Violence and Security

Pregnant British Teen Requests Return to Britain

February 14, 2019

A 19-year-old, pregnant British teen who went to Syria to support the Islamic State (IS) is seeking to return to the UK but declaring no remorse for supporting the caliphate, raising red flags for British authorities whose concerns reflect the broader reintegration risks associated with IS supporters as they try to return to their Western countries of origin.
Iran Blames US, Israel for Attack on Revolutionary Guard

February 14, 2019

Shiite Iran's President has accused Israel and the US of involvement in a lethal suicide bombing attack against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps by a Sunni extremist separatist group and warned of possible retaliatory action, reflecting the destabilizing impacts of Islamist sectarianism.
Report Points to Terror Financing by Global Islamic NGO

February 11, 2019

A report by the Tunisian Financial Analysis Commission provides evidence that the global Islamist charitable organization Islamic Relief, which operates branches in the US and Canada, has used complex funding networks to finance jihadists operating in North Africa at the Tunisia-Libya border.
Durable Victory over IS Requires Non-Military Measures

February 11, 2019

Comparative analyses of international terrorism data suggest a durable peace in Syria is contingent upon successful redress of the foundational socio-economic and political conditions, as well as a competition for the theological ideas, that provided a hospitable environment for the Islamic State’s (IS) emergence.
Islamists Use Sahel Region as Expanding Operational Space

February 11, 2019

According to a report by the African Centre for Strategic Studies, a diverse constellation of violent, radical Islamist groups is expanding its operational scope in the Sahel region of Africa, complicating the climate and human security threats in the region with terrorist and religious extremist threats.
ISIS 2.0 Poses New Threat to Europe

February 06, 2019

European states are facing a second wave of threats from what a new report from Interpol calls “ISIS 2.0,” a new avatar of the original Islamic State that depends on extensive Islamist intelligence networks, a funding stream generated by human smuggling, and implantation of ISIS sleeper operatives into Europe.
Islamist Rivalries in Gaza Have Broad Implications

February 06, 2019

The growing rivalry along the Israel-Gaza border between Hamas, which has an open channel with Egypt and a working relationship with Israel, and Islamic Jihad, which enjoys full support from Iran, will have inevitable impacts on the security of Israel and the broader Islamist balance of power in the Mideast.
Saudi Arabia, UAE Trade US Weapons to Islamist Extremists

February 06, 2019

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are trading American-made weapons in the Middle East in exchange for support to the two Wahhabi regimes against Iran and its Shiite allies.
Taliban Fighters Flex Muscle with Attack on Afghan Army Base

February 05, 2019

The Taliban indicated its unrelenting commitment to jihadist violence by perpetrating a lethal attack on a government military base in northern Afghanistan during peace talks between Taliban officials and Afghan politicians in Moscow.
Islamic State Expands Footprint in West Africa

February 04, 2019

The combination of local economic and security grievances with corrupt and violent states and the deliberate expansion of jihadist fighter networks in West Africa as part of their relocation from the Middle East explain the expanding geopolitical threat associated with the Islamic State West Africa.