ISLAMIST SYNERGY IN THE SINAI
Are the various Islamist groups on Israel's periphery beginning to coalesce? A top commander for the Islamic State's Sinai Province (previously known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis) is reported to have met in recent days with officials from the Palestinian Hamas movement to discuss potential arenas of cooperation. The ISIS commander, Shadi al-Menii, is said to have offered his organization's assistance to Hamas in the smuggling of arms into the Gaza Strip via the various tunnels stretching into the Palestinian territory, in exchange for sophisticated arms that his organization can use in its fight against Egyptian military and security forces. (Times of Israel, June 3, 2016)
FRANCE'S AFRICAN OUTPOST
An intelligence-gathering center, named Base 101, has been established by the French military in Abuja, the capital of Niger. There, French intelligence officers man drones to monitor fighters from the Islamic State and other militant factions. The operation began in February of 2014, and its goal is to aid the surrounding region in countering terrorism, leveraging Niger's strategic location in order to gain better situational awareness of the activities of ISIS and other militant groups active in the area. (BBC, May 30, 2016)
ISLAMISM'S RISING TIDE IN THE AMERICAS
Islamist infiltration into Central and South America, and the radicalization of local peoples there, is surging and poses a growing threat to U.S. national security, a top military official has warned. In a recent roundtable with reporters, Admiral Kurt Tidd, the new commander of the United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), expressed concern over an alarming pattern of penetration and "radicalization." In particular, the SOUTHCOM commander estimated that the Islamic State terrorist group has attracted between 100 to 150 recruits from the region to date.
Not all of these militants have traveled to the Middle East, however. "[I]f they can't get there, they've been told to engage in lone-wolf attacks where they're located," Tidd explained. "Those are the ones that have most of our regional security partners concerned because they're so difficult to detect." This state of affairs represents a "new normal" that necessitates far greater attention, according to the commander. "We just have to recognize that this theater is a very attractive target and is an attractive pathway that we have to pay attention to." (The Hill, June 1, 2016)
A JIHADIST SANCTUARY IN PAKISTAN
The Pakistani government's strategy of using jihadist groups to incite violence and destabilize neighboring rivals Afghanistan and India has led it to ignore entrenched radicalization in its eastern Punjab region, a new report from the International Crisis Group has charged. "Southern Punjab was once known for a tolerant society, but over the past few decades, state support for jihadist proxies, financial support from foreign, particularly Saudi and other Gulf countries, combined with an explosive mix of political, socio-economic, and geostrategic factors, has enabled jihadist expansion there," the study notes. That environment has made the Punjab a veritable recruitment ground for militancy. "With state sponsorship and a pervasive climate of impunity enhancing jihadist groups' recruitment potential, the risks of joining are far lower than potential gains that include employment and other financial rewards, social status and sense of purpose."
The government in Islamabad, meanwhile, still lacks a serious approach to the problem. Instead, selective application of national counterterrorism laws, as well as a "general climate of impunity," have made the region an ongoing security concern for Pakistan's neighbors. "If left unchecked," the report concludes, the influence of Islamist groups active in the Punjab - such as Jaish-e-Moham
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