Hussain Ehsani is a research fellow at the Turan Research Center and an independent researcher based in Ottawa, Canada. He holds a master’s degree in Middle East studies from the University of Tehran with a concentration in Kurdish independence and regional security. Hussain previously worked in Iraq, researching terrorist groups, specifically the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda. While living in his native country of Afghanistan, Hussain focused on the Islamic State of the Khorasan Province for the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies. He co-authored a book with Sean Withington called ‘Islamic State Wilayat Khorasan – Phony Caliphate or Bona Fide Province?’ After the United States withdrew from Afghanistan, Hussain fled to Canada, where he now covers Canadian foreign policy in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia. Hussain is fluent in Arabic, Farsi, Pashto, Hebrew, and English.