Violence and Security

Burkina Faso Casualties Point to Jihadists Operating With Impunity in West Africa

April 12, 2023

More than 40 civilians were killed by jihadists in the West African nation of Burkina Faso, the latest episode of violence by a diverse range of Islamist extremists affiliated with both Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda (AQ), whose operations with impunity across the Sahel region have generated a massive humanitarian crisis in the form of millions of refugees and international displaced persons.
Turkey & Iran Leaders Call for Islamic World Unity Against Israel in Aftermath of Al- Aqsa Violence

April 12, 2023

The Presidents of two key Islamist regimes in the Middle East, Turkey and Iran, spoke recently about “a united response from the Islamic world” to Israeli police violence inside Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque, with internationally circulated video of the episode producing rocket attacks against Israel from Islamist extremist group Hamas and an overall escalation in tensions during the Passover and Ramadan holiday period.
U.S. Strike on IS Leader in Syria Reminds of Durability of Islamist Threat

April 05, 2023

U.S. CENTCOM (Central Command) responsible for operations against IS in Syria and Iraq announced a strike that killed a senior IS leader who had stood up the Islamist extremist group’s leadership structure in Turkey and was planning attacks inside Europe, with the relevant CENTCOM commander underscoring that IS continues to be a durable, present threat to the Middle East and beyond.
Qatari Media Incites Violence Against Israel

April 03, 2023

One of the main newspapers in the Qatar's Islamic monarchy, the online Arabic-English al-Watan, has run a recent article inciting violence against Israel, calling on the Middle East's Arab populations to mobilize against the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, in "a return to the Quran" to establish an Islamic regime in the geography of Israel and Palestine.
Rocket Exchanges Involving US Military in Syria Underscore Iran’s Support for Multiple Islamist Groups

April 03, 2023

Last week’s Iran-made-drone attack against a U.S. mission support site in northeast Syria escalated into a series of rocket exchanges between US military personnel and Iran-supported Islamist militias in northeast Syria, underscoring the international reach of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, in the form of sustained support for a myriad of Islamist extremist entities still operating in northern Syria, including groups of afghan, Pakistani, Lebanese, and Syrian origin.
Belgian Security Arrest Islamists Planning Multi-Location Attack

March 29, 2023

Security authorities in Belgium made multiple arrests in Brussels and Antwerp of individuals identified as Islamists, on suspicion of planning a terrorists attack on multiple locations in the European country.
Jihadists Expand Operations Amongst Great Power Competition

March 29, 2023

The diverse Islamist extremist groups constituting the international jihadist ecosystem are taking advantage of the current moment of intensifying Great Power competition among the United States, Russia, China, and Europe to expand theatres of operations on regional and continental peripheries to the Great Powers, evidenced in jihadist groups’ intensified recruiting, financing, and violent activities in Africa and Central Asia.
Independent Review of Britain’s Flagship Program to Prevent Extremism & Terrorism Shows Flaws in Approach to Countering Islamism

March 29, 2023

The recently released review report evaluating the British government’s flagship program, Prevent, whose mission is countering extremism and terrorism, revealed deep flaws in the program’s approach to understanding and responding to Islamist extremist ideas, organizations, and practices.
IS Keeps Killing in Syria With Latest Attacks on Truffle Hunters

March 24, 2023

Islamic State (IS) militants slit the throats of 15 Syrian civilians hunting for truffles in the country’s truffle-rich desert, underscoring the durability of the IS threat in parts of its former caliphate terrorist, as this most recent violent episode is part of a series of continuing attacks in which the jihadists have killed and/or kidnapped economically ravaged Syrians hunting for truffles that bring high value in markets.
Exfiltration Operations from IS Detention Camp in Syria Underscores Durability of Jihadist Threat

March 22, 2023

The durability of the IS threat evidenced in the jihadists’ resurgent activities in east and central Syria is also reflected in the group’s active operations to exfiltrate young boys held in the large al-Hol detention center that holds IS families under Kurdish monitoring in northeast Syria, with exfiltration efforts supported by international financial networks indicating pro-IS support from Russia to Central Asia to Western Europe.