Violence and Security

Al Shabaab Presence Looms Over Somalia's Upcoming Elections

January 03, 2019

The presence of Islamist extremist group al Shabaab is looming over upcoming elections for regional president in Somalia, as the country's Ministry of Internal Security arrested a former Shabaab leader-turned-candidate on suspicion of weapons trafficking and as the jihadist group continues operations aimed at capturing control in the country.
UN Will Begin Investigation of IS Genocide in Iraq

January 03, 2019

The UN has announced that its investigation team sent to Iraq to investigate Islamic State (IS) war crimes and crimes against humanity rising to the level of genocide against the Iraq's Yazidi minority community will begin at the start of 2019.
AQIM Collaborating with Criminal Networks to Fund Jihadist Operations

January 03, 2019

According to a report from US think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has developed networks of cooperation with criminal organizations in the African Maghreb to support jihadist operations in North and West Africa and to use the region as a platform for Islamist activities in Europe.
North African Salafist Networks Shift to Violent Jihadism

January 03, 2019

The steady growth of Salafist Islamist networks across the northern and western regions of Africa known as the Maghreb over the last two decades indicates a shift toward political activism and violent jihadism supported by Saudi funding for Maghrebian schools, mosques, and religious education institutes.
Strasbourg Attack Suggests Links to Jihadist Networks

January 03, 2019

The suspect in an attack that killed three and wounded several people in a Christmas market in Strasbourg, France, presented strong evidence of jihadist links through his behavior and a history of Islamic radicalization in prison.
IS Forces Remain Resilient in Final Battles in Syria, Iraq

January 03, 2019

Remaining Islamic State (IS) forces still controlling small portions of territory on the Syria-Iraq border are demonstrating strong resilience in the face of the US-led coalition fighting for the complete military defeat of the caliphate.
Terrorism Report Indicates Global Islamist Threats Continue

January 03, 2019

The annual Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report of Australia’s Institute for Economics and Peace indicates a decline in terrorism-related deaths for the fourth consecutive year but projects an increase in violent jihad and other forms of Islamist terrorism due to activities of Islamic State global franchises and a range of other global Islamist extremist operations.
US Court Convicts Permanent Resident Planning to Join IS

January 03, 2019

A US court has convicted a Jordanian citizen who was a US permanent resident of conspiring to join the Islamic State (IS), following his arrest at an Ohio airport where he was planning to fly to the Mideast to join IS as a suicide bomber.
Critics Accuse Pakistan of Dangerous Power Play

January 03, 2019

Human rights activists and journalists in Pakistan are arguing that the roundup of leadership from the Islamist extremist Tehreek-Labbaik group that demonstrated against the acquittal of Christian woman Asia Bibi on charges of blasphemy against Islam is a cynical power ploy given the Prime Minister’s support for a range of Islamist militant groups.
Hawaii Judge Sentences US Army Sergeant for IS Plot

January 03, 2019

A judge in Hawaii handed down a 25-year prison sentence to a US army sergeant who pled guilty to providing material support to the Islamic State (IS), including extensive, sensitive US military weapons and flight-tracking information.