"The State Department further noted that of the 306 assassinations that happened in 40 countries around the world in 2018, Somalia accounted for 60 of them and Al-Shabaab was responsible for 51. Al-Shabaab also deployed the use of IEDs more...

U.S. Designates Asaib Ahl al-Haq as a Foreign Terrorist Organization

On January 3, the U.S. Department of State announced it would designate Asaib Ahl al-Haq as a foreign terrorist organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act along with two of the Iraqi Shiite militia group’s leaders— Qais al...

CEP Resources: Ismail Ghaani Appointed New IRGC Quds Force Leader To Replace Soleimani

Following the death of former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force leader Major General Qasem Soleimani—who was killed in a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020—Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali...

"Organizationally, the IRGC falls under the Joint Armed Forces General Staff as a part of the Ministry of Defense. But the military remains subordinate to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with elected civilian authorities exercising no real control...

Iranian-Backed Militia Supporters End Siege of U.S. Embassy in Iraq

Protesters—including members and supporters of Iranian proxy Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH)—ended their efforts to storm the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Wednesday, after a spokesman for the U.S.-designated terrorist group ordered the demonstrators to disperse...

"Supporters of an Iran-backed militia tried to storm the American embassy compound in the Iraqi capital, driving the U.S. to send military reinforcements and pointing to the fraught challenge for Washington in maintaining forces in Iraq.Some pitched...

"The Iranian-backed Iraqi militia targeted by U.S. airstrikes on Sunday was among the Shiite groups that joined in the fight against Islamic State. But for nearly two decades it has also attacked American forces and helped stoke sectarian strife in...

Extremist Content Online: ISIS Propaganda Reaffirms Presence in Iraq

CEP reports weekly on the methods used by extremists to exploit the Internet and social media platforms to recruit followers and incite violence. This week, ISIS released a new video on multiple websites declaring its strength in Iraq. Additionally...

"'The lack of consensus over what to do with these individuals will continue to be a security threat and potential source of the group’s resurgence,' said Josh Lipowsky, a senior researcher for the Counter Extremism Project. 'ISIS now calls for its...

Tech & Terrorism: White Supremacists Continue to Migrate to Telegram

Far-right extremists are proliferating on Telegram. Last week, the Financial Times reported that the encrypted messaging platform has “useful features” that make it an ideal breeding ground for extremists to operate. Among those features include end...