Latest Articles about Middle East

El Kaide Turka: Tracing an al-Qaeda Splinter Cell

The terrorist attacks of November 2003 marked a milestone in Turkey’s struggle against the forces of radical Islam. As the Turkish police and intelligence services broaden their investigation into the existence of a local terrorist cell that carried out the horrific bombings of the British... MORE

Sectarian Divisions after Fallujah

Beyond the innumerable expressions of defiance at the loss to the insurgents of Fallujah, some expressions of pessimism have crept into jihadist forums – always a useful barometer of mujahideen morale. The fall of the city is of great significance "since it was considered the... MORE

RUSSIAN HISTORIANS DENOUNCE RE-STALINIZATION

With the 60th anniversary Victory Day celebrations set for May 9, the architect of perestroika and a leading historian of that period have spoken out against what they both see as the rehabilitation of Joseph Stalin. There are ample signs that something like a rehabilitation... MORE

More Clerics, in Another Firing Line

In the last edition of Terrorism Focus we featured how clerics were in the firing line from Muslims liberals. Now they have come in for some stick from the jihadist leaders. On November 17 a letter of ‘advice and pity for my brothers who are... MORE

Top Egyptian Terrorist under Pressure

A report from a London-based Islamic affairs research centre illustrates the ongoing pressure exerted by the Egyptian government on its Islamist dissidents. A November 30 statement issued by the London-based al-Maqrizi Centre for Historical Studies, headed by former member of the outlawed Egyptian group Islamic... MORE

Saudi Mujahideen: Down but not Out?

The attack on Monday December 6 on the U.S. consulate in Jedda, coming after a lull in high profile attacks, cast a different light from the image put out by the Saudi Arabian government on the progress against the Islamist Mujahideen in the country. The... MORE

Zarqawi’s Pledge of Allegiance to al-Qaeda: From Mu’asker al-Battar, Issue 21

Translation by Jamestown Researcher Jeffrey Pool Translator's Introduction: On October 17, 2004, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his Tawhid wal-Jihad organization issued an online statement pledging allegiance to al-Qaeda and its commander, Sheikh Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaeda reprinted and acknowledged the statement, responding favorably to the... MORE

Unraveling Zarqawi’s al-Qaeda Connection

An October 17th statement posted on an Islamist website and published in al-Qaeda's military journal Mu`askar al-Battar claiming to be from the Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (JTJ) group led by Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi began with a personal pledge of allegiance from Zarqawi and his fighters to... MORE

Zarqawi’s Jordanian Agenda

Though most famous for funding and organizing suicide bombings and beheadings in Iraq, Ahmad Fadil Nazal al-Khalaylah – aka Abu Musab al-Zarqawi – has long assumed a leading role in terrorist operations in other countries, including his native Jordan. An East Banker and a member... MORE