Last week, Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller announced a drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, shifting to 2,500 troops in early January just before President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is set to assume office| The Soufan Center
The global jihadist movement is alive and well, even after the so-called Islamic State’s territorial caliphate has collapsed. IS franchises and affiliates continue to expand, including in Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya, Egypt and elsewhere| The Soufan Center
“Afghanistan’s on the brink of anther humanitarian crisis,” warned Spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Babar Baloch, in mid-July. The United Nations estimates that 330,000 Afghans have been newly displaced since January| The Soufan Center
In the last two decades, massive efforts of the so-called Global War on Terror (GWoT) in the Afghanistan-Pakistan (AfPak) region resulted in severe blows to al-Qaeda. However, the group maintains deep, covert roots in the AfPak's jihadist landscape, ensuring its longevity in the region| The Soufan Center
Ibrahim Raisi, a close ally of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was sworn in as Iran’s president on August 5 amid stalled negotiations with the United States and partners on a mutual return to full compliance with the 2015 multilateral Iran nuclear deal| The Soufan Center