Turkey’s Gendarmerie: Reforming a Frontline Unit in the War on Terrorism

Turkey’s paramilitary Gendarmerie, a frontline unit in the War on Terrorism, is about to undergo some of the greatest changes yet in its long history. The reforms call for a radical restructuring of the organization, designed to generate greater efficiency in counterterrorism efforts as well as assist Turkey in its efforts to join the European Union.

The Gendarmerie (Jandarma Genel Komutanlıgı - JGK) was founded as part of the 1839 Ottoman Tanzimat reforms. In 1909 it was brought und...

Iraq’s Jaysh al-Muslimin – Nationalists in an Islamist Resistance Movement

A recent interview with the spokesman of the Jaysh al-Muslimin in Iraq elicited mixed reactions from jihadi forum participants, many of whom commented on the issue of nationalism vs. Islamism as the focus of the Iraqi resistance (yaqen.net, November 5; hanein.net, November 6).The spokesman of the Jaysh al-Muslimin, Dr. Ahmad Azziddin, identifies the group as part of “The Jihad and Change Front” (JCF, formed in September 2007), operating within an Islamist and nationalist framework to expel...

The Father of the Taliban: An Interview with Maulana Sami ul-Haq

Maulana Sami ul-Haq is the director and chancellor of Pakistan's famous madrassa, Darul uloom Haqqania, Akora Khattak. He has served in this post since the death of his father, Maulana Abdul ul-Haq, the founder of the madrassa, in 1988. Darul uloom Haqqania is where many of the top Taliban leaders, including its fugitive chief, Mullah Omar, attended. It is widely believed that the madrassa was the launching pad for the Taliban movement in the early 1990s, which is why Sami ul-Haq is also called ...