The Haqqani Network, a shadowy and formidable force entrenched in the volatile landscape of Afghanistan and Pakistan, emerges as a significant player in the complex theater of Islamist militancy. Founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani, a prominent figure in the Afghan anti-Soviet resistance, this Sunni Islamist militant organization has evolved into a lethal insurgent group with deep-rooted…
The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) continues to cast a dark shadow over the border regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR), and South Sudan, despite years of concerted international efforts to dismantle the group. Established in 1988 by Joseph Kony, the LRA has inflicted untold suffering on civilians,…
Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LT), also known as the Army of the Righteous, is a militant organization that has gained notoriety for its activities primarily focused on the Kashmir region. Emerging in the early 1990s as the military wing of Markaz-ud-Dawa-wal-Irshad, a Pakistan-based Islamic fundamentalist missionary organization, LT has conducted numerous attacks against Indian troops and civilian targets…
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) stands as a testament to the complex web of geopolitical conflicts, sectarian tensions, and extremist ideologies that have ravaged the Middle East and beyond. Emerging from the chaos of the Syrian civil war and the power vacuums in Iraq, ISIL has morphed into a formidable terrorist…
Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) is an Indonesia-based clandestine terrorist network established in the early 1990s. Its primary goal is to establish an Islamic state covering southern Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, and the southern Philippines. The network’s operatives received training in camps located in Afghanistan and the southern Philippines, and they began carrying out attacks in…
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) is an extremist group based in Pakistan, founded by Masood Azhar in the early 2000s. Operating under various names like the Army of Mohammed, Khudamul Islam, and Tehrik ul-Furqaan, its primary objectives are to unite Kashmir with Pakistan and expel foreign troops from Afghanistan. Despite being outlawed by Pakistan in 2002, JEM continues…
In the turbulent landscape of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, HAMAS stands as a formidable and controversial player. Formed in late 1987 during the first Palestinian intifada, its roots trace back to the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Since its inception, HAMAS has evolved into a multifaceted organization with a robust sociopolitical structure entrenched within the…
Hizballah, formed in 1982 in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, has evolved into a multifaceted entity with significant influence both within Lebanon and across the broader Middle East region. Widely known as the “Party of God,” this Lebanon-based Shia group espouses a blend of political activism, social services provision, and militant resistance. The…
Since its inception in 1976, Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG), founded by former Afghan prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, has remained a formidable force in Afghanistan’s tumultuous landscape. With a vision rooted in the establishment of an Islamic state governed by sharia law, HIG has consistently posed a challenge to the Western-backed Afghan government and Coalition forces. HIG’s…
Boko Haram, officially known as “Jama‘atu Ahl as-Sunnah li-Da‘awati wal-Jihad” (JASDJ), is a Nigeria-based extremist group with a long history of violence and insurgency. The group, colloquially referred to as Boko Haram, aims to overthrow the Nigerian government and establish an Islamic state governed by Sharia law. Founded in the late 1990s, Boko Haram gained…
