Blog Posts

Over the past five years, there has been a significant amount of discussion on the propaganda created and disseminated by the Islamic State. This discourse, which mainly relies on what the group creates for external publication, has been unable to answer questions regarding the structure, policies, and management of the group's media arm. This Combating Terrorism Center report draws on 13 internal documents that discuss the Islamic State's media organization in great detail.

“Four years after announcing its cross-border 'caliphate' in Iraq and Syria, a stinging string of defeats has pushed the Islamic State jihadist group to reorganise and change strategy to survive. Having lost all urban centres under its control in Iraq and pinned down to its last desert holdouts in Syria, IS has changed its administrative structure and shifted its focus away from operating the state-like apparatus it once ran.”

On Monday, Rick Davis, Sen. John McCain’s former presidential campaign manager and a family spokesman, read a farewell statement from Senator McCain at a press conference at the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix. Continue on for the full transcript.

“The abrupt resignation of President Ashraf Ghani’s national security adviser and reports of turmoil involving three other top officials have exposed deep conflict and confusion in the U.S.-backed government over how to protect the country and deal with an insurgency that might be seeking to end the 17-year conflict. The shake-up this past weekend deepened concern about the government’s solidity and Ghani’s increasing isolation.”

"A year after reversing course on a key campaign pledge and announcing that U.S. troops would stay in Afghanistan with a tweaked strategy, President Trump is faced with a war that has seen little progress since. Pentagon officials insist the strategy adopted by the Trump administration last summer is working, pointing to a three-day ceasefire earlier this year and back channel talks with elements of the Taliban."

"As Russian and American forces have settled into Syria, analysts and experts have noticed a clear pattern from the Russian forces. Moscow is using Syria as both a test bed for its newest capabilities and as an opportunity to see American equipment such as the F-22 fighter jet up close. It’s a development that has raised concerns that Moscow may be gaining a military edge over the U.S. from its experiences in the region."

"he top American air commander in the Middle East is urging the Saudi-led coalition of Arab nations to be more forthcoming about an investigation into an airstrike in northern Yemen earlier this month that struck a school bus, killing more than 40 children."

"Often proxy war promises to hit the political sweet spot between doing too little and too high a cost. In reality, however, it is an imperfect form of warfare."

"While there are good reasons to focus U.S. national security on balancing against global and regional state adversaries, it would be a mistake to assume that most future conflict will be conventional or even nuclear. It won’t."

Melissa Block speaks with William Hennigan, national security correspondent for 'Time' magazine, who embedded with U.S. forces during a battle over the Afghan city of Ghazni.

“The U.S. Air Force is months away from completing the construction of an air base in Niger for armed drones that will target militant groups operating in the region, a U.S military official told VOA.”

“A drone strike has killed the leader of Islamic State in Afghanistan, Abdu Saad Erhabi, along with his nine commanders. The overnight missile attack occurred in the Khogyani district of the troubled eastern Nangarhar province where the terrorist group, locally known as ISK-P, is headquartered.”

“To some, Russia’s offer to host talks next month might contain at least the seeds of a positive pivot if the Taliban are coaxed to the table at a time when they have been more aggressive on the battlefield than in recent years, causing much mayhem in Kabul and other cities.”

"Islamic State has lost most of the territory it once held in Syria and Iraq. It is vying for survival with other, sometimes stronger, extremist groups. But one sphere where Islamic State still reigns supreme among terrorists is in cyberspace."

“Two senior security officials and the ministers of defense and interior have resigned over disagreements on a range of policy issues. The resignations will not help Afghanistan's rapidly deteriorating security situation.”

"That is the problem with personalizing the war against groups like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State: We inflate our enemies into larger-than-life villains who reflect our fears rather than their own capabilities. We did it with Osama bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki, and now we are doing it with Ibrahim al-Asiri. By talking about them as masterminds with irreplaceable skillsets, the United States projects the mistaken impression that if they could only be killed, the terrorist threat would be greatly reduced. Bin Laden and Awlaki are dead. Yet al-Qaeda lives on.

U.S. Senator John McCain, a six-term Republican senator from Arizona and war hero who endured almost six years of torture and captivity in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, has died. He was 81. Known for his combativeness throughout his decades-long stint in the Senate and two failed U.S. presidential bids, McCain continued to battle brain cancer and the debilitating side effects of his aggressive treatment before succumbing to the illness on August 25.

Via C4ISRNET - "Despite the physical gains made against ISIS over the past several months, one top military leader believes the group will try to 'resurge' in the virtual space."

"Reports have emerged that guerrilla group the ELN has taken control of the heroin business in the south of Colombia, which, if confirmed, would represent a huge shift in trafficking patterns for this diminished but enduring trade."

“The civil war in Syria may be on the verge of another turn for the worse. Syrian government and allied forces are reportedly massing for a potential assault on the northern province of Idlib, one of the last areas of the country not under government control... National security professionals in the Trump administration appear to recognize these dangers.”

“Just over a week ago, Afghan and U.S. officials hoped that after 17 years of war, the Taliban was starting down a road to peace. Despite a deadly four-day attack on the city of Ghazni, President Ashraf Ghani had offered the insurgents a second cease-fire since June, and Taliban leaders had hinted that they wanted to continue private talks held with U.S. officials in July. Now, that optimism has all but collapsed.”

In an interview with DW, South Asia expert Michael Kugelman explains why Kabul and Washington turned down Moscow's invitation to participate in an Afghanistan peace conference next month. Michael Kugelman is a senior associate for South and Southeast Asia at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars.

“In recent decades, a growing body of research has shown that when women’s groups are able to meaningfully influence peace processes, the resulting agreements are stronger and more likely to last. As a result, inclusive peace processes have gained traction internationally.”

The United States and the Taliban are reported to be in the early stages of discussions for the first time since 2012. Retired U.S. Army Colonel Christopher Kolenda, who fought in Afghanistan and later served as a senior Pentagon adviser, was instrumental in helping set up those talks - in part through his own discussion with Taliban officials in Qatar. He spoke with VOA’s William Gallo about where he sees the peace process going, especially in light of a recent surge in violence. This interview was condensed for clarity.

“For all of the attention paid to the emergence of homegrown Islamist terrorists in Belgium, France and other European countries, one of the continent’s biggest radicalization problems is taking places on its fringes.”