Latest Articles about Terrorism

The Balochistan Insurgency and the Threat to Chinese Interests in Pakistan
Introduction On November 23, 2018, insurgents of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) attacked the PRC Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. The assault resulted in the deaths of seven people, including two police officers and three of the attackers (Dawn, November 23 2018). One month after this... MORE

Increasingly Isolated Moldovan Government Looks to Turkey for Support
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan paid an official visit to Moldova, on October 17–18, after his trip had been postponed repeatedly since 2014 (Newsmaker.md, August 21). Historically, Turkey has played an important role in Moldovan politics, routinely acting as a broker between the central government... MORE

Briefs
Mali: Election Maintains Status Quo Amid Rising Jihadist Threat Mali's presidential election was preceded by outbreaks of violence and terrorist attacks before concluding with a contentious run-off election on August 12 after the first round of voting on July 29 failed to produce a clear... MORE

Tajikistan’s Islamist Shadow
Introduction A sedan struck seven foreign cyclists riding through Tajikistan’s Danghara district on July 29. Despite initial confused reports that it was nothing more than a car accident, grainy footage quickly emerged of the vehicle’s driver deliberately swerving to hit the bikers. A group of... MORE

Foiled Ricin Plot Raises Specter of ‘More Sophisticated’ IS-inspired Attacks
The arrest by German police of a 29-year-old Tunisian immigrant in Cologne may have foiled what Herbert Reul, the interior minister for the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, claimed had the potential to be "the biggest terrorist-attack Europe has witnessed" (Kölnische Rundschau, June 20; Frankfurter... MORE

Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud: The New Ideologue-Warrior Leader of TTP
News of the death of Mullah Fazalullah, the most wanted man in Pakistan and Emir of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in a U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan brought a sigh of relief to many in Pakistan (The Hindu, June 15). Up until his death, the notorious... MORE

Abu Jihad: A Brief Profile of Islamic State’s Russian Propaganda Master
On August 10, 2015, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department implemented an executive order sanctioning three Russian citizens involved in terrorist activities. Among the individuals mentioned on the sanctions list was North Caucasian militant Abu-Jihad, one of the key Russian-speaking... MORE

Is Islamic State Making Plans for a Comeback in Iraq?
Dozens of people have been killed in a series of attacks launched by Islamic State (IS) in locations north of Baghdad over the past few months, prompting fears that the terrorist group is reconstituting itself in parts of Iraq (al-Hadath, March 28; al-Sumaria, July 1).... MORE

Iran Ramps Up Support to Taliban in Western Afghanistan
During an official visit to Iran in May, Tariq Shah Bahrami, Afghanistan's defense minister, received assurances that Tehran was fully committed to helping Kabul fight terrorism. It was a welcome guarantee, coming as Afghan forces faced a fresh onslaught from the Taliban, which typically mounts... MORE

Briefs
Libya: Foreign Powers Keep Militias Well Supplied Libyan General Khalifa Haftar handed back control of four key oil ports—Ras Lanuf, Es Sider, Zueitina and Hariga—to the National Oil Corporation (NOC) this month, ending a crisis that had seen the country’s crude production cut by 850,000... MORE