Russian Airstrikes in Syria: A Closer Look

The Russian Air Force has conducted airstrikes for the second day in row, and according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the force is not targeting “beyond ISIL (ISIS), al Nusra or other terrorist groups recognized by the United Nations Security Council or Russian law. When asked what groups fell under the heading of “other […]

US Pilots: “Our Hands Are Tied.”

Against an enemy hell-bent on the destruction of the United States and her western allies,  one might think the number of sorties flown by our guys and gals employing ordnance downrange would be a pretty impressive number. For example, the number of sorties flown in the forty-three days of Operation Desert Storm averaged over 1,100 […]

Religion. Politics. Jihad. (Pt. 3)

Religion is the mobilizer of militants and serves as justification for brutality. Still, we must consider solutions beyond bombs and bullets.

Religion. Politics. Jihad. (Pt. 1)

The assertion that religion is part of the global jihad movement is by no means profound, but the fusion is more complex than most like to acknowledge.

Australia’s Military and the Gun Debate (Pt.1)

“The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good […]

An Operator’s Perspective on the Sydney Siege (Pt. 3)

If governments or media continually fail to diagnose these events as being Islamic-driven, albeit a radicalized version of the faith, then how effective are subsequent counter-radicalization and counterterrorism strategies going to be?

Save the Last Bullet for Yourself

Virtually every YPG fighter has a rule: Save the last bullet for yourself. In the war against ISIS, which they call the Daash, it is far better to choose your own way out rather than be captured by the jihadists and their so-called Islamic State. One source on the ground in Rojava (Kurdish-held Syria) told me […]

A New Caliphate?

The news (well, some of it, anyway) is hopping with the report that the Islamic State in Iraq and al Sham has declared it is now simply the Islamic State, and that its Emir, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, is now Khalifah Ibrahim, the new Caliph, the successor of Mohammed. An excerpt from the ISIS announcement, courtesy […]