Tunisia – Page 4

Check out my new research paper for the Washington Institute: “Tunisian Foreign Fighters in Iraq and Syria”

Posted on November 28, 2018 by Aaron Y. Zelin

Over the past few years, the influx of Tunisian fighters to Iraq and Syria has rendered Tunisia practically synonymous with a phenomenon that is still not well understood. This new Policy Note by jihadism expert Aaron Y. Zelin seeks to remedy this gap by quantifying the flow of Tunisian fighters, in particular the recruitment push within Tunisia from 2011 to 2013, and exploring the history of their networks in Iraq over the last decade.

This study examines the motives driving Tunisia’s foreign fighters, the roles they have assumed with jihadi groups in Iraq and Syria, the reasons why many have returned to Tunisia from the battlefield, and the dilemma this poses to the Tunisian state in terms of security and human rights. A deeper understanding of Tunisia’s foreign fighter phenomenon will help situate the trajectory of the jihadist movement both inside and outside the country, while suggesting ways to tackle this challenging issue.

Click here to read the full 34-page paper.

Check out my new ‘Policy Watch’ for the Washington Institute: “Tunisia’s Female Jihadists”

Posted on November 1, 2018 by Aaron Y. Zelin

On October 29, a thirty-year-old woman named Mouna Guebla detonated a grenade on Avenue Bourguiba in central Tunis. Although the suicide attack did not kill the targeted police officers, it did injure fifteen security guards and five civilians. Tunisian authorities claim the plot is connected to the Islamic State. No direct link has been uncovered yet, nor has the group claimed involvement, but the government believes two or three facilitators may have helped Guebla prepare for the attack. She was not on a government watch list, though her relatives and neighbors stated that she was radicalized online and had recently spent a week in Ettadhamen, a neighborhood known for jihadist activism and foreign fighter recruitment. In any case, it is the first time a successful jihadist attack has been conducted in Tunisia by a woman.

Yet the incident is not necessarily surprising. Considering the number of Tunisian women who have been involved in jihadist activity at home and more militarized activity abroad since the 2011 revolution, it was only a matter of time.

Click here to read the rest.

New release from Karīm al-Andalusī: "It Is Katībat 'Uqbah Ibn Nāfi' Again: Analytical Reading of the Raid 'Support of Islamic Law in 'Ayn Sulṭān"

Posted on July 10, 2018 by Aaron Y. Zelin

Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Karīm al-Andalusī — It Is Katībat ‘Uqbah Ibn Nāfi’ Again- Analytical Reading of the Raid ‘Support of Islamic Law in ‘Ayn Sulṭān
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Source: Telegram

To inquire about a translation for this release for a fee email: [email protected]

New statement from Katībat ‘Uqbah Ibn Nāfi’: "Explanation of the Circumstances For the Loss of the Shepherd 'Lamjad al-Qarīrī' (Lamjed Griri)"

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Aaron Y. Zelin

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Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Katībat ‘Uqbah Ibn Nāfi’ — Explanation of the Circumstances For the Loss of the Shepherd ‘Lamjad al-Qarīrī’ (Lamjed Griri)
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Source: Telegram

To inquire about a translation for this statement for a fee email: [email protected]

New statement from al-Qā’idah in the Islamic Maghrib: "The Mirage of Elections in Tunisia"

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Aaron Y. Zelin

Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: al-Qā’idah in the Islamic Maghrib — The Mirage of Elections in Tunisia
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Source: Telegram

To inquire about a translation for this statement for a fee email: [email protected]

Check out my new ‘Policy Watch’ for the Washington Institute: "The Islamic State Targets Tunisia Ahead of Elections"

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Aaron Y. Zelin

Tunisia’s first-ever municipal elections, scheduled for May 6, are an important milestone in the quest to implement democratic institutions and give locals more agency in making decisions about their needs—two goals that, unsurprisingly, run counter to the vision, interests, and ideology of Salafi-jihadist groups in the region. The Islamic State (IS) has signaled that it hopes to disrupt the vote, focusing official propaganda on Tunisia for the first time since summer 2016.
Over the past two years, the group’s activity in Tunisia has been significantly constrained, but low-profile attacks have continued in the interior governorate of Kasserine. The elections represent a high-stakes opportunity to encourage and empower residents of this forgotten area, so the government would be wise to focus on securing not only higher-profile targets in the capital and coastal regions, but also polling sites in the interior. Such efforts could further legitimize the democratic process, showing skeptical locals that the central authorities are slowly but steadily reaching out to them on governance and other issues.
Click here to the read the rest.