Violence and Security

Al-Qaeda Leverages War on Terror for Jihadi Mission

July 02, 2019

Al-Qaeda leadership has used the US War on Terror as an ideological tool to create a unified global jihadi mission that gains recruits and operational traction by customizing to local and regional environments across Eurasia, Africa, and Europe.
Taliban Stage Terror Attack in Kabul

July 01, 2019

The Taliban, continuing their jihadist campaign to impose sharia throughout Afghanistan, carried out a high-casualty attack on central buildings of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense, even as Taliban representatives are meeting in Qatar with US officials about a US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Rights Groups Express Concern About Foreign Fighter Trials

July 01, 2019

International human rights groups are raising concerns about the legal options for trying the 2,000-plus foreign fighters now detained in Syria and Iraq by US-supported Kurdish forces, as observers warn of the possibility of future radicalization.
Turkistan Islamic Party Joins Islamist Groups Waging War in Syria

July 01, 2019

The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), a predominantly Uighur jihadist group with al Qaeda affiliation, has joined the ecosystem of Islamist extremist groups waging war in northern Syria as part of the ongoing violence related to the Islamic caliphate.
Silicon Valley Remains Slow in Scrubbing Islamist Extremist Content

June 28, 2019

Silicon Valley remains behind the curve in scrubbing multi-media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube of Islamist extremist content, as evidenced by the presence of radicalization materials posted by notorious, deceased al-Qaeda leaders.
Islamist Insurgents Execute Nigerian Civilians

June 28, 2019

Only a week after a lethal suicide-bombing attack in a neighboring village killed at least 30 civilians, Islamist insurgents waging a war to make Nigeria a sharia state executed at least 20 civilians in a village in the northeastern part of the country.
US Ruling May Result in Reduced Sentence for Islamist Scholar

June 26, 2019

This week’s US Supreme Court decision striking down a “crimes of violence” statute as unconstitutionally vague may lead to a reduction in the sentence of an American-born Islamist scholar convicted of radicalizing and recruiting fighters to join the Taliban in their battle to impose sharia law across Afghanistan and Pakistan.
UN Rights Chief Demands IS Fighter Repatriation

June 25, 2019

France 24 reports that UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has called on countries to repatriate tens of thousands of former fighters for the Islamic State (IS) and their families, urging governments not to impose the “irresponsible cruelty” of statelessness on fighters’ family members.
Trial Reveals Growing Islamist Operations in US, Canada

June 24, 2019

The terrorism conviction in a New York federal court of an operative linked to the Iran-supported Lebanese Islamist extremist group Hezbollah was based on a trove of US law-enforcement data revealing Hezbollah’s robust intelligence gathering and operational planning reach for attacks on government targets and assassinations of Israelis in the US and Canada.
European Governments Grapple with Returning Fighter Problem

June 21, 2019

Governments remain split on how to process fighters from European countries who are now in detention centers in northeastern Syria, as political leaders dispute security officials regarding whether to return fighters for trail and incarceration as the optimal counter-terrorism response.