Violence and Security

Taliban Ramp Up Attacks Against Afghan Government

April 23, 2019

The Taliban have recently staged high-casualty attacks on Afghan police and soldiers, signaling the Islamist group’s ongoing commitment to warfare aimed at imposing sharia law throughout the country, even as Taliban leadership engages in negotiations with the US on American troop withdrawals.
NZ Muslim Associations Plan Worldwide Islamic Conference

April 23, 2019

In the aftermath of the terror attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, the Federation of Islamic Associations in New Zealand is planning for a conference of “officials and leaders from all Muslim countries,” as well as from transnational Islamic organizations such as the Muslim World League, to discuss intercultural cooperation and common values.
Rising IS Fortunes in West Africa Reflect Adoption of al-Qaeda Tactics

April 23, 2019

Evidence of the growing strength of an Islamic State (IS) offshoot in Africa reflects a decision to adopt al-Qaeda’s proven winning tactics, using economic incentives and relationships to build support and draw recruits from local populations and exclusive targeting of non-Muslims.
Radical Islamist Groups Expand Footprint in West Africa

April 23, 2019

The West African state of Mali is the epicenter of an increase across the region in violent activities by radical Islamist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Competing Jihadi Groups in African Sahel Show Resilience

April 23, 2019

The diverse ecosystem of Islamist jihadi groups competing for recruits across a growing territorial footprint of the Sahel region stretching across Central and Southern Africa is showing resilience and durability by using material incentives and targeted ideological messaging to establish a "brand" and to sustain a steady source of recruits.
Multiple Factors Make IS a Continuing Threat After Caliphate’s Fall

April 23, 2019

Despite the military defeat of the Islamic State (IS) caliphate in Iraq and Syria, the Islamist jihadi group remains a global security threat due to IS’s sophisticated use of cyber radicalization and recruitment methods, extensive cash reserves, and a diffuse international franchising structure with demonstrated capacity for lethal local operations.
West Africa Emerges as Next Front for Islamist Extremism

April 23, 2019

Empirical evidence points to West Africa and the African Sahel as the emerging front in the globalization of Islamist extremist activities, as al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) franchises are taking advantage of weak and corrupt states, economic underdevelopment, and active criminal networks.
Al-Qaeda Seeks to Regroup After IS Military Defeat

April 23, 2019

Hamza bin Laden’s recent statement that he is taking over the leadership of the jihadi group founded by his father, Osama bin Laden, indicate an effort to reconsolidate global jihadi activities and ideology under the mantle of al-Qaeda in the wake of the battlefield defeat of the Islamic State (IS) caliphate in its core territories of Iraq and Syria.
IS Jihadist Operations Continue Despite Military Defeat

April 23, 2019

Data collected from Islamic State (IS) news outlets indicate that, despite the military defeat of the caliphate, regional and local branches of IS continue to perpetrate violent attacks stretching across Eurasia, Africa, and Australia, just as the group's Islamist extremist ideology is being spread through IS messaging and institutions.
UN Chief Requests Global Action Plan to Protect Religious Sites

April 23, 2019

In comments condemning the recent mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, UN Secretary-General António Guterres blamed anti-Muslim “hate speech” for the attack and announced he had asked the head of the UN Alliance of Civilizations to develop a global action plan to safeguard religious sites.