Militant Wire

06/06/2022

"The Emerging Jihadist Threat to Togo" by Scott Morgan https://www.militantwire.com/p/the-emerging-jihadist-threat-to-togo?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

The security situation in West Africa continues to deteriorate. Serious concerns remain over the situations unfolding in Mali and Burkina Faso. It appears that replacing ineffective civilian administrations in both nations with military rule has not achieved stability and or sufficiently countered t...

31/05/2022

"'Defensive war as an act of popular resistance...': Exclusive Interview with an Anarchist Fighter of the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine" by Tom Lord aka "The Wannabe Wonk" https://www.militantwire.com/p/defensive-war-as-an-act-of-popular?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Militant Wire's Tom Lord Speaks with a Member of The Resistance Committee

31/05/2022

"US State Department Removes Five Terrorist Organizations from FTO Blacklist" by Scott Morgan https://www.militantwire.com/p/us-state-department-removes-five?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

On May 13th, the Biden Administration made the decision to remove five groups that are currently listed as FTOs (Foreign Terrorist Organization) from the blacklist. This decision was officially announced a week later by the State Department. Should this raise security concerns among analysts? Probab...

25/05/2022

25/05/2022

"Islamic State East Asia: Down But Not Out" by Rueben Dass and Jasminder Singh https://www.militantwire.com/p/islamic-state-east-asia-down-but?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

The Islamic State East Asia Province (ISEAP), the Islamic State (IS) group’s main affiliate in Southeast Asia primarily based in the Southern Philippines, has suffered substantial losses at the hands of continued counter-terrorism operations by state security forces. While some analysts have argue...

25/05/2022

"Anti-Authoritarian Collective of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Forces Releases New Manifesto" by Tom Lord aka "The WannabeWonk" https://www.militantwire.com/p/anti-authoritarian-collective-of?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

A Look at the Resistance Committee's Position on the War and Future of Ukrainian Society

23/05/2022

"Islamic State-Supporting Tajik Media Outlet Turns Gaze From Middle East Toward Afghanistan" by Lucas Webber https://www.militantwire.com/p/islamic-state-supporting-tajik-media?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

The Islamic State Khurasan Province (ISKP) has markedly increased its focus on Central Asia in recent months, ultimately culminating in rocket attack operations targeting Uzbekistan in April and Tajikistan in May. Accordingly, ISKP-linked and aligned media groups have ramped up the

23/05/2022

"Why India Should Be More Concerned About Al Qaeda Amidst Violence in Afghanistan and Pakistan" by Ayush Verma https://www.militantwire.com/p/why-india-should-be-more-concerned?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

In 2014, the fugitive commander of Al Qaeda (AQ), Ayman al-Zawahiri, announced the creation of a new wing of the group focused on waging jihad in the Indian subcontinent. In a 55-minute-long video, Zawahiri expressed his intention to expand Al Qaeda's operations throughout the region by stating, "Ou...

23/05/2022

"Jihadist-Fueled Instability in Burkina Faso" by Scott Morgan https://www.militantwire.com/p/jihadist-fueled-instability-in-burkina?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

The situation in the Sahel is growing increasingly dire. Despite the introduction and presence of the Russian private military contractor (PMC) Wagner Group, there has not been any discernible improvement to the internal security climate in Mali. One can contrast this situation with that in Niger, w...

16/05/2022

"3D Firearm Proliferation Among Latin American Criminal Organizations" by Maria Zuppello https://www.militantwire.com/p/3d-firearm-proliferation-among-latin?s=r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Since 2013, when Texas University student and gun-rights activist Cody Wilson released online blueprints for the Liberator, the world’s first 3D-printable weapon, the 3D-printed fi****ms industry has expanded globally. According to the European Commission

16/05/2022

"The Pakistani Taliban’s Organizational Trajectory and Evolving Propaganda Narratives" by Riccardo Valle and Vineet https://www.militantwire.com/p/the-pakistani-talibans-organizational?s=r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (Movement of Students in Pakistan), or TTP, is a Sunni Islamist and pro-Pashtun movement and was formed by al-Qāʿidah-allied tribal militants under the leadership of Baitullah Mehsud in 2007. It is an alliance of militant networks that was formed as a front to oppose the...

09/05/2022

"The Islamic State Threat to Afghanistan and Its Neighbours" by Guillermo Calderón López https://www.militantwire.com/p/the-islamic-state-threat-to-afghanistan?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

On August 15th, 2021, the Taliban took over the Afghan capital, Kabul. Bagram Air Base was also captured that day, after which the Taliban proceeded to release prisoners held there. This included members of al-Qaeda and various other international terror groups. It is estimated that

09/05/2022

"Mozambique's Islamic State Insurgency Rages On" by Scott Morgan https://www.militantwire.com/p/mozambiques-islamic-state-insurgency?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

One of the relatively new conflicts in Africa is the jihadist insurgency in the Cabo Delgado region of Mozambique, which has now spread beyond the province and national territory. In terms of kinetic militant action, the conflict really began in 2017, although the insurgent movement’s history date...

09/05/2022

"Pakistan's Terrorism Landscape in the Wake of America's Afghanistan Withdrawal" by Ido Gadi Raz https://www.militantwire.com/p/pakistans-terrorism-landscape-in?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

On March 8, 2022, a su***de bomber blew himself up with an explosive belt in the city of Sibi, which is in the province of Balochistan, Pakistan. The terrorist slightly missed the convoy of Pakistani President Arif Alvi who spoke at a festival that took place in the city. The attack, for which the I...

09/05/2022

"Islamic State-Aligned Media Lambasts Uzbekistan Aid Provision to the Taliban" by Lucas Webber https://www.militantwire.com/p/islamic-state-aligned-media-lambasts?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

The Islamic State’s (IS) greater war strategy against the Taliban in Afghanistan includes a kinetic militant component geared to inflict violence on state and civilian targets paired with a media campaign purposed to delegitimize the Taliban as a governing body and discredit it as a religious auth...

09/05/2022

"The State of Thailand's Deep South Insurgency" by Uday https://www.militantwire.com/p/the-state-of-thailands-deep-south?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

The insurgency in Thailand’s ‘Deep South’ has been ongoing for decades. Insurgents from the minority Malay-Muslim community have demanded autonomy from Buddhist-majority Thailand. As per the constitution, Thailand is “indivisible”. The Deep South covers the provinces of Pattani, Yala, Nara...

09/05/2022

"Al-Qaeda Branch in Mali Claims Kidnapping of Russian Wagner Group Fighter" by Guillermo Calderón López https://www.militantwire.com/p/al-qaeda-branch-in-mali-claims-kidnapping?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

On April 24th, 2022, the al-Qaeda branch Jama´at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, JNIM) published a report through its official Az-Zallaqa media outlet claiming a series of attacks in Mali. The claimed operations include a rocket attack on UN peacekeeping f...

09/05/2022

"HBDH Claims Deadly Bombing of Bus Transporting Prison Guards in Bursa, Turkey" by Tom Lord (aka The WannabeWonk) https://www.militantwire.com/p/hbdh-claim-deadly-bombing-of-bus?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

The Peoples’ United Revolutionary Movement (HBDH) has just claimed the deadly April 20th attack that killed one prison guard and injured others in Bursa, Turkey, four days ago. A bus transporting roughly 30 prison guards was traveling through the Osmangazi district of Turkey’s fourth-largest cit...

19/04/2022

"Weaponry Used by Georgian Combatants in Ukraine's Territorial Defence Forces Following the Invasion" by War Noir https://www.militantwire.com/p/post-invasion-weaponry-used-by-georgian?s=r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Weapons Used by Foreign Legions and Combatants in Ukraine - Part 1

19/04/2022

"Islamic State Hind Province Amalgamates Media Branches; Pro-IS East Asia Group Claims Bombing in Thailand" by Riccardo Valle and Lucas Webber https://www.militantwire.com/p/islamic-state-hind-province-amalgamates?s=r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

ISHP in India/Kashmir On April 13th, it was announced that a host of media groups and channels linked to and associated with the Islamic State Hind Province (ISHP) would be merged into a single centralized propaganda outlet called Nashir al-Hind to focus primarily on India and Kashmir. The official....

19/04/2022

"Bombing McDonalds: Why the Revolutionary Organization—17 November Attacked Three Big Symbols of U.S. Capitalism in 1998" by Tom Lord (aka The WannabeWonk) https://www.militantwire.com/p/bombing-mcdonalds-why-the-revolutionary?s=r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

At 3:50 AM on February 3rd, 1998, a bomb exploded outside of a McDonalds in the Chalandri borough of Athens, Greece, toppling tables and chairs and throwing glass across the empty restaurant. Approximately ten minutes later another bomb exploded outside of a second McDonalds location, one borough no...

18/04/2022

"I’lam Foundation for Translations Emerges as a Boon to Pro-Islamic State Media Ecosystem" by Laith Alkhouri and Lucas Webber https://www.militantwire.com/p/ilam-foundation-for-translations?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

The Islamic State (IS) movement is buttressed by an extensive global network of official media organs, pro-IS propaganda outlets, and individual supporting content creators. Amongst the limitations to growing and sustaining an international network on the scale of the Islamic State are linguistic ba...

18/04/2022

"The M23 Insurgency and Instability in East Congo" by Scott Morgan https://www.militantwire.com/p/the-m23-insurgency-and-instability?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

On March 29th, a helicopter belonging to the UN mission in the Congo crashed while on patrol. There were reports in some outlets claiming that M23 rebels shot down the aircraft, while other reports stated that the group denied responsibility. In total, eight peacekeepers perished in the incident, an...

18/04/2022

"Latin American Foreign Fighters in Ukraine" by Maria Zuppello https://www.militantwire.com/p/latin-american-foreign-fighters-in?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

The Ukrainian-Russian conflict has become the first war to be widely broadcasted on TikTok from its onset, with a steady flow of videos taken on the ground and shared on the application. On one hand, this has provided comparatively greater transparency, but it has also created operational security i...

04/04/2022

"So, You Want to Be a Privateer? You're Going to Need a License First!" by Carl Peterson https://www.militantwire.com/p/so-you-want-to-be-a-privateer-youre?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, has caused widespread international condemnation of the Russian government. This condemnation has come not just in the form of empty words but also has teeth in the form of both weapons transfers to the Ukrainian government and sanct...

04/04/2022

"Beersheba Attack Marks Wave of Violence Against Israelis as Ramadan Approaches" by Matt Koonce https://www.militantwire.com/p/beersheba-attack-marks-wave-of-violence?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

A series of attacks carried out in quick succession has shaken both Israeli society and the military establishment

04/04/2022

"Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad Responds to Being Designated as a Global Terrorist Organization" by Uran Botobekov https://www.militantwire.com/p/katibat-al-tawhid-wal-jihad-responds?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

On March 7, 2022, the US Department of State added the Central Asian Salafi-Jihadi group Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ) to the US government’s list of specially designated global terrorist organizations. In addition to this designation, KTJ has been added to the UN Security Council's ISIS and a...

28/03/2022

"Russia Seeks to Expand its Influence in Latin America" by Maria Zuppello https://www.militantwire.com/p/russia-seeks-to-expand-its-influence?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Moscow’s violation of Ukrainian sovereignty raises urgent questions regarding the nature of Russia’s presence and influence in Latin America. The recent escalation in Europe will likely amplify Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hybrid warfare on geographically distant fronts, such as Latin Am...

24/03/2022

"Al-Shabaab Attacks Chinese National in Kenya while Islamic State in Afghanistan and Pakistan Criticizes Beijing" by Lucas Webber and Riccardo Valle https://www.militantwire.com/p/al-shabaab-attacks-chinese-national?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Kenya On March 11th, Islamist militants attacked a highway construction site near Majengo in Kenya’s Lamu County. The ambush killed five people, which reportedly included a Chinese national, and wounded multiple others. In the wake of the assault, the Al-Qaeda-aligned Al-Shabaab insurgent group

20/03/2022

"Jihadists Around the World Pledge Allegiance as the Islamic State Names New Leader" by Mohammad Shabir Ahmadi https://www.militantwire.com/p/jihadists-around-the-world-pledge?r=ioxhx&s=w&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Since the official announcement of the new Islamic State (IS) leader, branches and members of IS have been publicly pledging their allegiance to Abu al-Hasan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi. Notably, even though a name was provided by the IS spokesman, the actual identity of the new leader remains uncertain,...