al-Qaeda (AQ) - a radical Islamist terrorist group whose origins stem from the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Houthis - a Zaydi Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged in Yemen in the 1990s; re-added to U.S. foreign terrorist organization list in 2025
ISIS and ISIL - ISIS and ISIL are the same group translated slightly differently (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), ISIS is a radical Islamist terrorist group that splintered from al-Qaeda and is based in Syria
IS - (Islamic State) a radical Islamist terrorist group formed from ISIS/ISIL but broadening its geographic area worldwide, claims authority over all jihadist groups
ISIS-K - a regional ISIS affiliate group, based in Afghanistan and Pakistan, led by two former Taliban members; also known as ISIS - Khorasan
JNIM - an al-Qaeda affiliate group in Mali and other nearby parts of West Africa. The acronym stands for Jamaat Nasr al Islam wa al-Mulsimin
al-Qaeda
al-Qaeda - Foreign Affairs
al-Qaeda & ISIS 20 Years After 9/11 - Wilson Center
al-Qaeda's Resurrection - Council on Foreign Relations
al-Qaeda - Stanford University
al-Qaeda Core: A Short History - Foreign Policy
al-Qaeda Organization & the Islamic State Organization - Strategic Studies Institute
State of Al- Qa'ida Central - West Point
Houthis
Conflict in Yemen and the Red Sea (Houthis) - Council on Foreign Relations
Houthi Movement - Britannica
Who Are Yemen's Houthis? - Wilson Center
ISIS or ISIL
The Islamic State: Background, Current Status, and U.S. Policy - Congressional Research Service
Islamic State of Iraq and Ash-Sham (ISIS) - National Counterterrorism Center
Islamic State of Iraq and The Levant (ISIL) - National Counterterrorism Center
ISIS Fast Facts - CNN
Timeline: Rise & Spread of the Islamic State - Wilson Center
IS
Islamic State - Council on Foreign Relations
Islamic State - RAND
Islamic State - Stanford University
What is ISIS-K? - NPR
What is ISIS-K? - Reuters
Al Qaeda: Background, Current Status and Current U.S. Policy - Congressional Research Service
Al Qaeda Expands Its Footprint in Afghanistan - Foreign Policy
ISIL, ISIS, Islamic State, Daesh : What's the Difference? - International Business Times
ISIS, ISIL, or Islamic State: What's in a Name? - NPR
Kurds in Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and Iran - Congressional Research Service
Time of the Kurds - Council on Foreign Relations
Who Are the Houthis? - Al Jazeera
Who Are the Houthis and Why is the US Targeting Them? - BBC
Who are the Kurds? - BBC
Who are the Kurds? - Al Jazeera
