Tawil covers the Middle East and focuses on writing about the activities of militant Islamic groups. He holds a BA in Journalism from the Lebanese University in Beirut, and an MA in Area Studies (Near and Middle East) from the University of London’s School of Oriental and Africa Studies (SOAS). Tawil has written two books in Arabic, the latest of which – Al-Qaeda and its Sisters - The Story of the Arab Jihadists – is being translated into English and will be released later this year. His first book in Arabic was dedicated to Algerian militant groups (The Armed Islamic Movement in Algeria - from the FIS to the GIA).