US-Backed SDF Militant Killed in al-Hol Camp
A Syrian Democratic Forces member has been shot and killed by unknown persons in the al-Hol camp, as conditions continue to get worse writes SANA.
Month: December 2020
Normalized Israel-Morocco ties bring years of secret ties in the open
Bringing the relations out into the sunlight removes the stigma from those relations, and – as a result – goes a long way toward removing a stigma from Israel as well.
Sudan’s removal from US terrorism list: What does it mean?
Former President Omar al-Bashir was toppled in April 2019 and Sudan is in transition under a military-civilian ruling council and a government of technocrats.
The US decision to end Sudan’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism comes into effect on Monday. The listing, in place for almost three decades, restricted Khartoum’s economic links and cut it off from much-needed financial assistance.
US removes Sudan from terrorism list
Sudan has had the designation since 1993, on the grounds that ousted President Omar al-Bashir was harboring militant groups. It has cut Sudan off from financial assistance and investment.
Kurdish Families Pay Islamic State Ransom to Free Loved Ones
For more than six months, a frightening thought often kept Kurdish farmer Mofaq Haji Rashid up at night: he might never see his 23-year-old son again.
The nightmare begun during the Muslim holiday of Eid in late May when Islamic State (IS) militants kidnapped Dilan Mofaq Rashid, and his 22-year-old colleague, Issa Taha, while they were on duty as federal security guards for electricity pylons in the northern oil-rich province of Kirkuk.
Counterterrorism — at home and abroad — will be renewed under Biden
Now that we are fewer than 50 days away from the start of the Biden administration, it is worth considering how U.S. counterterrorism policy priorities will shift. We should anticipate the Biden foreign policy team — led by Secretary of State-designee Antony Blinken, U.S. Ambassador-designee to the United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield and incoming national security adviser Jake Sullivan — will reinvigorate U.S. multilateral counterterrorism efforts at the United Nations and elsewhere.
Reports of Al-Qaeda’s Demise are Greatly Exaggerated
In mid-November at The Soufan Center’s annual Global Security Forum, Ambassador Nathan Sales of the U.S. Department of State Counterterrorism Bureau commented that “the question of who leads al-Qaeda core matters a little bit less today than it did a decade ago.” Given recent news circulating online about the alleged death of al-Qaeda’s current leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, this is more than just an academic issue.
Terrorists’ Use of Cryptocurrency
Documented examples of terrorist acquisition of cryptocurrency have been relatively infrequent, especially compared to criminal use. Yet, over the past year, terrorist groups have pivoted to acquiring and storing wealth in virtual currencies like Bitcoin.
The future of the Middle East will be shaped in the next few weeks
We are entering a period of immense complexity for the Middle East. What happens in the next few months will set the tone in our region for years. If managed correctly, there is the possibility of building a more peaceful political situation. If mismanaged, the consequences could be dire.