Jihadi Trends: What Is On The Horizon In 2024?

Introduction

The Hamas attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, has reinvigorated jihadi groups such as the Islamic State (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda, which are reprioritizing the cause of “Palestine” and the fight against the “Jews” and their “Crusader” allies as a key foundation of their messaging campaigns which aims at expanding their global threat landscape.

China is testing its freeriding strategy in the Red Sea

In April 2023, many foreign observers found themselves startled when senior diplomats from Iran and Saudi Arabia met at a China-brokered summit in Beijing—the first high-level meeting between both inveterate foes in several years. Beijing appeared to demonstrate a new diplomatic prowess—an active willingness to mediate tensions in one of the most geopolitically challenging and conflict-ridden portions of the globe.

Islamic State Khorasan Province

Established In: 2015;

Key Members: Hafiz Saeed Khan, Shahab al-Muhajir;

Operational Area: Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, India;

Size: 1,000 (US estimate); 2,500-4,000 (UN report); 10,000 (Russian estimate);

Involved In: Bomb Attacks, Assasinations, Armed Attacks, Kidnapping;

Taliban

Established In: 1994;

Established By: Mohammed Omar;

Also Known As: Taleban;

Country Of Origin: Afghanistan;

China Urges Iran to Halt Houthi Attacks in Red Sea

Latest Developments

China urged Iran to pressure the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen to end their attacks against Red Sea commercial shipping, Iranian sources told Reuters in a January 25 report. Beijing also warned that Chinese-Iranian commerce could suffer if Houthi attacks continue, a potentially potent threat since China remains Iran’s largest trading partner. On January 26, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin affirmed that China is “deeply concerned over the recent rapid escalation of tensions in the Red Sea.” He also said that the United Nations Security Council did not “authorize the use of force” against Yemen — an apparent criticism of recent U.S. and allied strikes against the Houthis.

Houthis Protect Chinese and Russian Shipping, Target Global Shipping

Latest Developments

The Houthis in Yemen announced on January 19 that they would permit Chinese and Russian vessels to safely transit the Red Sea. The same day, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce called on the Houthis to cease “harassment” of commercial shipping and announced unspecified future efforts to protect regional seaborne commerce. Nevertheless, the price of shipping a 40-foot container between Europe and China increased by 260 percent within the past month, pressuring countries that rely on shipping through the Red Sea.

Russia, Iran and the Red Sea

Interview with Hai Phong

Haifog: I’m glad to have you here because there’s a lot of economic novelties. But your specialty is to highlight, and this channel is trying to highlight, the relationship between geopolitics and the economy, such as Radhika [Desai, and Ben Norton, and other great journalists have tried to do so.
The defeat in Ukraine