The Islamic State’s Anbar Offensive and Abu Umar al-Shishani
The recent gains in Iraq’s Anbar province by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have, justifiably, garnered a great deal of media attention. McClatchy ...
Chechens
British Lessons
I imagine James Bond is relieved. After all, one can’t very well be “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” if one is no lon...
Op-eds
Assessing Terrorism in the Caucasus and the Threat to the Homeland
Download the full testimony (PDF)....
Legislative Testimonies
Bombings Hit Russia Ahead of Olympics
Two bombings have rocked the southern Russian city of Volgograd in as many days, just weeks ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Sunday’s attack on the...
Policy Briefs
Crisis in Syria: Implications for Homeland Security
Chairman McCaul, Ranking Member Thompson and members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me here today to discuss the potential threats to the U.S. emanating out of Syria. Obviously, the sit...
Legislative Testimonies
Rouhani’s Rooster Tail
Co-authored Bijan R. Kian and David J. Smith Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s new president, is back in Tehran after an all-smiles visit to the United Nations in New York....
Op-eds
Assessing the Threat to the Homeland from al Qaeda Operations in Iran and Syria
Chairman King, Ranking Member Higgins and members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me here today to discuss the threat posed by al Qaeda’s operations inside Iran and Syria. These ar...
Legislative Testimonies
Defense in the Age of Jihad
It starts with a clear-eyed recognition of the threat.
Op-eds
In Boston Terrorism Case, Too Easy to Jump to Conclusions
The fact that both Boston Marathon bombing suspects are now either dead or in custody does not mean that the reporting on the story will be sure to get the story right. The rate of error, unfortu...
Op-eds
What We Know
The working hypothesis at this point has to be that what took place in Boston was an act of Jihadi terrorism. The suspects are Chechens. Chechen independence is a longstanding issu...
Op-eds
Chechen Commander Forms ‘Army of Emigrants,’ Integrates Syrian Groups
A commander from the Russian Caucasus known as Abu Omar al Chechen has formed Jaish al-Muhajireen wa Ansar, or Army of the Emigrants and Helpers, and integrated several Syrian fighting units into...
Op-eds
Al Nusrah Front Claims Suicide Attack on Syrian Defense Factory
The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, claimed credit for a suicide attack at a defense factory that occurred nearly three weeks ago. Several civili...
Op-eds
‘Islamist Factions’ Seize Syrian Airbase
One day after the largest dam in Syria fell to jihadists spearheaded by al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, Islamist fighters seized control of a nearby airbase. Jihadists have now taken control...
Op-eds
Al Qaeda’s Syrian Affiliate Claims 2 More Suicide Attacks
The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, al Qaeda in Iraq's affiliate in Syria, has claimed credit for two more suicide attacks against Bashar al Assad's military. In...
Op-eds
Al Nusrah Front Claims Complex Suicide Assault on Syrian Military Base
The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, al Qaeda in Iraq's affiliate in Syria, launched a complex suicide assault on a Syrian military base near the border with Israel. The terror...
Op-eds
Al Nusrah Front, Foreign Jihadists Seize Key Syrian Base in Aleppo
The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group that is fighting Bashir al Assad's regime in Syria, and allied jihadist groups took control of the last ma...
Op-eds
Al Nusrah Front Claims Suicide Attack at Hospital, Joint Operation with Chechen Fighters
The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group that is fighting Bashir al Assad's regime in Syria, has claimed credit for yet another suicide attack as w...
Op-eds
Al Nusrah Front Commanded Free Syrian Army Unit, ‘Chechen Emigrants,’ in Assault on Syrian Base
The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group that is fighting Bashir al Assad's regime in Syria, commanded a Free Syrian Army unit and "Chechen emigran...
Op-eds
‘Foreign Militants’ Still Present in Ghazni
Just days after al Qaeda released a video of its fighters conducting operations in Ghazni, Afghan officials said that "foreign militants" are continuing to flood the southeastern province....
Op-eds
Obama’s Syria Policy: Ask Putin
Some have argued that last week’s massacre in the Syrian city of Houla, where Bashar al-Assad loyalists killed more than a hundred people, a third of whom were children, may in time come to...