Political and security risk updates from around the world. This week: Venezuela’s president orders military to regulate five of country’s largest ports and appoints defence minister as ‘co-president’; Papua New Guinea’s opposition issues no confidence motion in country’s prime minister; Lorry driven through Bastille Day celebrations in Nice, France, leaving 84 dead in attack claimed by Islamic State; and more.
Tag: Islamic State
The weekly briefing, 28 June 2016: Terrorist attacks in Somalia, Madagascar and Jordan; Britain votes to leave EU; North Korea tests intermediate-range missiles
Political and security risk updates from around the world. This week: al-Shabaab attacks hotel in Mogadishu, Islamic State carries out first attack in Jordan and two people killed in grenade attack in Madagascar; Britain reels from the political and economic fallout from the referendum vote to leave the European Union; North Korea test fires two intermediate-range missiles towards Japan; and more.
Press release: New critical assessment of UK and coalition’s campaign against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria
Open Briefing has today published an in-depth assessment of the UK and wider US-led coalition's campaign against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
The war with Islamic State: An assessment of the United Kingdom’s Operation Shader and the wider coalition campaign against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria
Overall, the US-led coalition has had some considerable successes in containing and rolling back Islamic State in Iraq and Syria; however, much more should have been achieved given the combined military might and other resources of the 66 members of the global coalition to counter Islamic State. Those gains that have been made have come at the expense of civilian casualties. Furthermore, there are no signs that the terrorist threat to the United Kingdom from Islamic State is reducing despite nearly two years of UK airstrikes and other efforts to target the group.
Remote-control warfare briefing #15, May 2016: Shadowy Russian private military company fighting alongside Spetsnaz in Syria, US officials explore scenarios for Islamic State ‘dirty bomb’ attacks, studies find mass surveillance having negative impact on democracy
Monthly briefing from the Open Briefing intelligence unit on developments in remote-control warfare. This month: shadowy Russian private military company fighting alongside Spetsnaz special forces in Syria; US officials explore scenarios for Islamic State ‘dirty bomb’ attacks using drones; studies find mass surveillance having negative impact on democracy and informed debate; and more.
UK actions against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria: Intelligence briefing #5, April 2016
This briefing provides an update on recent developments in the conflict against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. It also includes an overview of UK air, ground and sea forces in the region and an analysis of Ministry of Defence data on airstrikes. It concludes that the deliberate opacity surrounding UK special forces deployments allows the British government to authorise ground operations while at the same time claiming that there are no UK combat troops involved in the conflict, thereby sidestepping public and parliamentary debate.
UK actions against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria: Intelligence briefing #4
This briefing provides an update on recent developments in the conflict against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. It includes the MoD response to an Open Briefing Freedom of Information request and an overview of UK military actions in the two countries, including ground operations - an often overlooked element of the UK campaign. It also discusses the substantial cache of IS documents recently handed to Sky News.
How to respond to the threat from hostile drones in the UK
Islamic State has used aerial drones for reconnaissance and battlefield intelligence in Iraq and Syria and has attempted to use aerial and ground drones with explosive payloads to attack Kurdish troops. Should we therefore be concerned about the possibility of Islamic State or another terrorist group using drones to attack Western cities? If so, what should we do to address the threat?
