U.S. officials say an ex-Islamic State fighter entered America as a refugee
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An Iraqi man accused of killing for the Islamic State terrorist group entered the U.S. as a refugee after claiming to be a victim of terrorism, in a case drawing attention amid the Trump administration’s criticism of the resettlement program’s vetting process. Omar Abdulsattar Ameen, 45, was arrested in California on Wednesday […]
Trump travel ban targeting Muslims will not make America safer
The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld the Trump administration’s policy barring people from several predominantly Muslim nations from entering the U.S., ruling that the travel ban was an appropriate use of executive power aimed at strengthening national security. In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor agreed with the plaintiffs’ argument that the policy – which targets travelers from Iran, Libya, […]
Russia Says IS Turning Afghanistan Into ‘Resting Base’ for Regional Terrorism
Russia has warned Islamic State is turning northern Afghanistan into a “resting base” of international terrorism and a “bridgehead” for establishing its “destructive” caliphate in the region. The “international wing of Daesh” is spearheading the effort of terrorists spilling over the borders of Syria and Iraq and moving worldwide, asserted Russian ambassador to Pakistan, Alexey […]
US Airstrike Kills 13 al-Shabab Militants in Somalia
The U.S. military said Wednesday that an airstrike in Somalia killed 13 al-Shabab militants. Officials in the Lower Jubba region confirmed the strike hit militants in the rural Beerhani area, about 50 kilometers northwest of Kismayo, in southern Somalia. “The strike targeted the militants as they mobilized to launch an attack against our base. Fortunately, […]
Russia Says About 10,000 IS Militants Now in Afghanistan
Russia has estimated there are about 10,000 Islamic State militants in Afghanistan and their number is growing because fighters fleeing Syria and Iraq also are heading to the war-ravaged country. Russian media on Saturday quoted Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special presidential envoy for Afghanistan, as saying Moscow is particularly worried about an increasing foothold of Daesh […]
What Will ‘Actually Solve’ Terrorism Problem?
National Counterrorism Center NCTC This is the second of James Kitfield’s in-depth analysis of the continuing challenges posed by America’s so-called “forever wars” in Afghanistan and Iraq. At the height of its powers several years ago, ISIS was attracting an estimated one thousand new foreign fighters each month. While U.S. officials always believed that the […]
Iraqi general: War with ISIL is over
An Iraqi senior military commander said his country’s war against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group is over. In an announcement on Saturday, Lt General Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah said that armed operations against the fighters have ended after Iraqi forces regained control of the country’s border with Syria. “All Iraqi lands […]
Half of Yazidis kidnapped by IS still missing
Around half of the Yazidis kidnapped by the Islamic State group three years ago are still missing, Iraqi Kurdish officials said Sunday. In 2014, IS jihadists killed thousands of Yazidis in Sinjar and kidnapped thousands of women and girls from the religious minority to abuse them as sex slaves. Kurdish fighters backed by the US-led […]
Huge Decline in ISIS Propaganda Mirrors Losses on Battlefield
As Islamic State stands on the brink of defeat in its previous heartlands in Syria and Iraq, analysts say the group’s effort to win the information war is also failing. As its propagandists can no longer maintain a pretense of military victory, they are switching attention to trying to inspire attacks overseas. A recent video […]
ISIS Reveals Top 5 Terror Attacks of 2017
The Islamic State militant group revealed Thursday a list of what it considered to be its most prominent attacks around the world this year and called for more deadly violence. ISIS, by most accounts, was effectively defeated as a warfighting force in 2017, but its ability to strike without warning in major cities across the […]