Violence and Security

Burkina Faso Enters State of Emergency Due to Islamist Violence

January 04, 2019

Burkina Faso’s President has declared a state of emergency this week in response to a terrorist attack by an al-Qaeda-linked group on the country’s border with Mali, part of the steady spread of jihadist activities in the country and, more generally, Africa’s Sahel region.
Taliban Move to Seize Oil Wells in Afghanistan

January 04, 2019

The Islamist extremist Taliban are moving closer to their decades-long goal to impose sharia as the law of the land in Afghanistan, as Taliban forces are set to capture major oil wells in the northwestern part of the country, a move that will strengthen the Islamists’ financial base and provide leverage in negotiations with the government in Kabul.
German Politicians Propose Extending Religion Tax to Muslims

January 04, 2019

German politicians pushing for the imposition of a religion tax on the country’s growing Muslim community, similar to that imposed on Germany’s Christian and Jewish communities, argue it would help counter Islamist radicalization influences by normalizing relations between Muslims and the German state.
EC Proposes “One-Hour” Rule for Removal of Terrorist Content

January 04, 2019

In September 2018, the European Commission (EC), finding that voluntary measures put in place by internet companies to date have not been sufficient, proposed a set of EU-wide rules requiring the removal of “terrorist content” from online platforms within one hour of receiving a “removal order” from government authorities.
Sunni-Shia Islamist Radicals Converge to Support Violence Against Israel

January 03, 2019

In a meeting between senior leaders of Iran’s Shiite Islamic Republic and the head of the Gaza-based Sunni Islamist terror group Islamic Jihad, all parties committed to reject Islamist sectarianism in favor of action against Israel in the event that the anticipated US plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace is perceived as pro-Israel.
Islamist Violence Spikes in Nigeria in Pre-Election Period

January 03, 2019

Fighting between competing factions of Boko Haram, the radical Islamist movement battling to make Nigeria a sharia state, is producing a spike in violence in the run-up to the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for early 2019.
Iran, Jihadi Group Make Joint Commitment to Free Palestine

January 03, 2019

The Foreign Minister of Iran met with the Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a group designated a terrorist organization by the US and EU, to affirm the joint commitment of Tehran and the PIJ to the liberation of Palestinian Territories.
UK Jury Convicts Jihadi Associated With PM Assassination Plot

January 03, 2019

A UK jury convicted a jihadist associated with a plot to murder British Prime Minister Theresa May, with the prosecutor emphasizing the significance of online radicalization and recruitment for domestic terrorism, on the one hand, and linkages to international Islamist financial and operations networks, on the other.
German Authorities Charge “IS Wife” with War Crimes

January 03, 2019

German authorities are prosecuting a German woman who returned home after traveling to Iraq to work as part of the Islamic State’s (IS) morality police, charging her with war crimes for her buying as a household slave a five-year-old girl who died of thirst under her supervision.
IS Forces Remain Lethal Despite Shrinking Territory

January 03, 2019

Despite their ever-shrinking direct control over its remaining caliphate territory in northeastern Syria, the estimated 5000 Islamic State (IS) forces remain highly lethal in the face of US-led, anti-IS coalition forces and Kurdish-led militia.