Publication

This issue includes articles on 1) how the so-called Islamic State's (IS) defensive efforts in Syria and Iraq have positioned it to exploit the weakening of other groups caused by Russian airstrikes; 2) the evolution of the jihadi threat in Tunisia since the June 2015 beach attack in Sousse; 3) how IS has recruited members and instigated attacks in the West through “tailored online interventions”; and 4) how al-Qa`ida became aware of IS' apocalyptic obsessions following a defection in 2007. It also looks at 1) the Ankara terrorist bombings in October 2015; 2) how the Afghan Taliban’s temporary seizure of Kunduz in October 2015 has bolstered the organization's new leader Mullah Mansoor; and 3) why there are still more questions than answers regarding the terrorist network responsible for the August 2015 bomb attack in Bangkok. Finally, the issue features an interview with three senior US military commanders on the ongoing military campaign being waged by the US and its allies against IS.