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Jihad

Jihad is an Arabic word that means striving or struggling with a praiseworthy aim. The term has been used by terrorist groups in connection with their attacks on Western societies.

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All Content on this topic

Burkina Faso's transition President Ibrahim Traore

'Betraying each other': Burkina Faso bishop on terror attack

Bishop Theophile Nare, who presides over Barsalogho, spoke about how to end the violence in Burkina Faso.
ConflictsAugust 30, 2024
Members of Israeli forces patrol a street during a military operation in the West Bank refugee camp of Nur Shams in the city of Tulkarem

Israel: Is a West Bank war imminent?

Israel's deadliest operation since October 7 has stoked fears of escalation in the West Bank. Is a second front looming?
ConflictsAugust 30, 2024
Burkinabe Interim President Ibrahim Traore speak into a microphone

Burkina Faso vows 'determined response' against terrorists

After the deadly attack in Barsalogho, Burkina Faso promises a decisive counterstrike.
ConflictsAugust 27, 2024
Palestinians gather around a car destroyed in an Israeli drone strike in Zeita village, north of the West Bank city of Tulkarem

Hamas commander killed in West Bank strikes

At least nine people have been killed in two separate Israeli air strikes in the occupied West Bank.
ConflictsAugust 4, 202401:49 min
Palestinian civilians with their belongings leaving the heavily damaged city of Khan Younis.

Israel strikes southern Gaza after mass evacuation order

The UN estimates around 250,000 people were affected by an evacuation order a day earlier.
ConflictsJuly 2, 2024
Children stand near a crater caused by Israeli bombardment in a street in Rafah

UN puts Israel, Hamas on blacklist for harming children

Israel has condemned a UN decision to include its army on the list of organizations harming children in conflict zones.
ConflictsJune 8, 202402:48 min
People sit on a hill facing an IDP (internally displaced people) camp in Pulka, Borna State, Nigeria

Nigeria: Ending sexual abuse in IDP camps

Young women forced to suffer daily sexual harassment daily in Nigeria's IDP camps want more protection.
SocietyMarch 28, 2024
Displaced people from the province of Cabo Delgado gather to received humanitarian aid from the World Food Program (WFP)

Mozambique: Jihadists from abroad pour into Cabo Delgado

After months of relative calm, Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province is experiencing a fresh wave of Islamist attacks.
PoliticsMarch 20, 2024
An ambulance in Mogadishu, Somalia, responding to a June 9, attack on a hotel in the capital

Somalia: Al-Shabab Islamist kills dozens in attack on army

A suicide bomber has killed between 20 and 30 soldiers in an attack on a military academy in Mogadishu.
ConflictsJuly 25, 2023
Osman Inusah

Ghana accused of targeting Fulani refugees from Burkina Faso

Accra says the refugees harbor sympathies for the jihadists they fled from.
Human RightsJuly 22, 202303:53 min

Ghana: On the lookout for extremists

Communities along Ghana's borders are forming "watchdog committees" to keep Islamist extremists out.
TerrorismJune 27, 202301:33 min
African_Roots_Season2_Apple_Composite 22

Legacy unravelled: Usman Dan Fodio and William Tubman

Usman Dan Fodio and William Tubman's legacies are perceived very differently today than during their lifetimes.
HistoryJune 6, 202325:40 min
Smoke rises from an explosion caused by an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza

Israel kills sixth militant Islamic Jihad leader in a week

Another round of Israeli air strikes have killed a leader of Islamic Jihad, after rockets were fired into Israel.
ConflictsMay 12, 2023
A damaged building is seen after Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes in Gaza City

Israeli airstrikes hit Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza

Israel has said the airstrikes killed three senior commanders of the Islamic Jihad militant group.
ConflictsMay 9, 2023
A file photo of Mauritanian anti-terrorism police in the back of a pickup truck

Mauritania: Four jihadists escape after jail break

Mauritania has largely been unscathed by the Islamist terrorism that has affected its neighbors in the Sahel region.
ConflictsMarch 6, 2023
Smoke rises in Nablus after fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinians in Nablus

Israeli military operation in Nablus leaves several dead

The Israeli military said it was targeting militants, while Palestinians say an elderly man was killed in the raid.
ConflictsFebruary 22, 2023
Car wreck at site of ramming attack in East Jerusalem

Israel: Car rams into East Jerusalem bus stop, killing 2

An Israeli police statement said the suspect was "neutralized," adding that five people were injured in the attack.
PoliticsFebruary 10, 2023
Mourners carry the bodies of Palestinians who were killed in an Israeli raid in the West Bank on Thursday

Israel, Gaza militants trade fire after West Bank deaths

The Israeli army said it carried out airstrikes in the Gaza Strip after rockets from the enclave were intercepted.
ConflictsJanuary 27, 2023
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari and Guinea Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo attend the ground breaking ceremony of the ECOWAS Secretariat in Abuja.

West African leaders agree to create regional force

The ECOWAS is planning a force to intervene against jihadism in its member states and in the event of coups.
ConflictsDecember 5, 2022
A woman at the Roj camp in Syria

Germany repatriates 12 IS-linked citizens from Syria

The group included four women, seven children and a man who was brought to Syria when he was 11.
MigrationOctober 6, 2022
People sit in the courtroom prior to the preliminary hearing

Brussels terror trial opens over deadly 2016 suicide attacks

A defendant accused of involvement in the 2016 suicide attacks refused to take the stand on the first day of a trial.
TerrorismSeptember 12, 2022
Aerial view of Djibo town, the epicenter of Burkina Faso's conflict.

Burkina Faso: Dozens dead after bus hits IED

The explosion hit a convoy carrying supplies in an area where Islamist militants have escalated attacks in recent years.
TerrorismSeptember 6, 2022
A file photo of al-Shabab militants marching with rifles

Somalia: At least 20 killed in convoy attack

Four trucks carrying food relief and three minibuses were set ablaze, as attacks intensify in the central Hiran region.
TerrorismSeptember 3, 2022
Palestinians look out of a heavily damaged apartment

How are people coping after Israel's Gaza offensive?

Residents in southern Israel and Gaza are returning to their lives. But the situation remains volatile.
PoliticsAugust 11, 2022
Palestinian fighters carrying guns take part in a military exercise

What is the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)?

Though overshadowed by Hamas, Israeli officials describe the PIJ as one of the most dangerous Palestinian armed groups.
PoliticsAugust 9, 2022
A fuel truck enters the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing

Cease-fire between Israel, Palestinian militants holds

The fragile cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad held into Monday morning.
ConflictsAugust 8, 2022
Rockets fired by Palestianian militants seen over Gaza City

Islamic Jihad commander killed in Gaza as violence flares

As Gaza violence escalates, the Palestinian militant group said another one of its top commanders has been killed.
ConflictsAugust 7, 2022
Smoke rises following Israeli airstrkes in southern Gaza

Israel preparing for weeklong Gaza operation

Israel conducted airstrikes targeting the Islamic Jihad group, with Palestinian militants firing a barrage of rockets.
ConflictsAugust 6, 2022
Rescuers and firefighters put out a fire amid the destruction following an Israeli air strike on Gaza City

Israel launches strikes on Gaza amid blockade

Israeli officials say the strikes have targeted the Islamic Jihad group and follow arrests of senior group members.
ConflictsAugust 5, 2022
Benin | Fotoreportage Marco Simoncelli aus Porga

Benin: Seeds of a crisis

Jihadi alliances have been targeting the northern borders of West African countries such as Benin.
ConflictsJuly 19, 202214 images
Two armed soliders approach a motorcyclist at a checkpoint near Porga, northern Benin

How Benin became the new frontline for jihadists

Poverty and climate change have provided fertile ground for criminals and extremists to exploit.
ConflictsJuly 14, 2022
The silhouette of a soldier with a rifle

Insecurity in the Sahel: What you need to know

Armies in Mali and Burkina Faso have killed more civilians than jihadi extremists.
PoliticsMay 30, 2022
Relatives of a Palestinian man who, according to medics, was killed by Israeli forces during a raid, react to his death in Jenin.

Israel: Members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad killed in raid

Israel conducted a raid in the West Bank Saturday, killing three members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
ConflictsApril 2, 2022
US surveillance footage showing the compound of 'Islamic State' leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi in northwest Syria

'Islamic State' confirms leader's death

Little is known about the new "emir," the third person to lead the radical jihadi group since it was founded in 2014.
TerrorismMarch 10, 2022
Camp Castor, Gao, Mali

European armies may soon abandon Mali mission

Western powers are reassessing their mission to Mali amid deteriorating relations with the country's military junta.
ConflictsFebruary 15, 2022
A Malian resident in Bamako poses in military garb and holds the Russian flag

Russian military advisers arrive in Mali

The West has criticized Mali for allowing mercenaries from the Wagner Group to operate in the West African nation.
ConflictsJanuary 7, 2022
Security personnel and a gendarmerie vehicle after a terrorist attack in Ouagadougou

Burkina Faso: Attack on convoy kills 6 as violence surges

A convoy of gendarmes returning from a gold mine had been attacked by unidentified armed men.
ConflictsSeptember 14, 2021
A soldier stands guard on a rooftop in Syria's Raqqa.

Germany, US warn of growing IS influence

Ahead of a global summit, the German foreign minister said the militant group "has been pushed back, but not defeated."
TerrorismJune 28, 2021
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau

Death of Boko Haram's leader spells trouble for the region

The death of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau is set to further destabilize Nigeria and its neigbors.
PoliticsJune 8, 2021
Symbolild Niger Islamistischer Terrorismus

AfricaLink on Air - 23 March 2021

Cameroon: Frank Biya - the son and successor of the president?
PoliticsMarch 23, 202129:59 min
Abu Walaa is believed to have been the de facto leader of "Islamic State" in Germany

German court convicts 'IS recruiter' Abu Walaa

The Islamist preacher has been convicted of recruiting young people to become terrorists. He faces more than 10 years.
TerrorismFebruary 24, 2021
Dusseldorf, 2016: Armed police guarding court buildings in Germany's state of North Rhine-Westphalia

Tajik IS cell member in Germany jailed for 7 years

The man formed an "Islamic State" cell with other locals of Tajik origins.
TerrorismJanuary 26, 2021
Photo that shows the tops of tents and roofs of buildings cramped together

'IS': weakened, but still dangerous

A few years ago, "Islamic State" was a powerful terrorist organization. Today, it has largely gone underground.
TerrorismJanuary 1, 2021
Indian couple cut a wedding cake

Indian police make first 'love jihad' arrest

A state law in Uttar Pradesh was coined to accuse Muslim men of converting Hindu women to Islam through marriage.
CrimeDecember 3, 2020
A couple cutting a wedding cake in India

India: Uttar Pradesh outlaws 'love jihad' marriages

The "love jihad" conspiracy theory supposedly involves Muslim men forcing women to convert through marriage.
ReligionNovember 25, 2020
Jihadist covering face

Is there a way to stop jihadis in Europe?

What drives young men into the arms of Islamist extremists — and how can they be deradicalized?
SocietyNovember 13, 2020
A soldier stands near La Terasse restaurant in Bamako, Mali, after a terrorist attack

Jihadists behind 2015 Mali terror attacks sentenced to death

The men admitted they killed scores of Westerners as "revenge" for the Charlie Hebdo caricatures of Prophet Muhammad.
TerrorismOctober 28, 2020
A French soldier stands inside a military helicopter during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to the troops of Operation Barkhane

Germany, France, Britain to keep troops in Mali

Mali is part of a "security challenge" across Sahel Africa, impinging on "the whole of Europe," France feels.
ConflictsAugust 21, 2020
An Investigative Committee car leaves the scene of a gun attack, in which an unknown man opened fire at police officers in Leninsky Avenue

Russia says foils militant attack in Moscow

Russian security officials say they have shot dead a man who was allegedly planning a mass shooting in Moscow.
TerrorismJuly 27, 2020
Al-Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud

Timbuktu war crimes trial begins at ICC

The trial of an alleged Islamist from Mali, accused of war crimes committed in Timbuktu, has opened at the ICC.
CrimeJuly 13, 2020