Harun Maruf comes on the show to discuss jihadism in Somalia. Some of the topics covered include:

What al-Shabab has been up to since the Westgate Mall attack in Kenya Background on al-Shabab’s leader Ahmad Umar and how he compares with its former leader Ahmed Abdi Godane The state of foreign fighters in Somalia The status of The Islamic State’s efforts in Somalia

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Will McCants comes on the show to talk about jihadi governance. The conversation is based on a chapter in his new book The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State. Aaron and Will discussed numerous cases of jihadi groups attempts to govern, including the Islamic State of Iraq, al-Shabab, AQAP, AQIM, Jabhat al-Nusra, and the Islamic State.

Katherine Zimmerman comes on the show to talk AQAP. Some of the topics covered include:

AQAP since the death of Awlaqi and their withdrawal from territory in southern Yemen in 2012 The effect of the rise of the Huthis and how the Saudi/Emirati war in Yemen has affected AQAP AQAP’s local outreach and how it compares to what it tried from 2011-2012 How drone attacks on AQAP leadership have affected the group The Islamic State’s activities in Yemen and what they mean for AQAP

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North Caucasus Caucus comes on the show to talk about his recent research trip to Turkey. He and Aaron discussed the evolution of Turkish governmental policy towards jihadis, Turks’ role in jihadi groups and IS in Syria and Turkey, Turkey’s arrest campaign against Jabhat al-Nusra and IS, and more.

This episode also features a #SocialMedia segment covering jihadi social media posts from August 17th to August 31st.