Violence and Security

Female Jihadi Plotters Cop to Preparing Homeland Terror Attacks in NYC

August 26, 2019

Two women from Queens, New York entered guilty pleas to "preparing for jihad" terror attacks in New York City, in a federal trial underway in the city of Brooklyn.
Geopolitics of Eastern Syria Is the Linchpin of Stopping IS Resurgence

August 26, 2019

The geopolitics of northeastern Syria is the territorial linchpin of future Great Power efforts to prevent a resurgence of the remnant caliphate forces still fighting there, but because US policymakers stand at cross-purposes with regional allies and partners such as Turkey and Iraq and with competitors and hostiles such as Russia and Iran, the possibilities for stabilization of a permanent post-IS reality hinge on the strategic control over that part of Syria that intersects with Turkey and Iraq.
Pakistani Mosque Blast Targets Afghan Taliban and Underscores Jihadist Instability

August 21, 2019

A lethal bomb explosion in mosque in Pakistan frequented by Afghan Taliban leaders points to competing jihadist and state interests at play in the US-Taliban negotiations aiming at an American forces withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Australia Debates Laws to Protect Against Islamist Extremism

August 13, 2019

Australia’s Parliament is considering new laws on prison sentencing and parole, along with the renewal of emergency-intelligence measures, designed to protect the country against the complex and evolving threat of Islamist extremism while respecting civil liberties.
American Muslim Leader Generates Controversy

August 13, 2019

Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, an American Muslim scholar and religious leader widely viewed by academic and policy experts as the leading voice and catalyst for the rapid growth of Islam in the US public sphere, is attracting intensified scrutiny for his shifting affiliations and mixed record on condemning Islamist violence.
Kazakhstan Experiments with Female IS Rehab Program

August 12, 2019

Kazakhstan is experimenting with a rehabilitation and deradicalization program for female returnees who either fought with the Islamic State (IS) or were part of IS families in Iraq and Syria, in a program whose success rate is being closely followed by Western countries.
CIA Funds Special Military-Intelligence Unit in Afghanistan

August 12, 2019

The concern of Western Alliance states that extremist Islamist groups may capture control of Afghanistan after the anticipated US troop withdrawal under negotiation between the US and the Taliban underlies the CIA's funding of a special military-intelligence force operating to root out extremists in the country.
Taliban Leadership Urges Continued Jihad During Holiday

August 09, 2019

The Afghan Taliban’s leadership urged their forces to fight without interruption throughout the current Islamic high holiday of Eid al-Adha to expel the US-led international stabilization force of “invaders” to realize the goal of establishing the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.”
Saudi Decision to Host US Troops Could Lead to Blowback

August 09, 2019

Historical evidence indicates that Saudi Arabia’s decision to welcome US combat troops back to the kingdom as a move against Iranian Shiite activism may produce serious blowback in the form of renewed Sunni and Shiite Islamist jihadism worldwide.
US Official Warns of IS Resilience

August 07, 2019

The most recent quarterly report of the Lead Inspector General of the US Defense and State Departments on drawing down the anti-Islamic State (IS) coalition in Iraq and Syria warns of Islamist resilience and recommends improved training of local forces and a focus on humanitarian needs in refugee camps.