Osama bin Laden
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Trump’s options in the Afghan-Pakistan divide
The complicated task of stabilizing Afghanistan is made even more complex by the support Pakistan and other countries give the Taliban. The United States will have to navigate this web of interests and alliances carefully. An increase in American troop levels could deter some of the players in the region from destabilizing the country. For now, that scenario seems likely.
Flow of foreign fighters pose threat to states on edge of instability
The wars in Syria and Iraq have been a magnet to thousands of foreign fighters causing global concern over a new wave of transnational terrorism. Recruiting, training and the financial support for these pipelines of warrior extremists is big business and pose a threat not only to the countries at ...
John Brennan: new general for America’s secret wars
Barack Obama’s new CIA boss has given few clues about the agency’s future under his control, but there are hints of changes in the controversial US armed drones policy and of a switch in emphasis following what is seen in Washington as a successful campaign against al-Qaeda. Any change in ...
The path that led some Sunni Muslims to war against the West
Al-Qaeda is rarely out of world headlines. In recent months, the name has cropped up in reports of violence from Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Mali. Al-Qaeda is just one of a number of Sunni Muslim groups which embrace the Salafi ideology, a doctrine which advocates a return to the strict ...
Internal problems in Pakistan could thwart counterterrorism plans
There are signs of a thaw in decidedly frosty relations between the US and Pakistan. Their respective spy agencies have opened a fresh phase of engagement and are considering joint counterterrorism campaigns against organisations operating in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. But a stumbling point in these efforts to curtail insurgent ...
