Latest Articles about Terrorism
Al-Shabaab Leader’s First Audio Message Suggests Morale Is Low Among Somali Militants
After nearly two years of silence, al-Shabaab leader Sheikh Ahmad Umar Abu Ubaidah has released his first audio message, a fiery rant that appears aimed at motivating his beleaguered fighters as they battle African Union (AU) troops in southern Somalia. The 44-minute audio recording, released... MORE
Why Islamic State Is Clinging on to the Syrian City of Manbij
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) officially launched its operation to take the city of Manbij on May 31. It is one of the most strategic and difficult operations the SDF – an alliance that includes Kurdish People’s Protection Unit (YPG) fighters as well as Syrian... MORE
A New Threat to Libya’s Stability Emerges
While Islamic State (IS) is in decline in the central Libyan city of Sirte, another armed group with ties to the global jihadist movement is threatening to usher in a new period of instability in Libya. In a written statement posted on Twitter on June... MORE
BRIEFS
Iraq: Islamic State Targets KRG-Administered Oilfield Islamic State (IS) fighters attacked the Bai Hasan oil field in Kirkuk, northern Iraq on July 31, killing at least four people, including oil workers and security guards. Two coordinated attacks saw suicide bombers hit the oilfield and a... MORE
‘The Spielberg of French Islamism’: A Profile of Omar Diaby (a.k.a. Omar Omsen)
Andrew McGregor The Islamic State-inspired Bastille Day atrocity in Nice that killed 84 people and injured over 300 more has brought new awareness of a strain of radical Islam that thrives behind the lights and glamour of life on the French Riviera. Nurtured in hidden... MORE
The South Asian Televangelism Network of Salafist Preacher Dr. Zakir Naik
Farhan Zahid Few Islamist televangelists in South Asia have achieved the momentous success that Indian Salafist preacher Dr. Zakir Naik has in such short span of time. In fact, there are a number of televangelists, such as Dr. Israr Ahmad of Tehreek-e-Islami, Zaid Zaman Hamid... MORE
A Look at the Refugee Turned Ansbach Bomber – Mohammad Daleel
Meghan Conroy Introduction On July 26, the Islamic State’s (IS) online newsletter, al-Nabaa, published a profile of a 27-year-old jihadist who had allegedly belonged to the organization since 2013. [1] This publication was disseminated in the wake of that jihadist’s claim to fame – a... MORE
To the Gates of Mosul: A Snapshot of Sayyid Ali al-Yasseri & Sayyid Hamid al-Jazaeri, Co-Leaders of the Khorasani Brigades Shiite Militias
Nicholas A. Heras Introduction The U.S.-led international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) is preparing a campaign to seize Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city. Located in Iraq’s northwestern Ninewah governorate, Mosul is arguably the most important city controlled by IS in Syria or Iraq. As... MORE
Gulf States Bolster Security Initiatives to Confront Islamic State Threat
Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made clear in an audio recording two years ago that the group intended to include the Gulf States among its targets, in particular Saudi Arabia. Despite al-Baghdadi’s claims, however, up until October 2015 incidents involving IS in the... MORE
Pakistan’s LeJ Baluchistan Operations Ready for Resurgence
Sectarian violence in Pakistan’s troubled Baluchistan province dropped dramatically with the death of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’s (LeJ) leader Usman Saifullah Kurd in 2015. Attacks, however, have continued under the group’s new leader, Dawood Badini, and LeJ appears as intent as ever on targeting members of the Hazara-Shia... MORE