Table of Contents

Introduction Liam Collins Part I: The Threat and Regional Security Issues 1. The Evolution of Islamist Terrorism in the 20th Century James J.F. Forest 2. The Ideology Behind Al-Qaida and the Islamic State Daniel Rudder and Chris Heffelfinger 3. The Evolution of Al-Qaida: 1988 to Present Day Seth G. Jones 4. The History of the Islamic State: From Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Brian Fishman 5. Contemporary Conflict and Political Violence in the Levant Benedetta Berti 6. Jihadi Militancy and Houthi Insurgency in Yemen Elisabeth Kendall 7. The Roots of Terrorism in North and West Africa: AQIM and Boko Haram Alice Hunt Friend 8. Al-Shabaab and the Horn of Africa Ken Menkhaus 9. The History of Terrorism in Southeast Asia Peter Chalk 10. The Taliban and the Modern History of Afghanistan Rob Johnson 11. The Modern History of Iran and the Birth of the Shia Proxy Model Alex Vatanka 12. Terrorism, Insurgency, and Criminal Insurgency in Latin America Román D. Ortiz Part II: Operational Case Studies 13. El Salvador: Operations and Planning Assistance Training Teams and a Minimalist Approach to Counterinsurgency Cecil E. Bailey 14. Plan Colombia and the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group Kevin M. Higgins 15. The Story of the U.S. Role in the Killing of Pablo Escobar Mark Bowden 16. The Iran-Contra Affair and the Afghan Task Force: Lessons in Covert Action Jack Devine and Amanda Mattingly 17. The Horse Soldiers: Lessons from Expeditionary Unconventional Warfare Mark E. Mitchell 18. Special Operations Forces and Afghan Local Police Programs Donald C. Bolduc and Chris Hensley 19. U.S. Civilian Architecture for Stabilization and Counterinsurgency in Northern Afghanistan (2012-2013) Keith Mines 20. Dismantling Al-Qaida in Iraq Liam Collins 21. Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines: Lessons in Special Warfare David S. Maxwell 22. Operation Serval: A Swift Intervention with a Small Footprint in Mali Michael A. Sheehan and Pascale C. Siegel 23. U.S. Counterterrorism Policy in Yemen from 2010-2020 Luke Hartig 24. Defeating the Islamic State: Special Operations Forces in Syria Anthony Messenger, Nick Lewis-Walls, Mike Parker, Bert Pedrigi and David P. Kearns Part III: Government Instruments in Countering Terrorism and Waging Irregular Warfare 25. The Joint Terrorism Task Force: Investigating to Disrupt and Prosecute Terrorists Ali Soufan 26. Creating the NYPD Counterterrorism Bureau Michael A. Sheehan 27. The Inside Story of How the NYPD’s Intelligence Division Adapted in the Wake of 9/11 David Cohen 28. Lessons Learned from Four High Casualty Terrorist Attacks in the United States Since 9/11 Paul Cruickshank 29. Social Media Recruitment of Americans: A Case Study from the Islamic State Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens and Seamus Hughes 30. Countering Extremist Organizations in the Information Domain Joseph Mroszcyzk and Max Abrahms 31. Theater Special Operations Commands: The Combat Employment of U.S. Special Operations Forces Charles T. Cleveland and Liam Collins 32. Theater Command in Afghanistan: Taking Charge of the ‘Other War’ in 2003-2005 David W. Barno 33. America’s Drone Wars Outside of Conventional War Zones Peter Bergen and A.G. Sims 34. The United Kingdom’s Approach to Counterterrorism Robin Simcox and Hannah Stuart Conclusion Hy Rothstein

About the Author

The late Michael A. Sheehan previously served as the U.S. Department of State’s coordinator for counterterrorism, the New York City Police Department’s deputy commissioner for counterterrorism, and the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict.

Erich Marquardt founded the U.S. military’s premier open-source counterterrorism journal, the CTC Sentinel, and served as editor-in-chief for seven years.

Liam Collins is a fellow at New America, former director of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, and founding director of the Modern War Institute at West Point. He co-authored Letters from Abbottabad: Bin Ladin Sidelined?, the first report to analyze the documents captured from Bin Ladin’s compound during the Abbottabad raid.

Reviews

'A unique, exceptional volume of compelling, thoughtful, and informative essays on the subjects of irregular warfare, counter-insurgency, and counter-terrorism – endeavors that will, unfortunately, continue to be unavoidable and necessary, even as the U.S. and our allies and partners shift our focus to Asia and the Pacific in an era of renewed great power rivalries. The co-editors – the late Michael Sheehan, a brilliant comrade in uniform and beyond, Liam Collins, one of America’s most talented and accomplished special operators and scholars on these subjects, and Erich Marquardt, the founding editor of the CTC Sentinel – have done a masterful job of assembling the works of the best and brightest on these subjects – subjects that will continue to demand our attention, resources, and commitment.'General (ret.) David Petraeus, former Commander of the Surge in Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command, and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan and former Director of the CIA'Terrorism will continue to be a featured security challenge for the foreseeable future. We need to be careful about losing the intellectual and practical expertise hard-won over the last twenty years. This handbook, the brainchild of my late friend and longtime counter-terrorism expert Michael Sheehan, is an extraordinary resource for future policymakers and CT practitioners who will grapple with the evolving terrorism threat.'General (ret.) Joseph Votel, former commander of US Special Operations Command and US Central Command'This volume will be essential reading for a new generation of practitioners and scholars. Providing vibrant first-hand accounts from experts in counterterrorism and irregular warfare, from 9/11 until the present, this book presents a blueprint of recent efforts and impending challenges. Terrorism is a perpetual threat, one that never goes away, but requires expertise and attention to compress its scale and scope. These essays provide the way forward.Nancy Collins, author of Grey Wars and senior fellow of the Modern War Institute, West Point'The post-9/11 literature on counterterrorism has been dominated by academics and policy practitioners. The Routledge Handbook of U.S. Counterterrorism and Irregular Warfare Operations widens the existing scope of scholarship on terrorism and counterterrorism by adding a critically important operational perspective to the discussion. Conceived by the legendary Ambassador Michael Sheehan, the handbook assembles a stellar cast of contributors in a unique volume that will enlighten and inspire all those who take part and interest in the ongoing effort to stem one of the most pressing security challenges of our time--from scholars to decisionmakers, and from policy practitioners to military operators.'Assaf Moghadam, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Israel, author of Nexus of Global Jihad: Understanding Cooperation among Terrorist Actors'The Routledge Handbook of US Counterterrorism and Irregular Warfare Operations consolidates and advances our understanding of the American experience at war since the mass murder attacks of September 11, 2001. It is a book that should be read and discussed beyond the military, as the contributors’ findings are consistent with Sir Michael Howard’s observation that, in war, the causes of victory or defeat are often found far from the battlefield.'Lt.-General (ret.) H.R. McMaster, former US National Security Advisor and author of Dereliction of Duty and Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World'An incredible effort, the volume is a testament to the legacy of Michael Sheehan, the lead editor and former U.S. ambassador at large for counterterrorism who died before publication. ...Strengths of this volume include the incredible breadth of material in an accessible format. Despite occasional military and academic jargon, the prose and material are designed for the practitioner or informed reader. As an edited volume, chapters do not necessarily flow from one to another, but together, they paint a comprehensive picture of the state of irregular warfare in the United States. This important work will be a longstanding reference for the military’s irregular warfare community.'--Maj. Zachary Griffiths, ARMY magazine, Fe. 2022