Counterterrorism and Homeland Security - International Studies of Strategic and Geopolitics

15Apr

By Vassilios DamirasNo Comments

Vassilios Damiras – Pax Americana, Contributors, Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, Defense & Security, Dr. Vassilios Damiras

THE NEW GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR

Members of the 82nd Airborne Division duck away from debris being thrown into the air as a Black Hawk helicopter prepares to extract soldiers on a mission in southeastern Afghanistan. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times) By Jacob Moscovitch Photography by Times Photography Staff By Dr. Vassilios Damiras* Dr. Vassilios Damiras discusses the new global war on terror. https://thenewscasters.com/podcast/the-new-global-war-on-terror/

Why the U.S. Shouldn’t Take Its Eye off Jihadi Terrorism in 2023

14Jan

By ISSGNo Comments

Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, Defense & Security

Why the U.S. Shouldn’t Take Its Eye off Jihadi Terrorism in 2023

By Katherine Zimmerman Neither al Qaeda nor the Islamic State threaten the U.S. homeland directly. Nor can their various affiliates strike the United States. A near-decade-long trend of localizing jihad has continued, ensuring that the Salafi-jihadi terrorism threat remains regional if present at all. Most al Qaeda and Islamic State groups are embroiled in local conflicts, many have not even attempted to target Americans, and those that have set their sights closer on U.S. diplomats or soldiers posted abroad. Yet even with rising threats to U.S. interests from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, to name a few, the United States can’t simply walk away from the fight against al Qaeda and the Islamic State. Counterterrorism operations have decimated al Qaeda’s and the Islamic State’s seni...

Key Official Says US Must Not Overlook Al-Qaida, Islamic State

14Jan

By ISSGNo Comments

Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, Defense & Security

Key Official Says US Must Not Overlook Al-Qaida, Islamic State

WASHINGTON — For months the gaze of U.S. counterterrorism officials has been shifting, moving from scrutiny of foreign terrorist organizations to individuals in the United States seeking out ideologies to justify their use of violence. The most likely attackers, according to the government's most recent terrorism advisory, are lone actors or small groups motivated by a wide array of beliefs and personal grievances who pose a "persistent and lethal threat to the homeland." But while attacks like the May 2022 mass shooting that killed 10 Black shoppers in Buffalo, New York, continue to grab headlines and the attention of officials, the top U.S. counterterrorism official cautions that jihadi groups, such as al-Qaida and Islamic State, cannot be forgotten. "We have still got to be really vi...

Questions answered about tracking classified documents

14Jan

By ISSGNo Comments

Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, Defense & Security

Questions answered about tracking classified documents

It depends on the level of classification. The revelations about the handling of classified documents involving President Joe Biden -- and previously former President Donald Trump -- have raised concerns about the procedures for keeping and tracking such records. ABC News spoke about the legal and other requirements with contributor John Cohen, a former Department of Homeland Security acting undersecretary for intelligence. Here are answers to some key questions: Is it unusual for a president or vice president to take documents home with them? No. According to experts, the White House security office makes arrangements to safely store classified documents securely at other locations such as residences. What is the process for turning over documents when a president or vice presid...

Connecticut Man Admits to Attempting to Travel to Fight for ISIS

14Jan

By ISSGNo Comments

Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, Defense & Security

Connecticut Man Admits to Attempting to Travel to Fight for ISIS

Kevin Iman McCormick, 29, of Hamden, pleaded guilty on January 12 in federal court to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. According to court documents and statements made in court, between August and October 2019, McCormick made several statements to others expressing a desire to travel to Syria and to fight for ISIS. In one conversation in October 2019, McCormick stated, “I gotta fight bro, because those people, Abu Masa and ISIL, they fought for me bro, I know it, I can feel it, in my heart. So it’s my time to fight . . . It just is what it is bro, it’s just my – it’s just my time to go bro.” When McCormick was asked to elaborate on where he would like to travel, McCormick responded, “I don’...

Turkish, Russian, Syrian defense chiefs talked counterterrorism efforts in Moscow: Akar

30Dec

By ISSGNo Comments

Counterterrorism and Homeland Security

Turkish, Russian, Syrian defense chiefs talked counterterrorism efforts in Moscow: Akar

The Turkish, Russian, and Syrian defense ministers met in Moscow on Wednesday and discussed counterterrorism efforts in the region, Türkiye's defense chief said on Thursday. "At the meeting, we discussed what could be done to improve the situation in Syria and the region as soon as possible, while ensuring peace, tranquility and stability," said Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar before returning to Ankara from Moscow. Noting that Türkiye has emphasized its counterterrorism efforts during the meeting, Akar said: "We emphasized that we respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty rights of all our neighbors, especially Syria and Iraq, and that our sole aim is the fight against terrorism, we have no other purpose." Türkiye also noted that it aims to "neutralize" PKK/YPG, a...

Processes and Trends of Global Jihad on the African Continent

29Dec

By ISSGNo Comments

Africa, Counterterrorism and Homeland Security

Processes and Trends of Global Jihad on the African Continent

On May 11th, 2022, the anti-IS international coalition addressed the jihadi organizations’ expanding footprint in Africa as a growing threat to world security. As a rule, the presence of jihad on the African continent has been on the rise since the early 2000s. It grew thanks to basic African characteristics such as lack of governability, problematic political culture, corruption, and weak socio-economic position. The strategy employed by global jihadi organizations in Africa includes Dawah activity alongside enforcement of Sharia law on the local population in regions that lack state security forces presence and therefore are at the mercy of the terrorist organizations. With this state of affairs, the territorial and ideologic spread of the terrorist organizations without a massive counte...

Botswana Develops Security Strategy to Counter Terrorism Threat

29Dec

By ISSGNo Comments

Counterterrorism and Homeland Security

Botswana Develops Security Strategy to Counter Terrorism Threat

GABORONE, BOTSWANA — Botswana is developing a national security strategy amid fears of heightened terrorism threats. The country's minister of defense, Kagiso Mmusi, addressed parliament Thursday. "The emerging global security challenges, such as cybercrime, terrorism, poaching, human trafficking, distribution of drugs, money laundering and transnational organized crimes, continue to threaten Botswana's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Irregular migration also poses a threat to multilateralism," Mmusi said. To this end, he said, a strategy to counter possible acts of terrorism and other national security threats is being developed. "In an effort to address the above-mentioned global challenges, the country is developing the national security strategy. Botswana will ensure the per...

US Saw Increase in Domestic Terror Threats in 2022

28Dec

By ISSGNo Comments

Counterterrorism and Homeland Security

US Saw Increase in Domestic Terror Threats in 2022

WASHINGTON — Early on a December morning, thousands of German police officers launched a series of raids across the country, arresting 25 people linked to a plot by a far-right group to overthrow Germany's government. Additional arrests were made in Austria and Italy — all of them connected to the Reichsbuerger movement (Citizens of the Reich), described by German authorities as a conspiracy-driven group inspired in part by the QAnon movement in the United States. The arrests, which included a descendant of German royalty, a former lawmaker and a German special forces soldier, sparked calls for the German government to review security measures and investigate the possible infiltration of Germany's military by extremist elements. They also highlighted the shifting and increasingly comple...