ISLAMIST MOBILIZATION IN TAJIKISTAN
The former Soviet republic of Tajikistan is rapidly emerging as a key source of recruits for the Islamic State. A reported 1,000 Tajik nationals have joined the terrorist group to date, according to official estimates from the Tajik government. Of these, an estimated 148 have been killed in fighting in Syria and Iraq, while an unknown number have returned to the country, Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimzoda has said. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, January 25, 2016)
ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK FOR U.S. COUNTERTERRORISM
Ongoing strategic gains by the Islamic State are forcing the U.S. State Department to restructure its counterterrorism bureaucracy. Faced with pressure from both the White House and Congress, Secretary of State John Kerry has expanded the authorities and budget of the Bureau of Counterterrorism. The revamped office, which will now be called the Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism, reflects a greater focus on countering Islamist recruitment and ideology in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, France and San Bernardino, California.
The State Department's efforts, however, appear to the exception rather than the rule. To wit, the Obama administration's proposed cuts to counterterrorism funding in other quarters is drawing the ire of leading lawmakers. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) has blasted the White House's plan to reduce funding for the Urban Area Security Initiative - which helps fund city programs to prevent terrorist attacks and if necessary recover from them - from $600 million to $330 million. The reduction, which was included in the Administration's proposed 2017 budget, is "ill-advised and ill-timed and... must be reversed." (Foreign Policy, February 1, 2016; Associated Press, February 14, 2016)
A TACTICAL SETBACK FOR TERRORIST MEDIA IN SOUTHWEST ASIA
The Voice of The Caliphate, an Islamic State-operated radio station, has gone silent. The station, which was located in eastern Afghanistan, was destroyed by U.S. airstrikes in early February. The station had been broadcasting the group's extremist propaganda since late last year, and was being utilized to recruit jihadists to the organization as well as to issue threats to journalists in the area. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, February 2, 2016)
AN ISIS NAVY?
Libyan-based militants associated with Islamic State are reportedly looking to expand their activities into the Mediterranean. The group has slowly been gaining territory along the Libyan coastline, spiking fears among NATO and U.S. military officials about the potential impact on regional shipping. "We know they have had ambitions to go off shore, we know they would like to have a maritime arm, just as al Qaeda had a maritime arm," Vice-Admiral Clive Johnstone of the British Royal Navy has noted. (London Telegraph, January 28, 2016)
SAUDI ARABIA STEPS IN
At long last, the House of Saud is assuming a more active role in the fight against the Islamic State terrorist group. Riyadh is reportedly planning to shortly both troops and aircraft to Turkey as part of a dedicated contingent to be deployed to Syria to fight against Islamic militants there. The planned deployment is part of deepening counterterrorism contacts between Saudi Arabia and Turkey in recent weeks - including rumors of a potential coordinated strategy between the two countries. (London Asharq Al-Awsat, February 13, 2016)
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