Latest Articles about Pakistan
Ahmed Marwat: The Mysterious Militant Mastermind of Jundullah, Pakistan
In Pakistan’s dangerously diverse universe of Islamic extremism, the name Jundullah (also Jundallah) and this militant group’s notorious commander-spokesperson Ahmed Marwat (a.k.a. Ahmedullah or Fahad Marwat) are synonymous with violence against minorities, indiscriminate attacks on foreigners and social workers and targeted assaults against Pakistan’s powerful... MORE
Growing Islamic State Influence in Pakistan Fuels Sectarian Violence
A seemingly organized sectarian violence against Pakistan’s beleaguered minority Shi’a community has plumbed new depths in recent months with a series of bombings of Shi’a worshipping places and targeted killings that have left over 170 people dead so far in 2015. Previously the anti-Shi’a armed... MORE
Russia Shutters Northern Distribution Network
On May 15, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev issued a resolution closing the Northern Distribution Network (NDN), a network of rail and road links across Russia and the post-Soviet space that had provided logistical transit to Afghanistan for International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) military equipment... MORE
Chinese Submarines in Sri Lanka Unnerve India: Next Stop Pakistan?
The sighting of Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean has unnerved India. A People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Song-class conventional submarine along with Changxing Dao, a Type 925 submarine support ship, docked at the Chinese-run Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT) in Sri Lanka last September... MORE
‘Wilayat Khurasan’: Islamic State Consolidates Position in AfPak Region
Amid a series of government denials from Pakistan and Afghanistan regarding the presence of the Islamic State militant group in these countries and its ongoing outreach activities there, its expansion was corroborated by none other than the Islamic State’s spokesperson, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, on January... MORE
Islamabad’s Umme Hassan: Female Mobilizer and Jihadist Inspirer at the Red Mosque
In a video statement on November 24, 2014, burka clad students of Islamabad’s Lal Masjid-affiliated (Red Mosque) female seminary, Jamia-e-Hafsa, pledged allegiance to Islamic State amir Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. It was shocking, as the all-girls madrassa had long been known for supporting al-Qaeda and the... MORE
Following the Peshawar School Attack, Pakistan Moves Against Domestic Terrorism
The attack by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on the Army Public School in Peshawar on December 16 was a watershed moment in the country’s fight against terrorism. The death of 132 children transcended preconceived boundaries between civil and military or Sunni and Shi’a, creating space for... MORE
Hafiz Saeed Khan: Leading the Islamic State’s Violent Agenda in Afghanistan and Pakistan
In January 2015, the Islamic State’s chief spokesperson, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, announced the establishment of Wilayat Khurasan, covering a geographical region that roughly includes Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of Central Asia and India. In an audio message titled “Die in Your Rage!,” al-Adnani stated that... MORE
A Profile of Pakistani Taliban Spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan
December 16, 2014 marked the single worst terror attack in Pakistani history. The assault led by members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on the Army Public School in Peshawar claimed the lives of 141 people, 132 of whom were school children (BBC, December 16, 2014).... MORE
Umar Mansoor: The Mastermind of the Peshawar School Attack
The targeting of children at the Army Public School in Peshawar on December 16, 2014 by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has heralded a new era of terrorism in Pakistan. The brutal and coldblooded murder of 141 people, most of them students in the ninth grade, is... MORE