Terrorism

Posted: Monday, June 28, 2010
Author: Ashley Duenas

It is well known that suicide bombings in the Afghan and Pakistani regions have increased dramatically in the last year. The CNN website documents at least 30 reports of suicide attacks in 2010 and the New York Times published at least 2,000 articles within the past year related to the topic.

And so it is no surprise that researchers around the world have sought to develop technologies to analyze and mitigate the damage from suicide attacks. One researcher, a U.S. educated Fullbright scholar Zeeshan-ul-hassan Usmani, is developing software aimed at minimizing casualties from suicide attacks in Lahore, Pakistan. Unlike existing models, his will predict the positions of security guards and crowds at possible target locations in Lahore, as well as predict what type of injuries may result from a blast. While Usami’s model and models like it are crucial in reducing damage from a suicide bombing, ideally we would prevent individuals from becoming suicide bombers in the first place. Countering the ideology that fuels suicide bombings, though, cannot be achieved with purely technological solutions. (Moghaddahm, 2005).

Posted: Tuesday, March 24, 2010
Author: Andrew Baer

Saudi Arabia revealed Wednesday reports that it had arrested over 100 suspected militants accused of plotting attacks against oil facilities and security personnel. The suspects included 58 Saudis and 55 foreigners from Yemen, Somalia, Bangladesh, and Eritrea divided into three separate groups with links to Yemen-based al-Qaeda affiliates. Interior ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki described the largest of the three groups consisting of 101 suspects as a terrorist network and included individuals “specialized in targeting security personnel.” Saudi officials have not yet announced what installations were being targeted or when the arrests took place though the ministry statement notes that the sweep occurred over a five-month period.

Posted: Thursday, March 11, 2010
Author: Andrew Baer

The Justice Department announced Tuesday that a Pennsylvania woman is being charged for plotting to kill a person in a foreign country and providing material support to terrorists. Colleen LaRose, dubbed ‘Jihad Jane’, was arrested in Philadelphia on October 15 after she and five unindicted co-conspirators were caught recruiting individuals through the Internet, according to the Justice Department, “to wage violent jihad in South Asia and Europe.”

Colleen LaRose’s indictment alleges that the conspiracy began in early 2008 when she made contact with the other conspirators through Youtube and various forms of electronic communication. According to the statement, LaRose used the Internet to recruit, raise funds, and develop plans to support alleged terrorist acts. Furthermore, officials indicate that LaRose was plotting to kill a Swedish cartoonist for caricaturing Mohammed. If convicted, LaRose could face life behind bars and a million dollar fine.

Posted: Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Author: Andrew Baer

At a news conference in London on Tuesday Sheikh Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri issued a fatwa condemning suicide bombing and decrying terrorism as a perversion of Islam. The 600 page religious ruling by Dr. Qadri, a renowned moderate Islamic scholar, emphasized the Imam’s overarching declaration that “terrorism is terrorism, violence is violence and it has no place in Islamic teaching and no justification can be provided for it”. Dr. Qadri hopes his fatwa will serve as precedence for future rulings as “the world needs an absolute, unconditional, unqualified and total condemnation of terrorism."

The Quilliam Foundation, a counter-extremism think tank in the UK, stated that the fatwa was “arguably the most comprehensive” refutation of terrorism to date. The 600 page edict cites Quranic text, Hadiths, and other examples within Islam to solidify the anti-terror stance. Although numerous fatwas have been issued since 9/11, Dr. Qadri’s is the first to declare terror as an act of ‘kufr’, or disbelief, which disqualifies a terrorist from even being able to consider themselves Muslim. The fatwa will be circulated in numerous languages worldwide, including a version in Urdu to be released in Pakistan next month, a nation where many clerics have been assassinated by radicals for speaking out against terrorism.

Posted: Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Authors: Dan Lawner and Sarah Catanzaro

The Somali Islamist militant group Al Shabab announced on Monday that intended to adopt Al Qa'ida's global jihadist agenda. According to the Wall Street Journal, Al Shabab’s statement, issued in Somali and Arabic, is the group’s first official proclamation of their alignment with Al Qa’ida, expressed their intention to “connect the horn of Africa jihad to the one led by Al Qa'ida and its leader Sheikh Osama Bin Laden." This development is an indication of a troubling trend whereby Al Qa’ida is acting more and more like a multi-national corporation—with an attractive brand image and capable subsidiaries.

Posted: Thursday, January 28, 2010
Author: Elise Hogan

In his first State of the Union address, President Obama acknowledged the multifaceted national security threats facing the U.S. and was quick to point out both his administrations failures and successes in addressing those threats. Importantly, Obama addressed recent criticism by the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation—a congressionally appointed committee—on his administration’s progress in protecting the U.S. from weapons of mass destruction. The commission’s “Report Card”, released Tuesday January 26th analyzed the U.S. government capacity to deal with a biological attack, citing the delayed response to the H1N1 outbreak in 2009.

Posted: Thursday, December 10, 2009
Author: Kelly Doffing

General David Petraeus, the chief of the regional U.S. Central Command, testified in a hearing today before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that U.S. forces will be increasing their counterterrorism and counterinsurgency activities in Afghanistan. While this initial statement seems unsurprising, given President Obama’s newly announced strategy for the war and commitment of 30,000 additional troops to the country, the nature of the counterinsurgency activities reflects a distinct shift in U.S. understanding and policymaking.

Posted: Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Author: Kelly Doffing

In his long-awaited speech at West Point Military Academy yesterday, President Obama pledged to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan in the next six months. Speaking about killing Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants, training the Afghan security forces, transferring responsibility to Afghan forces and setting a withdrawal date for U.S. troops, Obama reaffirmed the goal in Afghanistan and outlined three objectives for the Afghan war. The final goal, he stated, is “to disrupt, dismantle and defeat Al-Qaeda.” The three objectives are to deny Al-Qaeda safe haven, to reverse the Taliban’s momentum and to strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan’s security forces and government.

Posted: Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Author: Ed Levandoski

President Obama’s speech tonight at the U.S. Military Academy regarding the war in Afghanistan will lay out a new security strategy and increase the number of troops by nearly 34,000. In addition to the troop increase, Obama will emphasize the importance of training the Afghan army and police force to become self sufficient. Furthermore, he hopes to engage Pakistan into becoming more involved in curtailing the power of the Taliban. Yet, many in Pakistan have different viewpoints about his strategy.

Posted: Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Author: Ed Levandoski

Iraq’s constitutionally mandated elections may be postponed, due to political tensions and terrorist attacks. A dispute between Parliament and the Vice President over the percentage of seats reserved for ethnic minorities and Iraqis abroad resulted in a veto and stalled efforts for the election to occur prior to the January 31 deadline. With the possibility of elections becoming less and less likely before the deadline, Iraq faces a potentially major political crisis. The current U.S. military withdrawal plan is based on elections being held by the deadline, and any delays could force a change in the withdrawal plans. Additionally, it remains unclear what would happen if elections are not held before Parliament is dissolved 45 days after January 31.