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ISIS Chemical Weapons Attacks Reported Against Kurds
August 14, 2015
Growing evidence is emerging that jihadi fighters of the Islamic State ("IS") have used chemical weapons against Kurdish fighters in ISIS's campaign to expand the territory of its caliphate.
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Globalization of Islamist Terror Groups Presents Complex Threats to US Security Homeland Security
August 13, 2015
US counterterrorism officials concur that the globalization of the two major Islamist terror groups, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State ("IS"), presents complex challenges for effective homeland security policy, especially in terms of combating "mass casualty" attacks and "crowdsource" recruitment for jihadi events, as well as staunching income streams generated from IS oil revenues and al-Qaeda black-market activities.
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Wars Within Islam Raise Questions about Stability and Leadership in Saudi Arabia
August 12, 2015
Serious leadership and regime stability questions regarding Saudia Arabia are being highlighted by the multiple, simultaneous wars within Islam, including Saudi Arabia's ineffective intervention in Sunni-Shiite violence in Yemen, Islamic State ("IS") attacks against Saudi state and Shiite mosques inside the Kingdom, and the apparent lack of coordination between key Saudi ministries on domestic counter-radicalization policy.
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IMF Warns UAE of Regulatory Risks in Islamic Finance Industry
August 10, 2015
The International Monetary Fund's ("IMF") latest annual report on the United Arab Emirates ("UAE") warned that the growth of its Islamic finance industry will depend on robust improvements in currently-weak regulatory frameworks and governance structures for sharia-compliant products and financial dispute-resolution.
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Prominent British Islamist Charged with Supporting Caliphate
August 10, 2015
Anjem Choudary, the prominent British Muslim extremist preacher who has publicly lauded terrorist attacks against Western countries and has cooperated with radical Islamist groups inside the United Kingdom, has been formally charged with inciting support for the Islamic State's jihad to create a global caliphate.