Spotlight on Global Jihad (May 18-24, 2023)

Main events of the past week

  • The moderate increase in ISIS’s activity around the world continued this week. The hotspot of activity was in Africa.
  • Syria: ISIS carried out several attacks against the Syrian army and the forces supporting it in the desert region.
  • Iraq: ISIS operatives carried out several attacks against Iraqi security forces, following the increase in ISIS’s activity in Iraq.
  • Lebanon: A senior Al-Qaeda operative who was responsible for establishing the organization’s cells in Lebanon was detained northeast of Tripoli. A senior ISIS operative was detained in the Sidon area.
  • Africa:
  • Nigeria: ISIS continued its high-intensity activity against the Nigerian army in the northeast of the country. The main incident was the detonation of a car bomb.
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo: ISIS’s activity against Christian residents near the Ugandan border intensifies. At least 40 Christian residents were killed.
  • Burkina Faso: An Australian doctor abducted by an organization affiliated with Al-Qaeda was released after seven years.
  • Mali: ISIS operatives took over Al-Qaeda strongholds in a town in eastern Mali.
  • Somalia: Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated organization, claims to have inflicted dozens of fatalities on the Somali army and the forces supporting it.
  • The battle for hearts and minds: The editorial of ISIS’s weekly Al-Naba stresses the importance of implementing Islamic law (Sharia) through violent jihad. The article categorically rejects the values of democracy and secular regimes in general.
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The Western Balkans Between The East And The West

Abstract: The Western Balkans region is both politically and economically significant for Europe. This article examines the security issues and further identifies development issues that threaten the stability of this region as it finds itself at a dangerous crossroads between the West and the East. As of 2022, the influence of the Russian Federation and the war in Ukraine have evoked some of the most important security questions not just in Europe but worldwide.

Unravelling Some Complexities Of The Western Balkans

Abstract: Despite the war ending in former Yugoslavia, which resulted in newly proclaimed nations, the drums never ceased. There have been endless initiatives to stabilise the region, such as the Thessaloniki Summit and the Berlin Process, which can now be considered attempts in vain. One of the biggest issues remains the spread of terrorism in the wider area. Reports indicate that the Western Balkans proved themselves to be an excellent hideout and base of operations for many terrorists planning attacks worldwide. Most decision-makers lack an understanding of the region’s past, resulting in unnecessary delays to the European Integration of the Western Balkans.

The Notion Of Jihad? Ideological Rift Between TTP, ISKP, And IEA Over Fatwa – OpEd

There has been a noticeable rift between the Tekhrek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic Emirate Afghanistan (IEA) for quite some time, and the causes are not political but ideological.

The IEA has fought against external interference, whereas the TTP, influenced by al-Qaeda, adheres to Takfiri ideology and pursues expansionist objectives. This fundamental ideological difference has resulted in the TTP and Islamic State of Khurasan Province (ISKP) being perceived as natural allies, as they share an identical point of view. However, it should be noted that both factions’ activities have only contributed to increased bloodshed and instability in the region.

Oversight and Accountability to Improve Security Sector Governance in Africa

Oversight, accountability, and governance of the security sector are essential ingredients to a capable and effective force, mitigating infractions and contributing to a learning environment that improves future practices.

Highlights

  • The security sector is equally subject to the law and oversight institutions as any other public agency.
  • Weak security sector oversight institutions inhibit security sector professionalism in Africa. Stronger internal and external oversight is an essential element of enhancing security sector effectiveness.
  • Security organs should construct institutional frameworks that nurture professionalism and a consistent apolitical posture.
  • When security actors allow themselves to become politicized, they erode the credibility of security institutions among the population and can themselves become a security threat to citizens.

ISIS Redux: The Central Syria Insurgency in August 2023

ISIS carried out at least 17 confirmed attacks in August in the Homs, Hama, Raqqa, and Deir Ez Zor governorates. These attacks killed at least 40 pro-Assad regime soldiers and wounded 21 additional soldiers and two civilians. There were also seven high quality* attacks during August. August was the most violent month in central Syria since the end of ISIS’s spring campaign when the group heavily targeted civilian truffle hunters across eastern Homs and western Deir Ez Zor. However, as in the months following those attacks, August’s activity was focused on regime security forces rather than civilians.

When Will Washington Make Central Asia A Priority? – Analysis

The American filmmaker Woody Allen said, ““Eighty percent of success is showing up.” If he is correct, America is not succeeding in Central Asia.

But the rulers of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and China, Xi Jinping, leave nothing to chance: Xj has visited every one of the republics and has been to Kazakhstan four times and Uzbekistan three times; Putin has visited Kazakhstan twenty-seven times (the countries share a 7,644-kilometre border), and has been to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan at least a dozen times each.

Robert Reich: 50 Years Ago, Henry Kissinger And Death Of Democracy In Chile – OpEd

As Chile marks the 50th anniversary today of the coup that brought strongman Augusto Pinochet to power for almost 17 years — toppling Chile’s democratically-elected socialist government, and resulting in the murders and “disappearances” of thousands of Pinochet’s political opponents — it’s important to recall the central role played by Richard Nixon and Nixon’s national security advisor, Henry Kissinger, in this atrocity.