Latest Articles about Military/Security
Taliban Spokesman Discusses U.S. Media and Military Strategies in Afghanistan
Many jihadi internet forums have circulated a recent special interview with the official spokesman of the so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Qari Muhammad Yusuf al-Ahmadi. The interview was conducted for the March-April issue of al-Somod Islamic e-magazine, an official Taliban publication. In the interview, the... MORE
Attacks Reported in Ingushetia, Dagestan, Chechnya and Kabardino-Balkaria
Violence has continued in the North Caucasus over the past week in the wake of the March 29 bombings in the Moscow metro, which killed 40 people and were reportedly carried out by two female suicide bombers from Dagestan, and a March 31 suicide bombing... MORE
Moscow Signs the Nuclear Arms Treaty: Raising Hope for Additional Progress
Today in the Czech capital Prague, Presidents, Barack Obama, and Dmitry Medvedev, signed a new treaty to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) that expired last December. Within seven years of the new treaty being ratified by the US Senate and the Russian... MORE
Uzbek Reactions to Holbrooke Visit and US Regional Interests
The US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, visited Uzbekistan as part of a tour of several Central Asian states during February 17-21. At that time, Holbrooke held talks with Uzbek President, Islam Karimov, regarding the US-led offensive in Afghanistan and related international... MORE
Death of Anzor Astemirov Does not Mark the End of the Insurgency in Kabardino-Balkaria
The end of March 2010 turned out to be eventful in the North Caucasus. First of all, on March 24 the leader of Kabardino-Balkaria’s Yarmuk Jamaat, Anzor Astemirov, was killed in Nalchik, the republic’s capital. Astemirov, known more widely by the name Emir Seifullah (Kommersant,... MORE
Moscow’s Perspective on the Tactical Gamble and Strategic Consequences of the New START Treaty: Part Two
While the Russian press has noted the pledges from Senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar, members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, to begin the ratification process on the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) immediately after its signing in Prague on April 8,... MORE
Moscow Ties “Reset” to Afghanistan
On April 3, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Andrey Denisov, noted the generally positive change in the atmosphere between Moscow and Washington, but remarked that the relationship lacks “content.” The increased intensity in bilateral meetings, in his view, needs to be complemented by quality, rather than... MORE
Medvedev Seeks Balance Between Fighting Islamists and Stemming Rising Xenophobia
On April 1, President Dmitry Medvedev paid an unexpected visit to Dagestan, where he presided over a meeting of the National Counterterrorism Committee (NAK) in the republic’s capital, Makhachkala. The visit was dedicated to fighting terrorism following the twin suicide bomb attack in the northern... MORE
Political Theater or Counterterrorism? Assessing Iran’s Capture of Jundallah Leader Abdelmalek Rigi
Iranian security forces pulled off a major coup on February 23 by capturing the enigmatic militant leader Abdelmalek Rigi (Press TV [Tehran], February 23; IRNA [Tehran], February 23). The 31-year-old founder and leader of Jundallah (Soldiers of God), an ethnic Baloch nationalist group, is responsible... MORE
Pakistani Military Launching Counter-Insurgency Operation in Orakzai Agency
A new military offensive against the Pakistani Taliban in Orakzai Agency and Tirah Valley of the Khyber Agency appears to be in the works. It is not clear how big the forthcoming military operation will be, though it may not be of the scale witnessed... MORE