ISIL

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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ENTERING RAQQA: Jihadist fighters from ISIL entering into Raqqa in January 2014, after fierce fighting between ISIL and Jabhat Al Nusra.

US role seen in Syria attack

Military forces in recent days have repeatedly attacked a Syrian ISIL training and military camp named after Osama Bin Laden, according to eyewitnesses. Two assault team members were said to have been killed in one of […]

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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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ANALYSIS: Our interview with Jordanian militant Islamist Abu Sayaf sheds light on the revolutionary mindset of Salafi jihadism.

Jihadist mindset

ANALYSIS: Our interview with Jordanian militant Islamist Abu Sayyaf provides insight into the revolutionary mindset of Salafi jihadism. Øyvind Strømmen At least 500 Jordanians are thought to be involved in Syria’s raging civil […]

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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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