Kazakhstan
My Son The Jihadist
Author Archives: Lisa Lundquist
Uganda
Security forces claimed to have foiled an imminent Shabaab terrorist attack on one of Uganda’s installations, and to have made arrests in Kampala in the case. The US Embassy warned about the possibility of an attack and said security had been stepped up around sites such as Entebbe airport. The Internal Affairs Ministry also noted […]
China
China urges central Asian neighbors to step up extremism fight
Nigeria
A Boko Haram commander known as Amir was reportedly killed by Nigerian troops in Konduga, outside Maiduguri; the Army is claiming that some 200 Boko Haram militants have been killed, including a photojournalist for the group and a suicide bomber. The Army is said to have deployed 400 troops to intercept the militants. A Sept. […]
Islamic State
Nations Trying to Stop Their Citizens From Going to Middle East to Fight for ISIS
Al Nusrah Front
Syrian al Qaeda Moves in Next Door to Israel
Al Qaeda
ISIS may be eyeing up Egypt as its next target, experts say
Iraq
For Assad, US offensive will weaken one foe but bolster others
Syria
In the Damascus suburb of Hajar al-Aswad, the Islamic State entered into a ceasefire with moderate and Islamist rebels “because they consider the principal enemy to be the [Assad] regime.” The Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front are continuing their advance in Quneitra, and now control as much as 80% of the province. Regime […]
Lebanon
Militants from the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic State raided three quarries in Arsal, smashing equipment and taking away several bulldozers into the hills. Tripoli Osama Mansour, 27, the head of a 20-member group of militants, expressed admiration for the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic State but denied that his group had sworn […]
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
Terrorists, traffickers forge unholy alliance
Iran
US opposes Iran role in coalition against Islamic State
Islamic State
Islamic State’s Twitter silence raises questions
Libya
Grand Mufti al Ghariani appeared at a pro-Libya Dawn demonstration in Tripoli, after returning from several months in London and a stopover in Qatar; British authorities were reportedly planning to arrest him for inciting violence and murder. Three men were murdered in Benghazi; Islamist forces are suspected. Local residents in Benghazi repelled Ansar al Sharia […]
Islamic State
Moderate Muslims’ quandary about Islamic State
Al Nusrah Front
How Philippine UN troops defied orders, opened fire and escaped the Al Nusrah Front
Tunisia
Seven soldiers were injured in a clash with religious extremists near a national guard station in Douz in Kaybelie following the arrest of an extremist. Security forces arrested five Salafists in a raid on a mosque in Douar Hicher in Mandouba; and two more in Meknassi in Sidi Bouzid who had explosives, military uniforms, and […]
Al Nusrah Front
Kerry plays down hopes of imminent anti-Islamic State coalition
Morocco
The Interior Ministry announced the arrest of seven members of an Islamic State recruiting cell that operated in Fez, Outat El Haj, and Zayou and that was also planning attacks against Morocco. The cell, said to be headed by a “teacher,” had sent several fighters to Syria and Iraq.
‘Moderate’ Syrian Revolutionaries Front continues to support al Qaeda
President Obama’s strategy for confronting the Islamic State in Syria depends on empowering moderate Syrian rebels to take over areas once they are liberated. The problem is, ‘moderate’ rebels untainted by links to Islamist groups such as al Qaeda’s Al Nusrah Front seem to be nonexistent.
Nigeria
The military claimed to have killed as many as 150 Boko Haram fighters who had tried to storm Konduga, about 12 miles outside of the Borno capital of Maiduguri, repelling an advance by “hundreds” of militants. Four soldiers were injured in the three-hour battle, and vehicles, weapons, and ammunition were seized from the militants. The […]
Iraq
Opponents say Obama will need ground troops against Islamic State
Al Qaeda
Extremist threat hangs over key Tunisia elections
Afghanistan
Beating Islamic State will be much harder than Iraq or Afghan wars, officials say
Al Nusrah Front
US Pins Hope on Syrian Rebels With Loyalties All Over the Map
Iraq
The local forces dilemma for Obama in Syria and Iraq
Arab League
Russia fears the eastward spread of ‘jihadist cancer’
United States
The CIA now estimates that the Islamic State has between 20,000 and 31,500 fighters in Syria and Iraq. Ryan Crocker, former ambassador to Syria and Iraq, said the US currently has no clue who the non-Islamic State opposition is in Syria. Retired Gen. John R. Allen has been chosen to coordinate the military effort against […]
Free Syrian Army
How Will US Anti-Jihadist Plan Affect Syria?
Libya
UN Envoy Calls for ‘Total Ceasefire’ in Libya