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TWI Arabic: اللغة العربية Fikra Forum

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Terrorism

Policy Analysis on Terrorism

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Brief Analysis
Scoring Iraq’s New Government: Metrics for Preserving U.S. Interests
The protracted post-election process has been a step backward for Iraqi democracy, so Washington will need to closely monitor the new leadership’s actions and hold Baghdad to measurable benchmarks.
Oct 19, 2022
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  • Michael Knights
Flag of the Syrian Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Shifting Lines and IDPs: Azaz, Afrin, and the HTS Incursion
HTS is on the move through northern Syria, leaving locals in Afrin and Azaz even more vulnerable.
Oct 19, 2022
◆
  • Rena Netjes
A Turkish outpost in Iraqi Kurdistan
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militias Pivot Away from U.S. Targets, Toward Kurdistan and Turkish Bases
Attack metrics prove that Iran-backed groups currently see more profit in striking "near enemies" than American forces.
Oct 17, 2022
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  • Eric Feely
◆ Militia Spotlight
Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), walk together near Baghouz, Deir Al Zor province - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
The SDF Is Caught Between Turkey and the Islamic State Again
As happened with past incursions, Erdogan’s latest invasion threats and preparatory strikes are fatally distracting the SDF from its crucial counterterrorism mission—and at a time when jihadist activities against it are on the rise.
Oct 12, 2022
◆
  • Ido Levy
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Insight into As-Suwayda’s Position in the Syrian Situation
As-Suwayda has been unstable since the onset of the Syrian revolution. The increasingly fractured political leadership in this majority-Druze region reflects how Syria’s ongoing conflict has warped and splintered local governance.
Oct 12, 2022
◆
  • Ishtar Al Shami
AWH graphic
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraqi Militia Group Makes Credible New Threat Against the Gulf States
The facade group in question tends to follow through on its warnings, so its latest rhetoric about using developments in Yemen as cause for new attacks should be taken seriously.
Oct 3, 2022
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
A woman at the Al-Hawl (or Al-Hol) detention camp in Syria - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Detention Facilities in Syria, Iraq Remain Vulnerable to Islamic State Attacks
An attempted suicide operation against al-Hawl camp highlights the ongoing risks posed by indefinite detention of foreigners associated with IS.
Sep 29, 2022
◆
  • Devorah Margolin
Brief Analysis
For Hezbollah, a Maritime Border Deal Is a Way to Avoid War
Hezbollah leaders are not ready to act on their many threats of major escalation, so Washington and its allies should prevent the group from reaping the nascent agreement’s reputational and financial benefits.
Sep 23, 2022
◆
  • Hanin Ghaddar
Nujaba Warethun
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Al-Warithuun
Al-Warithuun is a "resistance" brand with a recurring connection to kinetic operations that are directed by Iran's Qods Force but intended to be deniable.
Sep 13, 2022
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
U.S. Capitol rioters, Taliban forces, last U.S. soldier to leave Afghanistan
In-Depth Reports
U.S. Counterterrorism Reimagined:
Tracking the Biden Administration's Effort to Reform How America Addresses Violent Extremism
This collection reveals the growing prevalence of nonkinetic tools while exploring the balance authorities must strike between preventing attacks and protecting civil rights.
Sep 7, 2022
◆
  • Matthew Levitt
◆ Counterterrorism Lecture Series
Sadrist protestors, Republic Palace, Baghdad, August 29, 2022
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militias Show Message Discipline During Sadrist Clashes
Centralized direction was evident as "resistance" outlets carried out their (apparently successful) public relations campaign to claim the moral high ground.
Aug 30, 2022
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Abu Muhammad al-Jawlani, leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, speaks in a recorded interview released in Jan. 2019. Photo credit: Screenshot by Cole Bunzel via Twitter.
Articles & Testimony
Jawlani’s “State of the Union”
The Syrian jihadist leader’s growing efforts to garner legitimacy and build up local institutions can only go so far amid the group’s continued terrorist sympathies and minority repression.
Aug 29, 2022
◆
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
U.S. Central Command graphic, Aug 15, 2022 drone attack on Al Tanf
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah's Role in the August 15 al-Tanf Attack
The Syria strike was launched from the militia's bastion in Iraq and used Iranian-provided KAS-04 explosive drones.
Aug 25, 2022
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
bin Laden and al Zawahiri
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
The Killing of al-Zawahiri: Repercussions for the Taliban
Following the drone strike against al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, many variables are up in the air that could significantly alter the stability of a Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as well as the future of the al-Qaeda framework.
Aug 16, 2022
◆
  • Mohamed Mokhtar Qandil
Articles & Testimony
Contending with IRGC Plots
Why do Iranian officials keep ordering hits on U.S. soil in the middle of sensitive negotiations? Because they know they can get away with it.
Aug 16, 2022
◆
  • Matthew Levitt
Brief Analysis
The Rushdie Attack and Iran’s Deceptive “Fatwas”
Whether or not Tehran is proven to be involved, the incident holds significant implications for the regime's international diplomacy and terrorist activity—not to mention its claims about the applicability of Khamenei’s “nuclear fatwa.”
Aug 15, 2022
◆
  • Mehdi Khalaji
Taees
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Kataib Aimmat al-Baqi
A Diyala-based militia that offered its services to Nouri al-Maliki on a leaked audiotape from July 2022.
Aug 15, 2022
◆
  • May Riad
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Photo of Turkish and Taliban officials meeting in Ankara, October 2021.
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Looking for Legitimacy: Taliban Diplomacy Since the Fall of Kabul
The group’s international profile has risen substantially with help from China, Turkey, and other states, but Western leaders should curtail their engagement so long as Kabul keeps gaslighting them about its al-Qaeda ties.
Aug 15, 2022
◆
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Iron Dome rockets intercepting Hamas missiles over Tel Aviv
Articles & Testimony
Israel and Gaza Keep Up Their Precarious Dance
What the latest round of fighting against PIJ—and not, conspicuously, Hamas—means, and why it will probably happen again.
Aug 9, 2022
◆
  • Neri Zilber
Brief Analysis
UN Forces in Lebanon Losing Ground in a Fast-Deteriorating Security Situation
Despite the troubling trends and escalatory incidents described in the latest UN report, the Security Council seems intent on maintaining a failed policy instead of taking urgent action to curb the growing threat of war.
Aug 5, 2022
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  • Assaf Orion

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Supported by the

Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence

The Washington Institute's Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence serves as Washington's premier center for the study of international terrorism.

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Featured experts

Matthew Levitt
Matthew Levitt
Matthew Levitt is the Fromer-Wexler Senior Fellow and director of the Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute.
Devorah Margolin
Devorah Margolin
Devorah Margolin is the Blumenstein-Rosenbloom Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute.
Aaron Zelin
Aaron Y. Zelin
Aaron Y. Zelin is the Gloria and Ken Levy Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy where his research focuses on Sunni Arab jihadi groups in North Africa and Syria as well as the trend of foreign fighting and online jihadism.
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