Latest Articles about Terrorism

The Rise and Fall of Lebanese Salafist Firebrand Cleric Shaykh Ahmad al-Assir
Lebanese Sunni cleric Shaykh Ahmad al-Assir has become one of the most controversial and outspoken critics of Hezbollah’s entrance into the Syrian conflict and the group’s growing influence in Lebanese politics. His transformation from populist imam to incendiary radical reflects not only the increasing sectarianization... MORE

As Moscow’s Military Involvement in Syria Receives More Attention, Its Officials Focus on Russians Fighting Against al-Assad
The Russian media ramped up coverage of Syria after reports emerged that the Russian military is actively taking part in the conflict on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. To distract Russian citizens from domestic issues and justify intervention in the conflict, the authorities... MORE

Could Russia Have Had a Role in Recent PKK Attacks on Turkish Pipelines?
On August 25, an explosion occurred on a Turkish natural gas pipeline that connects to the South Caucasus Pipeline, which transports gas from Azerbaijan, through Georgia, and into Turkey (Anadolu Agency, August 25). According to the Turkish press, the militant organization the Kurdistan Worker’s Party... MORE

Is Russia Training Chechen Commandos to Help Syrian Government Forces?
Politicians in the North Caucasus are increasingly calling on the government to step up efforts against the so-called Islamic State (IS) and take action against Russian citizens who support it. Meanwhile, the militants who became affiliated with the IS in the North Caucasus one year... MORE

Muslim Clerics in the North Caucasus: Between the Hammer and the Anvil
The patterns of assassinations of clerics in the North Caucasus changed significantly after the establishment of the Caucasus Emirate. Prior to the advent of the Caucasus Emirate, the insurgents did not target religious figures. However, after proponents of the Caucasus Emirate declared as their goal... MORE

The Islamic State’s Uneven Trajectory in Libya
As the Islamic State sought to expand geographically in the months following the declaration of the caliphate in June 2014, Libya initially appeared to be the organization’s most promising frontier outside of Syria and Iraq. Libya’s civil conflict—which has pitted the Libya Dawn military coalition,... MORE

Turkey’s New Syria Policy: Preventing Islamic State and Kurdish Expansion
On June 16, the Kurdish militia group People’s Protection Units (Yekîneyên Parastina Gel—YPG) and its Free Syrian Army (FSA) allies captured the Islamic State-controlled Syrian town of Tal Abyad on the Turkish border (YPG Rojava, June 16). In addition, in May, a surprise offensive by... MORE

The Gloves Come Off: The Dutch Response to Jihadists in Syria and Iraq
In December 2014, a video testament emerged in which 19-year-old Sultan Berzel, from the Netherlands’ southern city of Maastricht, called on Muslims to make hijra (a religious migration) to the self-proclaimed Islamic State group. He delivered his message in a quiet voice and with a... MORE

Russian Prosecutors Claim Terrorism in Dagestan Is Increasing, Governor Says It Is Declining
While the governor of Dagestan, Ramazan Abdulatipov, has boasted of a drastic reduction in the number of attacks by insurgents in the republic, the Russian authorities’ statistics indicate that attacks in Dagestan are, in fact, increasing. At a recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin,... MORE

Collapsing Guest Worker Transfer Payments Pushing Central Asia Into Perfect Storm
The collapse in the size of transfer payments from Central Asians working in the Russian Federation—they are down more than half from last year—is having a domino effect in the region and pushing Eurasia into what will, more than likely, be a political perfect storm.... MORE