Combating Terrorism Center

05/29/2026

New Sentinel is out now: https://ctc.westpoint.edu/may-2026/

“Developments in the Sahel: An Interview with Wassim Nasr, Journalist, France24; Senior Research Fellow, Soufan Center” by Don Rassler and Kristina Hummel

“A View from the CT Foxhole: Robert Kissane, Former Special Agent in Charge, FBI NY Counterterrorism Division and NY Joint Terrorism Task Force” by Kristina Hummel and Don Rassler

“Mohammad Baqer al-Saadi: Profiling an IRGC and Iraqi Militia Operative” by Crispin Smith and Michael Knights

“Will Generative AI Fundamentally Change Terrorist Threats?” by Andrew Glazzard, David Mcilhatton, and Paul Martin

“The Women Inside ISCAP: Governance, Coercion, and Insurgent Sustainability” by Akonkwa Zawadi Ghislaine and Caleb Weiss

From the Editors Developments in the Sahel so far this year have underscored the persistence and severity of the jihadi threat in Africa—chief among them, the January attack in Niamey, Niger, by Islamic State Sahel Province and Islamic State West Africa Province and the coordinated attacks across ...

04/28/2026

New Sentinel is out now: https://ctc.westpoint.edu/april-2026/

“Beyond Misuse: Artificial Intelligence, Grievance, and the Future Landscape of Political Violence” by Yannick Veilleux-Lepage

“A View from the CT Foxhole: Greg Hinds, Former Director of Counter Terrorism, Interpol” by Joe Decie

“The Collapse of Indefinite Detention in Northeast Syria: Implications Seven Years Later for Syria and Beyond” by Devorah Margolin

“Security Lessons from the Paris Olympics for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Other Major Events” by Alexandre Rodde, David Mcilhatton, John Cuddihy, and Shannen Benton

03/25/2026

New Sentinel is out now: https://ctc.westpoint.edu/march-2026/

“The Bondi Attack: The Islamic State’s Strategic Shifts and Jihadi Tactics in Australia” by Andrew Zammit and Levi J. West

“A View from the CT Foxhole: G.B. Jones, Chief Safety and Security Officer, FIFA World Cup 2026” by Brian Dodwell and Don Rassler

“Will the Center Hold? The Houthis’ Fraying Tribal Alliances” by Michael Horton

“From Earth Liberation to Accelerationism: A High-Level Review of Fifty Years of Domestic Infrastructure Terrorism” by Jesse Humpal

02/19/2026

New Sentinel is out now: https://ctc.westpoint.edu/february-2026/

“From Insurgency to Statecraft: Al-Sharaa and Syria’s Foreign Fighters Test” by Adrian Shtuni

“A View from the CT Foxhole: Naureen Chowdhury Fink, Executive Director, Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT)” by Don Rassler

“True Crime Community: Understanding the Depths of Digital Fandom and Performative Violence” by Peter Smith, Cat Cadenhead, and Clara Broekaert

“Crime and Punishment: How International Cooperation Led to the Landmark Conviction of Two Islamic State Brothers in Portugal” by Nuno Tiago Pinto

From the Editors Ahmed al-Sharaa’s ongoing consolidation of power in Syria will depend to a great extent on the integration of the battle-hardened foreign fighters in the country, Adrian Shtuni writes in our cover article this month. He explains: “These foreign fighters—especially their ideolo...

01/21/2026

January Sentinel is out now: https://ctc.westpoint.edu/january-2026/

“Kachallas and Kinship: Understanding Jihadi Expansion and Diffusion in Nigeria” by James Barnett and Umar Musa

“Feature Commentary: Red Teaming Hamas’ Options” by Brian Michael Jenkins

“A New ‘Regicides’ Era? Analyzing Trends in Terrorism Threats Against European Elected Officials” by Thomas Renard

“From Adolescence to Accountability: Prosecuting Teenagers for Terrorist-related Offenses in Europe” by Tanya Mehra and Merlina Herbach

From the Editors In December 2025, the United States reported that it had launched strikes against Islamic State fighters in northwest Nigeria, specifically in Sokoto state near the border with Niger. Our cover article this month—based on extensive fieldwork by the authors—provides meticulous, n...

09/26/2025

September Sentinel is out now: https://ctc.westpoint.edu/september-2025/

“Feature Commentary: Confronting Cartels: Military Considerations South of the Border” by Brian Michael Jenkins

“The Global State of al-Qa`ida 24 Years After 9/11” by Colin Clarke and Clara Broekaert

“Uzbek Foreign Fighter Groups in the Syrian Jihad: The Evolution of KIB and KTJ from 2011 through 2025” by Kathleen Collins

“Militant Violence in Jammu and Kashmir Post-Abrogation of Article 370” by Animesh Roul

West Point SOSH
Dean of the Academic Board-West Point

From the Editors The prospect of, and the potential outcomes and dynamics associated with, possible U.S. military action against cartels in Mexico is the subject of our feature article this month—a commentary by preeminent terrorism scholar Brian Michael Jenkins, who has been studying terrorism fo...

08/20/2025

August Sentinel is out now: https://ctc.westpoint.edu/august-2025/

“Tehran’s Homeland Option: Terror Pathways for Iran to Strike in the United States” by Matthew Levitt

“A View from the CT Foxhole: James Stack, Director, Great Plains Diagnostic Network” by Don Rassler and Kristina Hummel

“Commentary: The Dangers of Overreliance on Generative AI in the CT Fight” by Nicholas Clark

“Understanding China’s New Counterterrorism Ambitions in Africa” by Jason Warner, Ph.D.

West Point SOSH
Dean of the Academic Board-West Point

From the Editors In our cover article this month, Matthew Levitt examines potential retaliation by Iran against the U.S. homeland following its 12-day war with Israel and U.S. airstrikes against three of its nuclear facilities. “Iran may seek to carry out reprisal attacks in the United States, as ...

07/24/2025

July Sentinel is out now: https://ctc.westpoint.edu/july-2025/

“Moving Targets: Implications of the Russo-Ukrainian War for Drone Terrorism” by David Hambling

“A View from the CT Foxhole: Adam Hadley, Executive Director, Tech Against Terrorism” by Don Rassler

“From TikTok to Terrorism? The Online Radicalization of European Lone Attackers since October 7, 2023” by Nicolas Stockhammer

“The Escalation of U.S. Airstrikes in Somalia and the Role of Perceived Threats to the U.S. Homeland” by David Sterman

West Point SOSH
Dean of the Academic Board-West Point

From the Editors What are the impacts of the war in Ukraine on the threat of drone terrorism? That is the question David Hambling addresses in our feature article this month. Specifically, he examines three of the most relevant drone types to counterterrorism—DJI Mavics, FPV racing drones, and Sha...