Showing posts with label terrorism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label terrorism. Show all posts

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Attack on Intercontinental Hotel


On Saturday, January 20, 2018 insurgents attacked the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan. The attack, staged by 3-6 insurgents, seemed to target foreigners. At least four Afghans and 12 foreigners were killed. Many of the dead included members of Kam Air flight crews. Some media reports indicated that up to 40 people died in the attack. The elite SOF unit of the Ministry of Interior (MoI) - the Crisis Response Unit (CRU 222) - responded to the attack. The hotel is a state-owned enterprise and just recently contracted with a new security firm to provide security for the establishment. Some news reports indicate that four Americans were killed during the attack. One American was identified as Glenn Selig - a former spokesman for the Trump campaign.


Sunday, January 24, 2016

Organization of a Terrorist Movement

Daniel M. Gerstein, of the RAND Corporation and formerly of the Department of Homeland Security, says that " . . . strategies to deal with terrorism should be created based on an understanding of the nature of the terrorist threat and the structure of terrorist organizations." Gerstein says that there are four distinct elements of a terrorist organization organized in concentric circles - the leaders in the very center, the operational elements, operational supporters, and in the fourth and outside ring are the sympathizers. He further posits that each of the four elements much be addressed differently by security and police forces - ranging from 'capture kill' to 'outreach and education'. Read more in "Solving the Geometrical Problem of Terrorism", U.S. News & World Report, January 12, 2016.

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Counter-Terrorism & Intelligence News

Intel Reports on Bombing ISIS. New intelligence reports indicate that despite one full year of bombing the Islamic State fighters in Iraq and parts of Syria by the U.S. Air Force there has been no appreciable effect on the Islamic State's capability to conduct operations. While CENTCOM claims the number of ISIS fighters and amounts of equipment have been significant the effect on the ground has been less than expected. The Islamic State has changed up its tactics to mitigate the air attacks and their recruitment of foreign fighters is at an all time high. Reports of the Islamic State gaining a foothold in Afghanistan have made the press in the past several months. Observers are speculating on the effect of new peace talks and new Taliban leadership will have on ISIS in Afghanistan.

Destroying the ISIS Financial Network. One important aspect of counterterrorism is "Counter Threat Finance" operations or CTF. The use of CTF can significantly inhibit the operational capability of terrorist, criminal, and insurgent groups, networks, and movements. Read how to interdict the Islamic State by hitting their wallets (or pocketbooks?) in "The 21st Century Answer to "Burning their Crops and Salting their Fields": Interdicting and Destroying the ISIS Financial Network"Small Wars Journal, August 1, 2015. The article, by Greg Kleponis and Tom Creal, reflects the author's experiences while advising in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

ISIS vs Taliban. Eric Jones in SOFREP writes about how ISIS is fighting the Taliban and how the ANSF is taking the fight to both organizations. SOFREP.com, July 27, 2015.

Paper - "Global Civilization and Counterterrorism". The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point has posted a paper that examines global terrorism, order and disorder, and how we should try to combat disorder and violent extremists.
www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/global-civilization-and-counterterrorism

Paper - "Understanding Terrorism Today and Tomorrow". The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point has posted a paper that helps us understand what terrorism is. The article is adapted from a speech by General Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, given at the CTC 2015 Senior Conference.
www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/understanding-terrorism-today-and-tomorrow

Former ISAF DCSINT now Cdr Fort Huachuca. MG Scott Berrier, former the head Intel guy and leader of the Essential Function 7 crowd, is now the new commander at the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence (why can't they just say Intel school?) and Fort Huachuca. (Sierra Vista Herald, Jul 31, 2015).

"Dead Drop". In tradecraft terms, a dead drop is a location to secretly pass information without a face-to-face meeting. Recall the scene in the Godfather where Al Pacino retrieves a pistol in the restaurant men's room? That is a dead drop. "The Dead Drop" is also the name of a weekly blog that provides intelligence tidbits and Washington rumors.
www.thecipherbrief.com/articles/welcome-dead-drop

Birth of Contemporary Terrorism. Brian Michael Jenkins, a renowned terrorism expert at RAND, has provided us with an informative article entitled The 1970s and the Birth of Contemporary Terrorism (July 30, 2015).

How Technology Changes Espionage. The use of computers has made the use of human intelligence (HUMINT) much more difficult (electronic passports, databases, etc.). However, the use of technology has made spying easier in some ways. Read more in "A new age of espionage", The Economist, August 1, 2015.

CIA - Gays and Lesbians Allowed. Read how the Central Intelligence Agency changed its policy in "How the CIA Came Out of the Closet", The Daily Beast, July 31, 2015.

A Resurging al-Qaeda in South Asia. The emergence of ISIS in Iraq and Syria combined with the withdrawal of the bulk of the international forces in Afghanistan have seen conditions become favorable for al-Qaeda. Read a paper on the topic entitled Resurgence of Al-Qaeda in South Asia Post-US Drawdown, Observer Research Foundation (ORF), July 2015.

Counter-terrorism in Pakistan. A recently published paper analyzes the new counter-terrorism strategy recently adopted by Pakistan - finds fault with it and provides recommendations. Read Revisiting Counter-terrorism strategies in Pakistan: Opportunities and Pitfalls, International Crisis Group, July 22, 2015.

Use of Drones to Continue Into Future. To no ones surprise the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones will continue far into the future - both for intelligence gathering, military applications, and commercial use. Read more in "Operating in an Era of Persistent Unmanned Aerial Surveillance", by William Selby posted on Small Wars Journal, July 31, 2015.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Report - "Perspectives on Terrorism"

The Terrorism Research Initiative has released its latest issue of Perspectives on Terrorism, Vol 9, No 2, April 2015. Several articles are included: "NATO's Role in Counter-Terrorism", "Islamic State and al-Qaeda Competing for Hearts and Minds", "Counterterrorism Bookshelf", and more.
www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Sec Kerry and Pakistan Meeting

Secretary of State Kerry is visiting Pakistan and conducting a series of meetings on a number of issues. Although there is no big news in his published statements (all the good stuff said is behind closed doors) you can read his remarks here. See "Remarks at the U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue Ministerial", U.S. Department of State, January, 2015.
www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2015/01/235876.htm

You can also read a report about his visit in "Kerry Urges Pakistan to Fight Militants, Mend India Ties", Radio Free Europe, January 13, 2015.
www.rferl.org/content/kerry-pakistan-visit-/26790798.html

Friday, November 21, 2014

Increase in Global Terror Attacks

The BBC News World reports that 2013 saw a sharp rise in global terror attacks. The number of deaths from terrorist attacks increased by 61% between 2012 and 2013. Most of the attacks were a result of the Islamic State, al Qaeda, Boko Haram, and the Taliban.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Commentator Questions Negotiations with Taliban

An opinion piece in Commentary Magazine by Michael Rubin questions the United States desire to negotiate in peace talks with the Taliban. He says that the Taliban are not insurgents; that they are terrorists and he cites the recent bombing of an Afghan restaurant that killed 21 non-combatants as proof. Read more in "Yes, the Taliban Are Terrorists" published January 19, 2014.