Al-Qaeda’s main Web forums have been offline for the past 11 days and counting. No government has taken credit, but if this “service interruption” actually is the result of government intervention, it represents the kind of intelligent response to terrorist radicalization that we need. The Internet is a double-edged sword. …
The group that claimed responsibility for a double-suicide bombing that killed 27 people in Syria is widely regarded as a front organization for al-Qaeda in Syria. The Al-Nusra Front to Protect the Levant, which claimed responsibilities for the attacks, bears all the marks of another bin Laden wannabe group. The …
Washington Post columnist David Ignatius offered an op-ed on March 19 about the final years of Osama bin Laden, and the piece portrays an isolated strategic thinker who reflectively considered the position of his global terrorist network and the possibility for success. The U.S. government allowed Ignatius to read some …
In the wake of a U.S. Army staff sergeant’s murdering 16 Afghan civilians (mostly women and children), U.S. officials are contemplating the pace and scope of the U.S. troop drawdown from the country. At the same time, they are seeking a negotiated settlement with the Taliban leadership. U.S. and NATO …
On July 27, 2005, Ahmed Ressam was sentenced to 22 years in prison for attempting to detonate explosives at the Los Angeles International Airport on the eve of the new millennium. Although Ressam intended to murder hundreds of innocent civilians under the auspices of a jihad against the United States, …
President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ruled Yemen since 1978, stepped down from power on Monday under strong domestic and international pressure. He became the fourth Arab leader ousted since the dawn of the so-called Arab Spring last year. Saleh was succeeded by his longtime crony Abed Rabu Mansour Hadi, …
Last Thursday, the Somali terrorist organization al-Shabab formalized its relationship with al-Qaeda. While the two organizations have long benefited from close cooperation, this move confirms al-Shabab’s weakening influence. However, by integrating into a more sophisticated terrorist network, al-Shabab is also demonstrating its ability to adapt to evolving challenges. As the …
According to Associated Press reports today, the Philippine military has killed Southeast Asia’s most-wanted terrorist on Thursday. With U.S. support, two OV-10 aircraft bombed a terrorist stronghold, comprising militants from the al-Qaeda-affiliated groups Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). When the dust settled, Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, known by …
Appearing before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on January 31, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James R. Clapper warned that the “2011 plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. shows that some Iranian officials—probably including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—have changed their calculus and are now more willing …
