Latest Articles about Terrorism
Terrorism Cycle Repeats Itself With Another Moscow Bombing
On January 24, an explosive device detonated in the arrivals area of Moscow’s Domodedovo international airport. A suicide bomber with an explosive device equivalent to 5-7 kilograms of TNT allegedly caused the blast. At least 35 people died in the attack and over 100 persons... MORE
Violence Reported in Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, Chechnya and Ingushetia
Insurgency-related violence continued in the North Caucasus this past week, particularly in Dagestan. A homemade bomb went off near a department store in the city of Khasavyurt around one in the morning. No one was injured but the store was significantly damaged. That same day... MORE
The Year in Chechnya: Reconstruction Marred by Lingering Insurgency and Inter-Chechen Conflict
Summing up the situation unfolding in Chechnya over the past year, it is worth noting that diametrically opposite processes took place in that part of the North Caucasus. Anyone who had a chance to visit Chechnya in the last year seems to be excited about... MORE
Operation Neath: Is Somalia’s al-Shabaab Movement Active in Australia?
“Islam is the true religion. Thank you very much.” So declared Wissam Mahmoud Fattal, a 34-year-old Lebanese Australian former kick-boxer after he was convicted of participating in a plot to attack the Holsworthy Army base just outside Sydney (The Age [Melbourne], December 23, 2010; Australian... MORE
Islamist Militants of the TNSM Plan Return to Pakistan’s Swat Valley
Fear of a Taliban resurgence is rising among the people of the Swat valley, less than one year after the Pakistan army cleared the picturesque area (Dawn [Karachi] Feb 26, 2009). Many in Swat believe the Tehrik-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM - Movement for the Enforcement of Islamic... MORE
Wave of Destabilization Swept Kabardino-Balkaria in 2010 (Part One)
On December 31, 2010, an Israeli analyst of the situation in Kabardino-Balkaria, Abraham Shmulevich, declared that the republic was entering a state of civil war. This stark warning came after a well-known researcher and popularizer of Circassian traditions and rites, Aslan Tsipinov, was killed on... MORE
Uzbekistan’s Growing Role in Beijing’s Central Asian Strategy
The People's Republic of China (PRC) is pursuing a variety of objectives in Central Asia. These objectives include securing regional states' support in suppressing anti-Beijing Uighur nationalists and potential terrorist threats, giving Chinese firms access to energy resources as well as trade and investment opportunities,... MORE
Back with a Vengeance: The Baloch Insurgency in Iran
When Iran’s security forces announced in February 2010 that they had successfully captured Abdelmalek Rigi, the elusive commander of Jundallah (Soldiers of God), many observers wondered aloud about the impact Rigi’s capture might have on the Baloch insurgency. [1]Jundallah, an ethnic Baloch nationalist rebel group,... MORE
Security Implications of Muqtada al-Sadr’s Return to Iraq
Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand Iraqi Shi?a cleric whose militia experienced a major military defeat by the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, stated angrily in April 2008: “The occupation has made us the target of its planes, tanks, air strikes and snipers. Without our support... MORE
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s Growing War with North Yemen’s Houthist Movement
Relations between the Zaydi Shi’a Houthi rebels in Yemen and al-Qaeda have never been friendly, despite government claims to the contrary. The two movements have not yet had direct confrontation, focusing rather on their own conflicts with the Yemeni government. However, two al-Qaeda-claimed attacks in... MORE