in order to better prepare for possible future attacks. The same process, however, takes place in... MORE
The London Plot: A Tactical Victory in an Eroding Strategic Environment
On August 10, the British police and security services scored an impressive tactical counter-terrorism victory with the arrest of 24 British subjects—most of Pakistani ethnicity or origin—who had planned to destroy 10 airliners in flight over the Atlantic Ocean. The arrests capped what has been... MORE
Saad bin Laden: The Key to Iranian-al-Qaeda Detente?
On July 28, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard reportedly released Osama bin Laden's 27 year-old son, Saad bin Laden, according to the German newspaper Die Welt. Saad had been held under house arrest in Iran, along with other al-Qaeda figures who were arrested in round-ups by... MORE
South Waziristan’s Veteran Jihadi Leader: A Profile of Haji Omar
The recent insurgency in some portions of Pakistan's tribal belt has produced a chain of new leaders who govern their respective areas. A common trait of these new leaders is that they receive inspiration from the Afghan Taliban and openly call themselves the "local Taliban."... MORE
Zawahiri: Internationalizing Jihad, Uniting Muslims and Trumping Saudi Clerics
Ayman al-Zawahiri's July 27 statement on the Israel-Hezbollah conflict deftly advanced al-Qaeda's own interests, as well as al-Qaeda's goal of putting the world's multiple ongoing Islamic insurgencies into the context of a single, Shiite-and-Sunni struggle against "the Zionist-Crusader aggression." The struggles in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq... MORE
UNCERTAINTY ON EVE OF NATO HANDOVER IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN
This week coalition forces in Afghanistan announced the end of the 45-day “Operation Mountain Thrust,” which killed more than 600 Taliban fighters. The operation took place in the volatile region of southern Afghanistan and included more than 10,000 U.S.-led coalition and Afghan forces (VOA, July... MORE
Killing of Shiite Cleric Threatens New Round of Sectarian Violence in Pakistan
On July 14, Allama Hassan Turabi was assassinated by a suicide bomber in front of his home in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal section of Karachi. Turabi was a prominent Shiite Muslim cleric who headed the banned Tehrik-e-Jafaria (TJP), served as the vice president of the opposition Muttahida... MORE
Trail from Mumbai Blasts Leads to Multiple Terrorist Groups
As the Mumbai police continue to hunt down the suspects of the July 11 train blasts, a lesser-known militant outfit, Lashkar-e-Qahar (LeQ), has claimed responsibility for the coordinated terrorist attacks on India's suburban trains that left nearly 200 people dead and more than 700 injured.... MORE