Latest Articles about Terrorism
Terror in the Sulu Archipelago: A Profile of Filipino Abu Sayyaf Leader Yassir Igasan
The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) of the southern Philippines has always found itself perched on a fine line between Islamic jihad and organized crime. [1] Active since the early 1990s, some factions of the group are devoted solely to kidnapping-for-ransom, though some leaders have tried... MORE
The Fall of Islamic State’s Female Militants: A Case Study
As an increasing number of Islamic State (IS) female militants have been captured and sentenced to death after the collapse of the so-called “caliphate,” gender roles within the group have been deconstructed once more. This process marks the fall of female militancy within the terrorist... MORE
Babchenko’s Staged Assassination: Political Consequences for Ukraine and the West
In the week since Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko’s staged assassination on May 29 (see EDM, May 31), plenty of smoke and dozens of unanswered questions remain. At this point, Ukrainian law enforcement and the security services have still not provided any clear evidence of the... MORE
Dangerous Amateurs: Indonesia’s New Generation of Jihadists
Shortly after 7 AM, on Sunday May 13, a woman on a motorcycle, Puji Kuswait, with two young girls also riding on the vehicle, approached Santa Maria Catholic Church, a prominent building in Surabaya, in eastern Java. A church volunteer tried to prevent the trio... MORE
Taliban Demonstrates Resilience With Afghan Spring Offensive
The Taliban’s notorious spring offensive, an annual war ritual launched this year on April 25, has resulted in a series of violent strikes across Afghanistan, demonstrating once again the resilience of the group. The Taliban claims to have carried out as many as 300 attacks... MORE
Al-Shabaab Faces Leadership Battle as Speculation Over Emir’s Health Mounts
The secretive head of al-Shabaab is reportedly critically ill, giving rise to speculation that the Somali Islamist group is re-organizing itself ahead of his possible demise. Ahmed Umar has been emir of the al-Qaeda affiliate in East Africa for nearly four years, but now reportedly... MORE
Islamic State After Syria: A Dangerous New Stronghold in the Sinai
Having once held domain over some eight million people and controlled territory reaching nearly to Baghdad, Islamic State (IS) has undergone a monumental decline. Where the group was once in control of massive swathes of northeastern Syria and western Iraq, its so-called caliphate has since... MORE
Returning IS Fighters in the Balkans: Beyond the Immediate Security Threat
Over the years, the nations of the Western Balkans have seen about 1,000 of their citizens join al-Qaeda’s Syria wing, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra), and move on to join so-called Islamic State (IS). [1] They have hailed from majority-Muslim communities in... MORE
FSB Inflates Its Role in Combating Terrorism
Investigative reporting by the veteran liberal newspaper Novaya Gazeta has found that the Russian state security services, in particular the Federal Security Service (FSB), may be misreporting and inflating the number of terrorist acts that it annually foils. The paper noted that, in most reported... MORE
Heading al-Qaeda’s Syrian Resurgence: An Updated Profile of Abu Humam al-Shami
On February 27, 2018, a new jihadist entity calling itself Hurras al-Din (Guardians of the Religion) released a statement through social media channels announcing its establishment in Syria (al-Modon, March 2). In the statement, Hurras al-Din urged fellow Muslims to assist the jihadists fighting against... MORE