Taliban Detains Loyalist As Internal Rift Over Jihad Policy Widens

Sources told Afghanistan International that the Taliban have arrested Rahim Sekandar, a prominent supporter of the group on social media.

His detention reportedly followed criticism of a Taliban official’s remarks opposing the participation of Taliban fighters in clashes between militants and Pakistani security forces.

U.S. Funding Cuts Risk Jeopardizing Counter-Islamic State Operations

Since the Islamic State crashed onto the scene in 2014, the U.S. has led efforts to combat the group’s influence, acting as one of the largest donors to the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State and leading its forces through Operation Inherent Resolve. These efforts resulted in the successful territorial defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019. With the fall of the Islamic State’s so-called caliphate, however, the threat changed—demanding a new approach. Accordingly, in 2022, U.S. Central Command Commanding General Michael Kurilla divided the Islamic State threat into three parts: “[Islamic State] at large” (the leaders and operatives fighting the U.S. and its partners Irweaq and Syria); “[Islamic State] in detention” (the thousands of Islamic State-affiliated men and boys, as well as some women and girls, held in detention facilities and youth “rehabilitation” centers in Iraq and Syria); and the “potential next generation of [Islamic State]” (the tens of thousands of primarily women and minors held in northeast Syrian Al-Hol and Roj detention camps).

Actor Profile: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)

Introduction

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is an Islamist political and militant group mainly operating in Syria’s Greater Idleb area, which includes parts of Aleppo’s western countryside, the Lattakia mountains, and al-Ghab Plain in northwestern Hama. HTS leadership was historically composed of both Syrian and foreign Islamists, with links to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. However, the group’s current identity is largely Syrian Islamist, reflecting a pragmatic shift in its strategic goals. HTS has rebranded itself from a former transnational Salafi-Jihadi group to a more localized Islamist group that at times targets and clashes with other radical Islamist groups such as the Islamic State and the al-Qaeda-affiliated Hurras-al-Din. With this change, the group has increasingly sought to cultivate a more moderate public image.

The Evolution of the Islamist Terror Threat Landscape in Germany Since 2020

Abstract: Today, Germany is facing heightened security alerts due to Islamist terror threats at Christmas markets in the winter, Carnival parades in the spring, public festivals, pedestrian areas, protests, and at Israeli diplomatic missions and Jewish institutions. Over the last five years, authorities have seen younger perpetrators, new online spaces for radicalization, and new targets. Attackers are using familiar methods of attack and declaring support to well-known groups such as the Islamic State. This article provides an overview of the key developments in the Islamist terror threat in Germany between 2020 and 2025 by taking an in-depth look at all nine executed Islamist terrorist attacks and the 20 publicly reported thwarted attack plots during that time. It concludes with an analysis of the five most notable trends according to the data regarding attack vectors, terrorist profiles, propaganda and recruitment, the impact of October 7, and the role of foreign intelligence.

The file of foreign fighters in Syria: between entitlement and risk

This paper examines the complex situation of foreign fighters in Syria after the change of the former regime, details their composition, explores the long-term challenges and risks arising from their integration into the new Syrian army, their leadership roles, and the consequences of this locally and internationally, and addresses the issue of thousands of foreign fighters detained from ISIS. It reviews the future scenarios of these fighters, whether those involved in the structures of the new state, or ISIS detainees with the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Le Poudré et le Poutré – Une fable de pouvoir et d’illusion

Il était une fois, dans un Royaume des plus turbulents, un petit Monarque que tout le monde appelait «le Poudré». Celui-ci n’avait d’autre mérite que d’être une créature malléable, enveloppée dans des habits éclatants mais vides de substance. Cocaïnomane déchaîné, obnubilé par les excès, aussi dépourvu de substance que les costumes qu’il portait. Propulsé sur le trône par des forces invisibles, mais infernales de la finance mondiale, il n’était qu’un accessoire sur une scène macabre où les vrais maîtres du Royaume – Banquiers, Milliardaires et autres héritiers – des seigneurs de l’ombre qui tiraient les ficelles de cette marionnette sans volonté, l’utilisant comme façade dorée pour imposer leur tyrannie surannée.

Le pays des leçons non apprises. L’Allemagne à deux doigts de la guerre avec la Russie – Réseau International

Le chancelier allemand Friedrich Merz commence à s’embrouiller dans ses déclarations. Lundi encore, il a fait une déclaration pathétique selon laquelle, désormais, les forces armées ukrainiennes pourraient utiliser toutes les armes fournies par l’Occident comme bon leur semble, ce qui changerait complètement la donne sur le front.