Violence and Security

Turkey's Ultimatum to U.S. and NATO on Syrian Town of Kobani Besieged by Islamic State Fighters

October 17, 2014

The government of Turkey has given the United States and NATO an ultimatum: either declare the ouster of Syrian President Assad as NATO’s main priority or Turkey will continue to refuse to support undermanned Kurdish and Arab forces and civilians battling Islamic State forces in the besieged Syrian town of Kobani.
Split Worth Watching Between Islamists of Hamas and Islamic State

October 15, 2014

The leadership of the Palestinian organization Hamas has undertaken a media and diplomatic campaign designed to specify precisely Hamas's rejection of the doctrinal and ideological version of Islamism propounded by the extremist-terrorist group The Islamic State ("IS"), including a rejection of the IS commitment to violent jihad to implement a global sharia state.
Belgian Islamists Accused of Recruiting for Jihad Begin Trial

October 08, 2014

The trial of members from the Belgian Islamist Group, Sharia4Belgium, has begun, with 46 individuals charged with recruiting for jihadi violence in Syria, as Belgium seeks to staunch the transnational radical Islamist networks operating inside the country.
Anarchy Prevails in Libya Torn Apart by Islamists, Secularists, Towns, and Tribes

October 08, 2014

Continuing violence in post-Qaddafi Libya has yet to produce an outcome other than political and social anarchy, as militias and paramilitaries aligned with Islamist and secularist groups, tribal and town affiliations, are also looking to foreign patrons for support.
Somalia's Islamist Militants Face Organizational Crossroads

October 08, 2014

The recent U.S. drone strikes that killed the militant hardline leader of the Al Shabab Islamist extremist group in Somalia has created a leadership vacuum that may create opportunities for a shift away from the movement's use of terrorist violence to make Somalia an Islamic state.
Qatar Backing for Islamist Extremists Contributes to Mideast and Global Violence

October 02, 2014

In its ambitions to become a global Sunni power-broker, petro-rich Qatar has financed and weaponized a range of Islamist extremists in the Mideast and North Africa, creating blowback in the form of regional violence and globalized terror networks that threaten democratic regimes worldwide.
U.S. Interagency Team to Track Islamic State's Financial Sources for Violent Extremism

October 01, 2014

The U.S. government has established an interagency team tasked with tracking and staunching the global financing sources – derived from extortion and kidnapping, oil smuggling, and laundered money from charitable donations by wealthy Islamist donors – currently being used to fund violent extremism by the Islamic State (“IS”) in the Mideast and globally.
Islamist Radicalization Intensifies Threats in Kenya

October 01, 2014

Two decades of ongoing Islamist radicalization in Kenya, spearheaded by the recruitment activities by the Somali Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab and the failure of Kenyan government policies of communalism, have create imminent threats to the integrity of the Kenyan state, according to a new report by experts at the International Crisis Group.
State Department New Terrorism Designations Indicate Globalization of Islamist Extremism

October 01, 2014

The U.S. Department of State's newest additions to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists (“SDGT”) included Albanian, Chechen, Moroccan, and Libyan designations, indicating the ongoing globalization of individuals and groups using extremist Islamist views to support acts of violence.
Islamic State Spokesman Calls for Jihadi Attacks on Europe and U.S.

September 24, 2014

The official spokesperson for the Islamic State (“IS”) has called for the organization's loyalists to attack the citizens of U.S. and European coalition countries engaged in bombing IS targets in the Middle East.