Latest Articles about Terrorism
Chechens Fighting in Syria Increasingly Joining Forces With Islamic State
Chechen militants in Syria have been going through organizational changes since last summer. The position of the Chechen militants in the Middle East was especially damaged by a conflict within the Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar group and the difficult situation inside the Junud al-Sham group. Those... MORE
AQIM’s Resurgence: Responding to Islamic State
AQIM’s Resurgence: Responding to Islamic State Jacob Zenn and Dario Cristiani Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and its allied militant groups have undergone something of an operational revival since late 2015, expanding their area of operations and mounting high-profile attacks in Burkina Faso and... MORE
Wilayat Khorasan Stumbles in Afghanistan
January marks a year since Islamic State announced its official expansion into Afghanistan. On January 26, 2015, Abu Muhammed al-Adnani, Islamic State’s chief spokesperson, released an audio statement in which he declared the establishment of Wilayat Khorasan, a branch of the group “encompassing Afghanistan, Pakistan... MORE
From MUJWA to Macina: Amadou Kouffa’s Fulani-Led Jihad in Mali
Jacob Zenn One of the newest groups to emerge in the Sahelian jihadist landscape since 2015 is the Macina Liberation Front (FLM). Its leader, Amadou Kouffa, however, is unlike other leaders in the region. He does not crave publicity or appear in “jihadist videos” to... MORE
The Islamic State’s Ardit Ferizi: Hacking Kosovo and Beyond
Ebi Spahiu The San Bernardino attacks, which left 16 dead and 24 injured, have set the tone for an intense discussion among information technology experts and security agencies about accessing “backdoor” information technology as means to prevent potential terrorist attacks. Even though social media is... MORE
Pakistan’s Militant Conspiracy Theorist: Zaid Hamid
Farhan Zahid According to a 2014 Pew Poll, a mere 14 percent of Pakistanis have favorable views of the United States (Pew Poll, July 2014). There may be other reasons for growing anti-Americanism in Pakistan but Islamist militant conspiracy theorists play a pivotal role. According... MORE
Muhammad Shafi Armar: From Indian Mujahideen to Islamic State Recruiter
Animesh Roul In late January 2016, India’s elite anti-terrorism agency, the National Investigating Agency (NIA), stumbled on an unknown extremist network, the Junood al-Khilafa-e-Hind (JKH), known to be sympathetic to the Islamic State. With the arrest of nearly 14 suspects in a countrywide search and... MORE
Militants Loyal to Islamic State Become More Active in North Caucasus
Two years ago, the then-leader of the Caucasus Emirate (CE), Ali Abu Muhammad (Aliashab Kebekov), surprised many observers when he condemned suicide bomber terrorist attacks. Moreover, he stated that such attacks were in breach of the principles of Islam (Kavkazsky Uzel, July 1, 2014). Many... MORE
Capitalizing on Chaos: AQAP Advances in Yemen
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has more men, is better equipped and funded, and holds more territory than at any time in its history. The only point at which the organization has enjoyed comparable strength was in the aftermath of the popular uprising against... MORE
Kashmir Jihadism and the Threat to India
It is increasingly evident that each time the relations between India and Pakistan improve, India-focused jihadist groups from across the Pakistani border attempt to disrupt it with attacks in the Indian states of Kashmir, Punjab, and elsewhere. The inevitable aim of these is to upset... MORE