Latest Articles about Terrorism
Al-Qaeda Robbers Target Jewelry Stores
The recent crisis with Israel not only diverted international attention away from the looming danger of al-Qaeda attacks in Turkey but the growing sensitivity toward Israel may actually be motivating groups associated with al-Qaeda to attack Jewish targets in Turkey. In fact, because of the... MORE
Salafi-Jihadis Turn Their Attention to the North Caucasus
In his recent audio tape expressing sympathy with the people of Gaza, the leader of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, named Chechnya as one of the Muslim areas that have been oppressed by the superpowers of the world order. While this is a normal position for... MORE
Al-Zarqawi’s Legacy Seen in Trial of Jordanian al-Qaeda Cell
On January 27, 2009, the trial of a Salafi-Jihadi group was launched in Amman, Jordan. The twelve Jordanians, all of Palestinian origin, were members of a group charged with carrying out attacks with Molotov cocktails on a Christian church and cemetery. According to Jordanian authorities,... MORE
Is Ankara Promoting Zaza Nationalism to Divide the Kurds?
Until recently, speakers of the Zaza language within Turkey have been considered part of the vast Kurdish ethnic group spread over Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. In the 1980s, the creation of a Latin alphabet suitable for Zaza-language publishing created a renewal in Zaza literature... MORE
Afghanistan Deployment puts Germany in al-Qaeda’s Crosshairs
Speaking in accented but fluent German, Abu Talha al-Alamani made al-Qaeda’s most direct threat to the German nation yet in a recent video, saying that Germans were “naive and gullible” if they thought they could “emerge unscathed” from being the third-largest troop provider in the... MORE
Pakistan’s Lashkar-e-Taiba Chooses Between Kashmir and the Global Jihad
In a surprising shift of tactics, the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist organization has toned down its violent Kashmir-centric agenda, claiming it will pursue a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir problem. The radical group, blamed for many terror attacks in India, including November’s assault on Mumbai,... MORE
Upcoming Changes to the Drug-Insurgency Nexus in Afghanistan
While there are many Taliban-controlled villages in Afghanistan that do not cultivate opium, there are few villages cultivating opium that are not under Taliban control. The concentration of opium production in a handful of southern provinces has placed Afghanistan’s opium economy almost completely under insurgent... MORE
Colombia’s FARC and the Basque ETA: Exploring the Tactical and Economic Partnership
A recent Spanish-Colombian counterterrorism investigation has confirmed the previously widespread belief that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia - FARC) and the Basque Homeland and Freedom group (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna - ETA) have enjoyed mutually beneficial logistical and tactical connections.... MORE
Turkey Addresses PKK Challenge after Iraq Reaches Status of Forces Agreement with United States
The U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) came into force on January 1, creating a new environment for future Turkish air strikes on the PKK camps based in northern Iraq. The SOFA agreement makes it clear that “Iraqi land, sea, and air shall not be... MORE
UK Trial Exposes al-Qaeda Terrorist Network with Connections to Pakistan
In a trial that passed with remarkably little fanfare last December, a jury in Manchester, England, convicted Rangzieb Ahmed and Habib Ahmed (no relation) on charges of being members of al-Qaeda. In a released statement, the Crown Prosecution Service described Rangzieb Ahmed as “an important... MORE