Aaron Y. Zelin Profile picture
Senior Fellow @WashInstitute | Visiting Scholar @BrandeisU | Founder @Jihadology_Net | Book “Your Sons Are At Your Service: Tunisia’s Missionaries of Jihad”👇🏼
Nov 29 21 tweets 6 min read
Was planning to write something yesterday about the institution-building/lessons of HTS over past 4.5 years, but my laptop died so going to Apple Store to get fixed today. But for those curious about these changes, here’s a thread of articles I’ve written since 2020 on HTS: 🧵 May 2020: The Jihadi-Backed Salvation Government and Covid-19 in Northwest Syria washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysi…
Aug 15 4 tweets 3 min read
New infographic on three years of diplomatic engagements by the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate Image Other variations of infographics for the first three years of the Taliban’s diplomacy

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Aug 8 6 tweets 2 min read
For those curious about the Islamic State's activities in Austria in recent years in light of the Taylor Swift concert attack plot, here's a short thread 🧵:

1. Claimed responsibility for a shooting/stabbing attack in Vienna on November 2, 2020. washingtoninstitute.org/islamicstatein…
Image 2. In June 2023, there were arrests made related to an IS plot to attack the Pride Parade in Vienna that year washingtoninstitute.org/islamicstatein…
Jul 31 25 tweets 6 min read
Thread 🧵 on the newest UN monitoring report on the Islamic State and al-Qaeda and information that stood out.

1. "The identity and location of the group’s leader, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi is still not clear."

-Contra certain leaks by the U.S. governmentmain.un.org/securitycounci… 2. "Concerned by new inward travel to Afghanistan of some Al-Qaida personnel and training, recruitment and reorganization activities."

-It should be remembered that Turkish Airlines now flies direct to Kabul since May 21, so a lot easier to get to Afghanistan now than in past
Jul 16 8 tweets 2 min read
🧵 on the minuscule number of jihadi cases related to Oman over the past 20 years Today's Islamic State claim
Mar 24 49 tweets 12 min read
For current and future reference: A thread on Islamic State attacks against different countries and targets.

-Afghanistan (Taliban and former Afghan Republican Government)
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-Algeria Image
Mar 22 6 tweets 2 min read
While we wait to see if IS claims the attack in Russia, my Islamic State Worldwide Activity map has an archive of IS-related propaganda, attack claims, designations, and local arrests in Russia going back a decade. Not IS's first rodeo within Russia. washingtoninstitute.org/islamicstatein…
Image Past IS-claimed attacks within Russia (outside Chechnya/Dagestan/Ingushetia regions) from the IS Map.

Aug '16: Balashikha

Oct '16: Nizhny Novgorod

Apr '17: Khabarovsk

Aug '17: Surgut

Dec '17: St. Petersberg

May '18: Nizhny Novgorod

May '18: Neftekamsk

Apr '19: Kolomna
Oct 14, 2023 55 tweets 43 min read
Hamas-announced martyrs since October 7 🧵

Can't vouch for when these individuals actually died.

October 7:
-Karam Nasr al-Ayadi
-'Amr Gibran
-Ahmad 'Abd al-Nasr Rabi
-Muhammad 'Awad Jarbu'ah


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-Mahmud Bassim Akhmis

October 8:
-'Abdul Halim Abu Snaynah

October 9:
-Rajih Hussam Taha
-Amjad Mahir Khudayr


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Aug 2, 2022 17 tweets 5 min read
In light of Zawahiri's death, I added 16 videos to the @Jihadology_Net archive of his from the years before I started the website. Don't have everything due to the takedowns of content, but still might be of interest for researchers. See below: October 4, 2009: "Lamenting the Leader of the Mujāhidīn Ibn al-Shaykh al-Lībī” jihadology.net/2009/10/04/vid…
Aug 2, 2022 9 tweets 4 min read
Thread on some of Ayman al-Zawahiri's most important releases while leader of AQ. (1/9) "Days With the Imam" series on Usamah Bin Laden. You can find all eight parts here: jihadology.net/2019/05/05/new… (2/9)
Mar 31, 2020 6 tweets 2 min read
AQ’s general command released a statement on the Coronavirus, which includes analysis and ‘ways forward’. (Thread) 1/n How AQ views this for the United States
Feb 25, 2020 15 tweets 8 min read
Alright, you can see everything below, but I also had @threadreaderapp create it all in one spot bit.ly/2HUZwaN

Next, I plan to shout out some excellent reporting by journalists that helped fill important gaps in the process of researching my book. First up, I want to give a huge shout out to @Tunisia_Live. It’s too bad it is no longer around, but it was an amazing resource in the aftermath of the revolution and incubated so many great journalists and researchers. I hope they make a comeback at some point.
Feb 14, 2020 36 tweets 37 min read
In the spirit of @dbyman when his book came out, over the next week or two, I’m going to shout out folks whose work enriched the final product of my book. @dbyman First up are two excellent recently published books on Ennahda from @AnneMWolf (amzn.to/38xItY4) and @rmccarthy (amzn.to/2HqwjV2). They provide updated and enriched histories based on insider primary sources and ethnographic field research.
Nov 3, 2019 4 tweets 3 min read
On @Jihadology_Net, I’ll have a running update on new official bayat to IS’s new ‘caliph’ Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qaurashi bit.ly/2WIVzwv Up first, yesterday, Sinai and Bangladesh. @Jihadology_Net Updated with Somalia bit.ly/2WIVzwv