Violence and Security

Failure of Somalia AU Mission Gives Traction to Islamist Extremists

May 18, 2018

A new report by the International Peace Institute identifies the civilian-protection failures of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) as a cause for the congenital weaknesses of the Somali state and the associated resilience of Islamist terror group al-Shabaab.
IS Family Suicide Bombers Attack Churches in Indonesia

May 16, 2018

A family loyal to the Islamic State (IS) in Indonesia carried out a series of deadly suicide bombings over a 24-hour cycle against churches in the Indonesian city of Surabaya, signaling an uptick in the activity of IS and other Islamist extremist groups and a consequent deterioration in the security environment in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.
UK Tries Female Jihadists for Planning Homeland Attacks

May 15, 2018

A British trial has begun for a mother and two daughters captured by British intelligence and police on evidence of online recruitment by Islamic State jihadists and subsequent plans to carry out terrorist attacks against civilian targets in London.
French Knife Attack Raises Questions About Terror Watchlists

May 15, 2018

A recent knife attack in France by an Islamic State (IS) supporter has raised renewed questions about the preventive utility of radicalization watchlists, given that the perpetrator of the attack was a naturalized French citizen born in a Russian region known for producing jihadists and was already on a police radicalization watchlist.
IS Threatens Iraqi Elections

May 11, 2018

The Islamic State (IS) continues to demonstrate its disruptive resiliency in the run-up to this weekend’s national elections in Iraq, coupling attacks by IS cells on voter-registration sites and assassination attempts against candidates with a propaganda message threatening violence against those who vote for Shiite candidates.
Mosque Call to Prayer Spurs Debate on Islamic Europe

May 10, 2018

Sweden’s police have granted a permit for the Muslim call to prayer to be broadcast from the local mosque in the town of Växjö, provoking intense political debate about the impacts of the country’s growing, refugee-related, Muslim population in public order and social cohesion.
IS Goes on Offensive in Somalia

May 10, 2018

The Islamic State (IS) branch in Somalia continues to increase its attacks against the Somali government, pushing to impose sharia law across the geopolitically crucial East African country and, in the process, to establish hegemony over the competing al-Qaeda affiliate faction of al-Shabaab.
Taliban, IS Wreak Havoc in Attacks in Afghanistan

May 10, 2018

Islamist militants from the Taliban and Islamic State (IS) cells in Afghanistan executed multiple, simultaneous attacks against police, Shiite Hazara minorities, and voter registration sites this week, destabilizing the already fragile security environment in the country.
Study Shows Belgian Imam Training Includes Incitement to Violence

May 10, 2018

A new report issued by Belgium’s coordination body for threat assessment (OCAM) identifies the Islamist radicalization threats associated with the manuals for imams utilized by Brussels' Grand Mosque, including passages inciting hatred against Jews and Christians and inciting violent jihad.
Hezbollah Wins Lebanese Elections

May 08, 2018

The Shiite Islamist political party Hezbollah won a majority in Lebanon’s first parliamentary elections in almost a decade, strengthening the Iran-supported militant group’s hold in the country at a time of increasing regional tensions driven by Sunni-Shiite sectarianism and growing Iran-Israel tensions.