The Ukraine conflict has attracted the attention of foreign fighters eager to fight against the Russian troops and the Chechen kadyrovtsy. If the war lasts longer than Moscow planned, there is a severe threat that Ukraine might evolve into a battleground where foreign fighters will promote terrorism and jihadist propaganda.
The war between Russia and Ukraine, which has just begun, could also have implications in the sphere of the operations and propaganda of the Salafist-jihadist organisations.
Recent reports have underlined that drug trafficking, terrorist attacks, and Islamic State activities are Afghanistan’s leading dangers that can jeopardise local security and Central Asian dynamics.
Amid the burgeoning sentimental relationship between Beijing and the resurrected Taliban’s Emirate 2.0, the al Qaeda-affiliated Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) has aggravated its propaganda war against Communist China, hence cleverly concealing its historically faithful jihadi bonds with the Afghan Taliban.
The presence of Uyghur suicide bombers in the ranks of the Islamic State-Khorasan increases Beijing’s fears about the threat to China’s national security emanating from Afghanistan.
We have monitored terrorist and violent attacks in Afghanistan in 2021 and produced an interactive map to assess which regions are affected mainly by terrorist organisations and analyse how terrorism has evolved or changed since the Taliban’s rise to power.
The Taliban’s pragmatic diplomacy and gradual departure from the Jihadi ideology alienate Central Asian jihadists from the Taliban and strengthen its ardent enemy, the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K). Taliban-backed Uyghur jihadists, who exploited shahids (martyr) exclusively against the Chinese authorities in the past, recently carried out a suicide attack against the Shia Hazara minority under Taliban rule.
The recent terrorist attack in Kunduz alarmed Tajikistan and Russia on the stability and security of the Afghan-Tajik borders and the Taliban ability to counter Islamic State and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan. In this framework, Moscow and Dushanbe are seeking to enhance their cooperation in the security field, confirming the Russian strategy to play a decisive role in Afghanistan and Central Asia.
The National Directorate of Security of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan reported that Afghan security forces killed a high-ranking member of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), Mohammad Hanif. Despite the Taliban has often denied their involvement with al-Qaeda, latest military operations have underlined how strong is the presence and penetration of the terrorist organisation in Afghanistan.
The recent terrorist attack in France highlights the security problem and the impact of jihadist propaganda in the Russian language inside the European Union. In fact, Islamic State ideologies and the presence of the North Caucasian diaspora in Europe might threaten EU security.
On Wednesday morning in Kabul, unknown assailants attacked the motorcade of the first Vice-President of Afghanistan, Amrullah Saleh. The politician was not injured during the attempt. This event underlines how complex is the current situation of Afghanistan due to the Talibans’ activities and the presence of jihadist fighters linked to the Islamic State and foreign actors.
The recent attempt to organise a terrorist attack in Vladikavkaz highlighted that the North Caucasus had not defeated local and international terrorism, and jihadist organisations are still a severe threat in the region.
The German Minister of Internal Affairs called the event that occurred in Hanau an act of terrorism perpetrated by a man related to the far-right movements. Recent events have underlined the rise of Islamophobia and xenophobia in Germany, especially against Turks, Kurds and Arab migrants.
The White House confirmed the killing of Qasim al-Raymi, the leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Ayman al-Zawahiri’s right-hand man. Donald Trump commented on this event, stating that eliminating al-Raymi is a message for AQAP and the international terrorism network. It is a step forward to defeating terrorism in the MENA region.
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) recently published a quarterly report which highlights that over the last quarter of 2019, the number of Taliban attacks in Afghanistan increased by 17% compared to the same period in 2018. The high level of attacks conducted by the Taliban might seriously threaten the dialogue on the peace agreement started by the United States.
The terrorist attack in St. Petersburg highlighted security concerns in the Russian Federation and the terrorist organisations’ ability to target Russian territory.