Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

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The IS media jihad

Tech-savvy young media producers are boosting the Islamic State’s allure with increasingly competent presentation skills and graphics to enhance the brutal videos that have long been a staple. A video-game ethos is part […]

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CHILD CAMPS: The Islamic State (IS) has several training camps designated for child soldiers. The extremist organization is now building an army of children.

New IS child army

The Islamic State (IS) is reportedly building an army of 11- to 16-year-olds, under the command of a French 15-year-old, sources tell HSI. The extremist group may be considering deploying the child army to the […]

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THE ENIGMATIC CALIPH: How long will Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi be able to survive on the run? What powerbase will he be able to establish in the Middle East? The ISIL commander came out of hiding Friday 4 July, leading the prayer in a mosque in Mosul in Iraq. A recording of the appearance was published by ISIL the day after.

The quest for the caliph(ate)

ANALYSIS: With several national intelligence services using all their resources to hunt him down, the self-declared “caliph” Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi needs to maintain the fighting spirit of his mujahedeen force while establishing his […]

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Illustration: (C) Shutterstock.

Syrian jihad, from Antwerp

IN DEPTH: At least 100 people have left the Netherlands to fight in Syria. In neighbouring Belgium, the number is even higher. Family members and researchers point to the Belgian group Shariah4Belgium as […]

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Zarqawi’s legacy

“The impact of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is stronger than that of Osama bin Laden,” says the Jordanian researcher Hassan Abu Hanieh. Hisham Allam and Øyvind Strømmen A militant Salafi Muslim leader known as […]

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