Executive Summary: Abdul Hamid Khorasani is an opportunistic Taliban military commander from Afghanistan’s Panjshir Province. An ethnic Tajik popular in his home province, Khorasani had previously voiced opposition to the Pashtu-dominated Taliban. Protected by his association with the Haqqani network, Khorasani has been able to... MORE

Executive Summary: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on May 19, renewing discussions over who will eventually succeed 85-year-old Supreme Leader Khamenei. While ostensibly benefitting Khameni’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, Raisi’s “hard landing” opens the door for Reformists and disaffected elements of the... MORE

Executive Summary: Malaysia has maintained an ambiguously warm relationship toward Hamas, even following the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is known to be a vocal defender of the group, and the country is home to Aman Palestin, a charity that... MORE

Executive Summary: The faction of Boko Haram once led by Abubakar Shekau is under the leadership of a commander named Bakura Doro, who has managed to win territory from rival jihadist group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), which is generally understood to be... MORE

Executive Summary: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), or “Pakistani Taliban,” likely are responsible for a suicide attack that killed five Chinese engineers in Pakistan’s north on March 26. China may use the incident to push Afghanistan to disavow the TTP, but such a maneuver would force... MORE

Executive Summary: An attack by the Iran-based Sunni Baloch separatist militant group Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) on the port city of Chabahar on April 3 displayed an uncharacteristic level of sophistication from the group. These mirror innovations previously seen in attacks conducted in Pakistan... MORE

Executive Summary: Bao Youxiang is the architect of the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the armed wing of the United Wa State Party (UWSP). Bao has led the group since 1995 and has successfully modernized both the local economy and the ethnic Wa militia—the largest... MORE

Executive Summary: Recently, Satoshi Kirishima and Daniela Klette were located in their respective home countries of Japan and Germany. Both Kirishima and Klette were radical left-wing militants in the 1970s who managed to use clever tactics and false identities to evade identification and prosecution for... MORE

Executive Summary: Yahya Sinwar is considered the mastermind of Hamas’s “al-Aqsa Flood” operation against Israel on October 7, 2023, alongside Mohammed al-Deif, who leads Hamas’s armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades. Despite his decision to stay in Gaza and his placement at the top of Israel’s... MORE

Executive Summary Islamic State’s (IS) spokesman hailed the group’s African “provinces” for their sustained expansion. IS has been able to continue to opportunistically consolidate its presence in Africa while global attention is concentrated elsewhere. While IS has focused on the Israel–Hamas conflict to some extent,... MORE