A Growing Terrorist Threat on Another 9/11 by Bruce Hoffman - Wall Street Journal

This Monday’s 16th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, might be less mournful if we could say that the threat of jihadist terrorism had receded or disappeared. But that is far from the case. Al Qaeda has been quietly rebuilding, after ceding the spotlight for several years to Islamic State (which was al Qaeda’s Iraqi affiliate until being expelled from the network in 2014). Taken together, these two groups—with their expanding capabilities and multiple branches across the globe—pose a security challenge for the U.S. and its allies every bit as perilous as what they faced immediately after 9/11.

The network founded by Osama bin Laden has proved a resilient and resourceful foe. Since bin Laden’s death at the hands of U.S. Special Forces in 2011, al Qaeda has been led by Ayman al-Zawahiri, who has exploited the rise of Islamic State to win support and space for his own movement after its post-9/11 setbacks.

In 2013, with al Qaeda’s fortunes at a low ebb, Mr. Zawahiri instructed his fighters to avoid mass-casualty operations, especially those that might kill Muslim civilians and innocent women and children. At a time when Islamic State was appalling the world with one atrocity after another, all staged for maximum effect on social media, the move was a shrewd strategic choice…

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For Iraq’s Long-Suffering Kurds, Independence Beckons by Tim Arango - New York Times

… Even if the outcome is a forgone conclusion — nearly every Kurd holds dear the dream of statehood — the vote in Iraqi Kurdistan represents a historic moment in the Kurds’ generations-long struggle for political independence.

Numbering about 30 million people spread across four countries – Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran – the Kurds are often described as the world’s largest ethnic group without their own homeland. Iraqi Kurdistan, an oil-rich enclave in northern Iraq, may be their best hope yet.

The referendum’s approval would start the process of turning the semiautonomous region into an independent state.

But outside of Kurdistan, every major player in the neighborhood opposes the vote, which could break up Iraq and further destabilize a volatile, war-torn region.

Baghdad has indicated that it would not recognize the results.

Across the border in Turkey, officials worry that Kurds declaring independence in Iraq would inflame the separatist sentiments of Kurds in Turkey. Turkey has opposed the referendum and warned that it could lead to a new civil war in Iraq…

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