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Terrorism

Policy Analysis on Terrorism

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SCF protests
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Khazali Isolated Over International Zone Protests
The militia leader is being constrained by other members of the Iran-dominated Shia Coordination Framework regarding how to respond to Sadrist protests.
Aug 3, 2022
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Screen capture of the FBI Most Wanted Terrorist poster for Ayman al-Zawahiri, updated following Zawahiri's killing in Afghanistan by American forces. Source: FBI
Brief Analysis
What Zawahiri’s Death Means for al-Qaeda and Its Branches
Despite the potent symbolic benefits of taking out the infamous terrorist ideologue, his death is unlikely to affect the organization’s daily operations, which are increasingly being driven by dangerous affiliates in Africa.
Aug 2, 2022
◆
  • Matthew Levitt
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Ahrar al-Iraq 2
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Liwa Ahrar al-Iraq
This facade group is used to brand militia rocket and drone attacks on Turkish targets in Iraq.
Jul 29, 2022
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
  • Eric Feely
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Turkey’s War in Northern Iraq: By the Numbers
Ankara is fighting a lethal and largely hidden counterinsurgency against PKK elements across the border, but the conflict’s rising profile may carry high costs for both U.S. interests and Iraqi sovereignty.
Jul 28, 2022
◆
  • Michael Knights
Sabereen News threat to Istanbul - cropped
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Claiming Without Claiming: Iraqi Militia Responses to Turkish Attacks
Sabereen News has been operating as the clearinghouse for coverage of "resistance" strikes on Turkish targets, nodding to specific facade groups and hinting at future attacks inside Turkey.
Jul 22, 2022
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ 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
Why Is It So Difficult to Get Off a Terrorist List?
Strategic priorities, political factors, and institutional inertia make it hard to remove a group from government lists even if it no longer meets the designation criteria, potentially hog-tying U.S. policymakers.
Jul 3, 2022
◆
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Brigade 30
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Hashd al-Shabak (30th PMF Brigade)
This local auxiliary unit plays an important role in consolidating Iranian and proxy influence in Iraq's strategic Nineveh Plains region.
Jun 22, 2022
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
  • Yaqoub Beth-Addai
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Brief Analysis
How to Avoid Another Lost Year for UNIFIL
At this point, even if the “interim” force was somehow able and willing to implement its mandate in southern Lebanon, it might not be enough to prevent war—but Washington should still press for whatever reforms it can.
Jun 21, 2022
◆
  • David Schenker
  • Assaf Orion
Funeral in Tehran for a slain IRGC colonel
Articles & Testimony
The Backstory Behind the Killing of Qods Force Col. Khodaei
The case highlights the uptick in Iran’s targeting of regime opponents abroad, a trend laid bare in a new data set stretching back four decades.
Jun 20, 2022
◆
  • Matthew Levitt
Leaders of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
Video
Brief Analysis
Al-Qaeda, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and the Future of Jihadism
A panel of leading counterterrorism scholars and practitioners discuss the evolving face of the global jihadist movement amid changes in Washington’s CT posture.
Jun 15, 2022
◆
  • Anastasia Smith
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
  • Matthew Levitt
United Nations headquarters building in New York - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
The United Nations’ List of “Not Listed” Terrorist Entities
A closer look at the “dirty dozen” individuals and groups that member states should consider as prime candidates for the Security Council’s al-Qaeda, Islamic State, and Taliban designation list.
Jun 12, 2022
◆
  • Lauren Fredericks
  • Matthew Levitt
Brief Analysis
Rhetoric Meets Reality in Jawlani’s Push for Self-Sufficiency
As a key UN vote approaches, Washington should push Turkey to help promote a diverse, balanced economy in HTS-controlled northwest Syria.
Jun 8, 2022
◆
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Ahrar Sinjar
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Ahrar Sinjar
This facade group is used to brand "resistance" attacks on Turkish targets and purportedly link the strikes to Yezidi grievances toward Turkey.
Jun 8, 2022
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
  • Alex Almeida
  • Anwar al-Zamani
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Articles & Testimony
Tehran's Proxy Army:
Iran's Regional Role
Over the past decade, Hezbollah has intensified its aggressive activities across the Middle East and now presides over a widening network of proxies.
May 29, 2022
◆
  • Matthew Levitt
Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in 2022 - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Return of Old Leader Presents New Opportunities in Somalia
The Biden administration should be encouraged by the incoming president’s ties to the UAE and apparent openness to bolstering the counterterrorism fight and normalizing with Israel.
May 26, 2022
◆
  • Ido Levy
Ahrar Sinjar drone image
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Ahrar Sinjar: Militia Employment of the Yazidi Community
Ahrar Sinjar is a worrisome example of Iran-backed militias using minorities to undertake cross-border rocket attacks and build terrorist cells in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
May 26, 2022
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Alex Almeida
  • Anwar al-Zamani
◆ Militia Spotlight
Articles & Testimony
Redeploying US Troops to Somalia Is the Right Move
The country’s terrorist challenge grew in the absence of American forces, requiring the Biden administration to reestablish strong connections with local personnel on the ground.
May 25, 2022
◆
  • Ido Levy
Articles & Testimony
Don’t Let Over-the-Horizon Counterterrorism Eliminate the Premier Security Force Assistance Product: Partner Special Operations Forces
From Iraq and Afghanistan to Somalia and Ukraine, closely mentoring special operators has been far more impactful than building up conventional forces, but this approach requires hands-on American involvement.
May 18, 2022
◆
  • Ido Levy
Video
Brief Analysis
Hezbollah-Shia Dynamics and Lebanon's Election: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Implications
On the eve of the election, two Lebanese experts joined a former U.S. official to discuss the prospects for widening the cracks in Hezbollah’s core Shia constituency.
May 18, 2022
◆
  • Hanin Ghaddar
  • Bashshar Haydar
  • David Schenker
A Turkish Bayraktor UAV on display at an airshow - source: Reuters
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Muqawama's Duel with Turkey
Turkish counterstrikes may have instilled caution in militia rocketeers, suggesting more attacks may come against U.S. and Kurdish targets instead.
May 17, 2022
◆
  • Alex Almeida
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight

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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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