Latest Articles about Terrorism
The Succession Question: The Islamic State of Iraq Searches for New Leaders
The killing of the two top leaders of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI - al-Qaeda’s umbrella group in Iraq), Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayub al-Masri (a.k.a Abu Hamza al-Muhajir), came at a crucial time for the organization. The need for symbolic figures in... MORE
Rashid Rauf and the New York City Subway Bombing Plot
As security agencies pursue ethnic Pakistani suspects in the attempted Times Square bombing, another New York City bomb plot with connections to Pakistan and the U.K. is working its way through U.S. courts. The case involves an aborted attempt by natives of Pakistan and Afghanistan... MORE
Police Attacked in Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria
A fourth person died today (April 30) as the result of a suicide bombing near a traffic police checkpoint in Dagestan’s Kazbeksky district on April 29. Two policemen were killed along with the suicide bomber in the blast, which also wounded 17 people and destroyed... MORE
AQAP’s Man in the South: Nasir al-Wuhayshi
Nasir al-Wuhayshi (a.k.a Abu Basir) appeared in a video in January 2009 to announce the merger between al-Qaeda branches in Saudi Arabia and Yemen under his command. The new organization was given the name Qaedat al-Jihad in the Arabian Peninsula (al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,... MORE
In the Shadow of al-Zarqawi: A Profile of the Saudi Militant Saleh al-Qara’wi
The late leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi, who was killed on June 7, 2006 in a U.S. missile strike, always had ambitions to create a Salafi-jihadi movement in the Levant region. [1] Zarqawi worked to achieve his goal since the establishment of... MORE
Umar Patek: Indonesia’s Most Wanted
Indonesian authorities killed one of the most wanted members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), Joko Pitoyo (a.k.a. Dulmatin) in a shootout at a Jakarta Internet café on March 10, 2010, (see Militant Leadership Monitor, March 2010; Christian Science Monitor, March 10, 2010). The presence of Dulmatin... MORE
HuJI Operations Expand Beyond the Indian Subcontinent
Formed in 1984, the Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI – Movement of Islamic Holy War) has fought Soviets in Afghanistan and Indians in Kashmir before expanding to Bangladesh. From its focused beginnings, HuJI has developed into an international jihadi group that appears ready to demonstrate its global... MORE
Algeria Launches Nation-Wide Counterterrorism Offensive
With al-Qaeda activities in the Sahel/Sahara region of Africa creating havoc with commerce, trade, resource extraction, tourism and general security, the nations of the region appear ready to mount a coordinated military approach to the elimination of Salafist militants. Algeria, with the largest and best-armed... MORE
Commander of Iraq’s Hizbullah Brigades Insists on Resistance to U.S. Occupation
While most of Iraq’s armed Shi’a resistance has entered the political process, some independent Shi’a resistance groups remain in the field, determined to expel the American occupation by force of arms. Leading among these is the Kata’ib Hizbullah (Brigades of the Party of God), who... MORE
Al-Qaeda in Iraq Resurfaces with New Strategy and Specific Operations
The reported death of the elusive leader of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, and his al-Qaeda colleague, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, in a combined attack by U.S. and Iraqi government forces on April 20 raises important questions regarding the future of the... MORE