Mona Thakkar & Anne Speckhard A significant escalation in Islamic State (IS) attacks in Syria during the first half of the year, combined with a recent surge in prison break attempts by detained IS operatives in Northern Syria allude to…
by Anne Speckhard “Baqiya!” is the battle cry of those who continue to believe in the resurgence of ISIS. It is also the battle cry of female ISIS enforcers in Camp al Roj, the camp in Syria housing women and…
By Mohammed A. Salih* The dramatic rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the mid-2010s not only captured the attention of the world with its violent activities and swift territorial gains but also its extensive online…
Mona Thakkar & Anne Speckhard Militant groups such as the Islamic State (IS) and its supporter communities are increasingly capitalizing on advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) to disseminate propaganda and disinformation more efficiently and at reduced costs. By exploiting generative…
Noellynn Slaughter Despite two decades of US led counterterrorism efforts since 9/11, terrorism has continued to spread globally and adapt to ever-changing circumstances. Yet as the world shifts once again towards competition between the US and revisionist powers such as…
Mona Thakkar & Anne Speckhard Despite notable repatriation progress in early 2023, involving 14 countries returning their nationals, including children, the issue of detention centers and camps in Northeast Syria remains a critical challenge for the SDF and the US…
Mona Thakkar and Anne Speckhard As published in Homeland Security Today The February 2023 UN report of the Analytical and Sanctions monitoring team concerning Al Qaeda and IS reinforced the security threat posed by the Al-Hol camp as Islamic State’s major…
Anne Speckhard, Ph.D. While some in camps for foreign ISIS-affiliated women want no more to do with Islamic State, others refuse to accept caliphate's territorial defeat and seek to bear it more children, using pubescent boys within the camps as…
Anne Speckhard As published in The Daily Beast Two boys have come forward to claim they were victims in a twisted plot run by ISIS women that forced at least 10 young teenagers to try to impregnate dozens of women held in a…
Anne Speckhard & Molly Ellenberg As published in Homeland Security Today The welfare of children and adolescents housed in al Roj and al Hol camps located in Northeast Syria has also been the subject of considerable debate among…