Spotlight on Global Jihad (December 5-11, 2019)

Highlights of the incidents

• In the Syrian arena, local clashes continued between the Syrian army and the rebel organizations in the Idlib region, accompanied by airstrikes and artillery exchanges, with no significant change in the situation on the ground. It has been reported that due to the high intensity of military activity in recent weeks, tens of thousands of civilians have fled from their homes and made their way to the area of Aleppo and places near the Turkish border. In the Euphrates Valley, ISIS has continued its intensive activity against the SDF and its civilian collaborators.
• In the Iraqi arena, ISIS has continued its intensive activity, mainly in the Diyala Province, north of Baghdad. The most common attacks were mortar shell fire, activation of IEDs, light weapons fire and sniper fire. Most of the activity was directed against the Iraqi security forces and the Popular Mobilization Shiite militias. Although the main focus of the regime’s attention is the ongoing wave of protests in Baghdad and southern Iraq, the Iraqi security forces continued their security activities against ISIS.
• At the same time, the intensive activity of ISIS’s provinces abroad continued, possibly in order to demonstrate a high level of activity following the selection of ISIS’s new leader. This activity enjoyed more publicity through ISIS’s media network, which returned to normal after a period of difficulties. Prominent this week was intensive activity by the Sinai Province, whose operatives carried out a series of attacks against Egyptian army posts and checkpoints in Rafah, in the suburbs of Sheikh Zuweid, and in other locations in northern Sinai. In addition, ISIS claimed responsibility for attacks in Nigeria, Mozambique, Somalia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Yemen.
• In Afghanistan, ISIS operatives in the Nangarhar Province continued to turn themselves in to the Afghan government security forces, along with their families. In the past week, about 100 other ISIS operatives turned themselves in, along with their families. According to the Afghan media, since the campaign against ISIS began a month ago, 1,450 ISIS operatives and their families have turned themselves in. ISIS’s Khorasan Province continues to maintain media silence.

Idlib region

Overview

• This week as well, local clashes continued in the Idlib region between the Syrian army and the rebel organizations, with airstrikes and exchanges of artillery fire. Fighting focused on two main areas:
  • The Mushayrafa area (about 30 km southeast of Idlib): The rebel organizations continue their local military initiatives in this area, which was taken over by the Syrian army (November 24, 2019). This week, the rebel organizations ambushed the Syrian army near a Syrian army abandoned base about 1 km north of the village of Mushayrafa. Several Syrian soldiers were killed and wounded (Enab Baladi, December 8, 2019).
  • The Kabanah area (13 km southwest of Jisr al-Shughur): Clashes continued in the Kabanah area between the rebel organizations and the Syrian army. At the same time, there were exchanges of artillery fire.

Airstrikes

• This week, Russian and Syrian airstrikes against rebel targets continued, focusing on the Kabanah area, the rural area southeast of Idlib, Kafrnubl (34 km south of Idlib), and the area northwest of Idlib (near the border between Syria and Turkey). Following are the highlights:
  • On December 6, 2019, four Syrian helicopters dropped barrel bombs on the Kabanah area (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, December 6, 2019).
  • On December 7, 2019, Russian fighter jets carried out an airstrike around the town of Kafr Takharim, 22 km northwest of Idlib (Edlib Media Center – EMC, December 7, 2019). Kafr Takharim is situated on Highway 60, the main road leading to Idlib from the west.
  • On December 7, 2019, Russian fighter jets carried out an airstrike around the village of Al-Sheikh Bahr, 22 km northwest of Idlib (Edlib Media Center – EMC, December 7, 2019).
  • On December 9, 2019, Russian fighter jets carried out several airstrikes in the Kabanah area, 13 km southwest of Jisr al-Shughur (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, December 9, 2019).
  • On December 10, 2019, three Syrian fighters dropped barrel bombs on the Kabanah area, 13 km southwest of Jisr al-Shughur (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, December 10, 2019).

Civilians flee the fighting zones

• As a result of the increase in the intensity of military activity over the past weeks in the area south of Idlib, there have been rising numbers of civilians fleeing from their homes. Last week, it was reported that over 38,000 civilians were forced to flee their homes and made their way towards the Aleppo region, most of them to sites near the Syrian-Turkish border (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, December 8, 2019). On December 7, 2019, over 18,000 residents were reportedly forced to leave their homes south of Idlib, in the area between Ariha and Kafrnubl (Edlib Media Center, November 8, 2019).

The Euphrates Valley

ISIS’s activity

ISIS continued its attacks in the Euphrates Valley, mainly on the Al-Mayadeen area. The main forms of attacks were the activation of IEDs, shooting attacks at vehicles, and the elimination of local officials operating on behalf of the SDF and the Kurds. Following are highlights of the attacks.

• On December 3, 2019, an SDF vehicle was targeted by machine gun fire in Al-Baghouz, about one and a half kilometer east of Albukamal. The passengers were killed or wounded (Telegram, December 4, 2019).
• On December 4, 2019, an IED was activated against an SDF vehicle 4 km northeast of Al-Mayadeen. The passengers were wounded (Telegram, December 3, 2019).
• On December 4, 2019, the head of the local SDF council in the village of Darnaj, 14 km southeast of Al-Mayadeen, was targeted by machine gun fire and was killed (Telegram, December 4, 2019).
• On December 4, 2019, an IED was activated against two Syrian army vehicles in the Al-Mayadeen Desert. The passengers were killed or wounded (Telegram, December 5, 2019).
• On December 6, 2019, an IED was activated against an SDF vehicle in a village north of Deir ez-Zor. It was put out of commission (Telegram, December 6, 2019).
• On December 6, 2019, a parked motorcycle was blown up against SDF intelligence personnel in the village of Abu Hamam, 27 km southeast of Al-Mayadeen. Two intelligence operatives were killed and another was wounded (Telegram, December 6, 2019).
• On December 6, 2019, a hand grenade was thrown at a vehicle carrying the leader of a commune 42 km northeast of Al-Mayadeen. He was wounded (Telegram, December 6, 2019).
• On December 6, 2019, an SDF checkpoint in the village of Diban, about 5 km east of Al-Mayadeen, was targeted by machine gun fire. One SDF fighter was killed and several others were wounded (Telegram, December 6, 2019).
• On December 8, 2019, an SDF intelligence operative was shot and killed west of Al-Raqqah (Telegram, December 8, 2019).
• On December 7, 2019, ISIS operatives ambushed an SDF convoy in the village of Hajin, 25 km north of Albukamal. Three SDF fighters were killed and six others, including a commander, were wounded (Telegram, December 8, 2019).

Enforcing sharia laws by ISIS operatives

• On December 8, 2019, several armed ISIS operatives mounted on motorcycles patrolled the open market of Al-Basira (14 km north of Al-Mayadeen). They beat up a group of youngsters smoking hookahs and accused them of breaking religious laws during evening prayers. They also ordered the traders to close their businesses and go to the prayers in the mosque (Khotwa, December 8, 2019; Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, December 8, 2019).

Enforcing sharia by ISIS operatives has become unusual since ISIS lost its territorial control area in the Euphrates Valley. In the ITIC’s assessment, this is an indication of the resumption of ISIS’s presence in the area and the increase in the operatives’ self-confidence.

The Euphrates Valley

ISIS’s activity in the Al-Hasakah area

• On December 4, 2019, an IED was activated against an SDF vehicle about 63 km northeast of Al-Hasakah. The passengers were killed or wounded (Telegram, December 4, 2019).
• On December 5, 2019, a hand grenade was thrown at two SDF fighters in a neighborhood in the southern part of Al-Hasakah. Two SDF fighters were wounded (Telegram, December 6, 2019).

Release of ISIS operatives’ family members from the Al-Hol DP camp

• On December 8, 2019, Sheikhmous Ahmad, who is in charge of the displaced persons camps in northeastern Syria, announced that over 200 women and children, family members of ISIS operatives, and 15 ISIS operatives who had not committed any crimes, would be released that same day from the Al-Hol displaced persons camp. The displaced persons are from eastern Syria (Rudaw, a media network in the Kurdistan region in Iraq, December 8, 2019).
• A source affiliated with the Kurds in northeastern Syria published lists of at least 192 people, residents of the Euphrates Valley, who were about to be released after having been vouched for by the heads of the Deir ez-Zor tribes (@Caki_ Twitter account belonging to a research element in the Kurdish Autonomous Directorate in northeastern Syria, December 8, 2019).

The region of Palmyra and Al-Sukhnah

• On or around December 9, 2019, an IED was activated against a Syrian army vehicle near Al-Sukhnah. The passengers were killed or wounded (Telegram, December 9, 2019).

Southern Syria

ISIS’s activity in the Al-Hasakah area

• On December 4, 2019, a sticky bomb was attached to a vehicle of the Syrian Military Intelligence in the village of Nimr, 43 km north of Daraa (15 km east of the Syrian-Israeli border). The bomb exploded during an attempt to deactivate it. Several passengers were killed or wounded (Telegram, December 4, 2019).
• On December 6, 2019, a Syrian army checkpoint in the village of Kharba, 16 km southwest of As-Suwayda (30 km east of Daraa), was targeted by light and medium weapons fire. A Syrian soldier was killed and two others were wounded (Telegram, December 7, 2019).

The Iraqi arena

ISIS’s activity

This week, ISIS’s intensive activity continued, mainly in the Diyala Province, north of Baghdad. The most common forms of activity were firing mortar shells, activating IEDs, light weapons fire at vehicles, and sniper shooting. This week as well, ISIS carried out a series of attacks against operatives of the Popular Mobilization (the Shiite militias) north of Baghdad. Following are ISIS’s main activities, based on its claims of responsibility.

Diyala Province

• On December 4, 2019, three mortar shells were fired at Tribal Mobilization forces about 60 km north of Baqubah. Accurate hits were observed (Telegram, December 4, 2019).
• On December 4, 2019, an Iraqi army vehicle was targeted by light weapons fire about 60 km north of Baqubah. It was put out of commission (Telegram, December 4, 2019).
• On December 4, 2019, Kurdish Peshmerga forces were targeted by sniper fire in the Khanaqin area (about 100 km northeast of Baqubah). Three Peshmerga fighters were killed and three others, including an officer, were wounded (Telegram, December 5, 2019).
• On December 5, 2019, an Iraqi police compound west of Baqubah was targeted by sniper fire. One policeman was killed (Telegram, December 5, 2019).
• On December 5, 2019, a Tribal Mobilization compound about 55 km north of Baqubah was targeted by sniper fire. One Tribal Mobilization fighter was killed (Telegram, December 6, 2019).
• On December 6, 2019, an Iraqi army vehicle was targeted by light weapons fire about 20 km southwest of Khanaqin (about 80 km northeast of Baqubah). The vehicle was damaged (Telegram, December 7, 2019).
• On December 6, 2019, an Iraqi police compound about 20 km southwest of Khanaqin was targeted by sniper fire. Two policemen were wounded (Telegram, December 7, 2019).
• On December 8, 2019, six mortar shells were fired at Tribal Mobilization forces about 60 km north of Baqubah. Several Tribal Mobilization fighters were wounded (Telegram, December 8, 2019).
• On December 9, 2019, an Iraqi army compound was targeted by machine gun fire about 60 km north of Baqubah. One soldier was killed and another was wounded (Telegram, December 9, 2019).

Salah al-Din Province

• This week as well, ISIS carried out a series of coordinated attacks against Popular Mobilization fighters: On December 2, 2019, a Popular Mobilization camp about 60 km north of Baghdad was targeted by machine gun fire. A Popular Mobilization fighter and a Federal Police operative were killed and three others were wounded (Telegram, December 5, 2019).
• On December 8, 2019, ISIS ambushed Iraqi police personnel east of Samarra. The forces exchanged fire. Several police personnel, including an officer, were killed (Telegram, December 9, 2019).

Babel Province

• On December 5, 2019, an IED was activated against a Popular Mobilization vehicle about 40 km south of Baghdad. The passengers were killed or wounded (Telegram, December 6, 2019).

Kirkuk Province

• On December 3, 2019, an IED was activated against a Tribal Mobilization vehicle about 85 km west of Kirkuk. One Tribal Mobilization fighter was killed and two others were wounded (Telegram, December 5, 2019).
• On December 4, 2019, an IED was activated against a Tribal Mobilization vehicle about 40 km southwest of Kirkuk. A Tribal Mobilization fighter was wounded (Telegram, December 5, 2019).
• On December 9, 2019, an IED was activated against an Iraqi Federal Police vehicle about 35 km southwest of Kirkuk. The passengers were killed or wounded (Telegram, December 10, 2019).
• On December 9, 2019, an Iraqi police sapper attempted to deactivate an IED planted by ISIS operatives about 40 km southwest of Kirkuk. He was killed (Telegram, December 10, 2019).

Counterterrorist activities by the Iraqi security forces

• The Iraqi security forces (in collaboration with the Popular Mobilization) continue their large-scale security operation to clear northern and western Iraq from ISIS operatives (Operation Will to Victory). This week’s activity focused on the provinces of Salah al-Din, Diyala and Kirkuk. A total of 21 wanted operatives were captured during the operation. According to Iraqi media reports, 18 tunnels and 20 hiding places of ISIS were destroyed, and dozens of IEDs, explosive belts, ammunition and military equipment were seized (Iraqi News Agency, December 9, 2019; al-hashed.net, December 8, 2019; Baladi TV Iraqi channel, December 10, 2019).

    
Right: Iraqi security forces near an ISIS hideout in the Salah al-Din Province (Iraqi News Agency, December 9, 2019). Left: Popular Mobilization fighters searching the mountainous region in the Diyala Province (from the Iraqi Baladi TV channel, December 10, 2019).

• Additional activities of the Iraqi security forces:
  • On December 7, 2019, Iraqi police intelligence forces captured four ISIS operatives, including two commanders. At first, an ISIS operative in the Nineveh Province was captured. His interrogation led to another ISIS operative being captured in the Tikrit District (about 150 km north of Baghdad), in the Salah al-Din Province. In addition, two commanders were captured in the Kirkuk Province (Al-Sumaria, December 7, 2019).
  • On December 9, 2019, the Iraqi security forces captured two ISIS operatives in the Diyala Province. The two had carried out terrorist operations against the Iraqi security forces and against civilians (Al-Sumaria, December 9, 2019).

The Sinai Peninsula

A series of attacks against posts and checkpoints in Rafah

This week, there was an increase in the scope of ISIS’s attacks against the Egyptian security forces. ISIS operatives attacked posts and checkpoints and planted IEDs against the Egyptian security forces from Rafah in the east to Bir al-Abd (west of Al-Arish) in the west.

• At the center of ISIS’s activity this week was a series of coordinated attacks against Egyptian army posts and checkpoints in Rafah and on the outskirts of Sheikh Zuweid, which was carried out on December 8, 2019. ISIS operatives reportedly attempted to penetrate into the Al-Ahrash military compound which belongs to the Central Security apparatus in Rafah. In addition, attacks were carried out against Egyptian army checkpoints and vehicles in Sheikh Zuweid (Shahed Sinaa Facebook page, December 8, 2019). According to an unverified report, an Egyptian Border Police sergeant was killed in the Al-Ahrash checkpoint after killing two terrorists who were trying to blow up themselves on that checkpoint (“Being an Egyptian and proud of that” @Allas43581633 Twitter account, December 10, 2019).
• ISIS’s Sinai Province announced that on December 8, 2019, its operatives had attacked an Egyptian army checkpoint west of Rafah by small arms fire and RPG rockets. Three soldiers and an officer were killed (Telegram, December 8, 9, 2019).

Additional ISIS operations

• On December 5, 2019, an IED was activated against an Egyptian army armored vehicle in the Al-Ahrash neighborhood in Rafah. An officer and five soldiers were wounded. The armored vehicle was destroyed (Shahed Sinaa Facebook page, December 5, 2019; ISIS reported a similar incident in the same area on December 4, 2019).
• On December 7, 2019, an Egyptian soldier was targeted by ISIS sniper fire west of Rafah. He was killed (Telegram, December 8, 2019).
• On December 9, 2019, an IED was activated against an Egyptian army vehicle near a checkpoint west of Rafah. The passengers were killed or wounded (Telegram, December 10, 2019).
• On December 9, 2019, an IED was activated against an Egyptian army tank 32 km west of Al-Arish. The crew members were killed or wounded (Telegram, December 10, 2019).
• On November 9, 2019, an IED was activated against an Egyptian army foot patrol on the coastal highway east of Bir al-Abd. Several soldiers were killed or wounded (Telegram, December 10, 2019).
• On December 9, 2019, an IED was activated against an Egyptian army bulldozer south of Rafah, killing the soldier or soldiers inside (Telegram, December 10, 2019).
• On December 10, 2019, an IED was activated against an Egyptian army vehicle about 45 km west of Al-Arish. The passengers were wounded (Telegram, December 10, 2019).
• On December 10, 2019, an IED was activated against an Egyptian army bulldozer about 4 km southwest of Sheikh Zuweid. Another IED was activated against an Egyptian army vehicle that arrived to offer assistance. The passengers were killed or wounded (Telegram, December 10, 2019).

Counterterrorism and preventive activity

• According to a report by the Egyptian Interior Ministry, the National Security Service obtained intelligence indicating that a squad of “terrorist operatives” (i.e., ISIS operatives) was present in the Jalbana area in the northern Sinai Peninsula (west of Al-Arish). According to the report, the squad planned to carry out a series of attacks against the Egyptian security forces in this area. On December 5, 2019, three “terrorist operatives” riding a motorcycle in the Jalbana area were surrounded by Egyptian police, who opened fire at them. The three “terrorist operatives” were killed. Two Kalashnikovs and ammunition were found in their possession (Al-Youm al-Sabea, December 5, 2019).

Summary of the three months of ISIS’s activity in Sinai

• This week ISIS’s Al-Naba’ weekly published an infographic summing up about three months of activity of the Sinai Province (from August 31 to November 27, 2019). According to the infographic, the Sinai Province carried out 60 attacks in this period, in which 150 people were killed and wounded. The activity took the form of activating IEDs (31 attacks); launching rockets [probably RPGs] (9 instances); sniper fire (6); light weapons fire (4); launching mortar shells (4); raids and attacks (3); taking prisoners and executions (2) and one ambush (Akhbar al-Muslimeen, December 5, 2019).

ISIS’s activity around the globe

Africa

Nigeria

ISIS’s activity in Borno State

• ISIS’s activity continued in Borno State in northeastern Nigeria:
  • On December 3, 2019, ISIS operatives carried out attacks against several villages in Borno State. In these attacks, 30 government buildings and homes of senior government officials were set on fire (Telegram, December 4, 2019).
  • On December 4, 2019, ISIS operatives set up a roadblock on the road between Maiduguri and Mainok, about 55 km west of the city of Maiduguri. Six Nigerian soldiers and eight Christians, including two Red Cross workers^[1], were taken prisoner by ISIS (Telegram, December 4, 2019).
  • On December 7, 2019, ISIS operatives activated an IED against a Nigerian army vehicle near the village of Mainok, in Borno State (Telegram, August 26, 2019). The vehicle was destroyed and its passengers were killed (Telegram, December 7, 2019).
  • On December 8, 2019, ISIS’s Amaq News Agency released a video documenting the execution of three Nigerian policemen in Borno State, in northeastern Nigeria (Telegram, December 8, 2019).

Counterterrorist activities by the Nigerian security forces

• According to Nigerian army sources, as part of a Nigerian army operation in the Lake Chad area on the Niger-Chad-Cameroon border, 37 Boko Haram operatives were killed. The operatives belong to ISIS’s West Africa Province (which is ISIS’s main center of operations in Nigeria). Hiding places and vehicles used by these operatives were also destroyed in the operation (BBC, December 9, 2019).

Murder of Christian residents and priests by ISIS

• ISIS operatives in northeastern Nigeria systematically harass Christian residents. Up to now, they have murdered thousands of Catholic residents. ISIS’s Amaq News Agency released a video showing two evangelical priests being executed by ISIS operatives (August 22, 2019). The two priests who were executed were reportedly members of the Church of Christ in Nigeria, (COCIN), in Plateau State in central Nigeria. They had gone to Maiduguri to help build shelters for residents who had been forced to leave their homes as a result of radical Islamic violence.
• The video shows one of the ISIS operatives who executed the priests saying, in the local Hausa language, that they “vowed to kill any Christian that they caught, in revenge for the killing of Muslims in previous religious conflicts in Nigeria.” In this context, an international aid agency (established by Christians) by the name of Mercy Corps has reportedly suspended its operations in Borno and Yobe states in northeastern Nigeria, after the Nigerian army shut down four of its branches in the area without explanation (christianitytoday.com, October 1, 2019).

Mozambique

• On December 6, 2019, operatives of ISIS’s Central Africa Province attacked a Mozambican army camp in a village in the Cabo Delgado region of northeastern Mozambique. There was an exchange of fire. A total of 16 Mozambican soldiers were killed, another soldier was taken prisoner, and weapons and military equipment were seized. The attackers set fire to the Mozambican army camp and the homes of Mozambican army supporters (Telegram, December 6, 2019).

    
Right: The Cabo Delgado area in northeastern Mozambique where a Mozambican army camp was attacked (Google Maps). Left: Mozambican army vehicle commandeered by ISIS operatives (Telegram, December 9, 2019)

Libya Province

• On December 4, the Libya Province released a video including documentation of attacks on the towns of Sabha, Ghadwa and Al-Fuqaha in central Libya (see map), in which dozens of fighters participated. These towns appear virtually deserted, apart from a handful of residents and security personnel. The video includes brutal executions of members of the local security forces who were detained by ISIS (Akhbar al-Muslimeen, December 4, 2019).
• It is unclear whether these attacks took place recently. However, they may indicate the restoration of ISIS’s operational capabilities in central and southern Libya. From a propaganda perspective, in the ITIC’s assessment, the fact that the video was released now is intended to bring the Libya Province back into the public eye after its defeat in Libya around three years ago. The cruelty of the executions (beheading) seen in the video is intended to deter the local security forces and the residents who collaborate with them.

The attack on the town of Al-Fuqaha

    
Right: ISIS operatives setting fire to the Al-Fuqaha local town guard (Akhbar al-Muslimeen, December 4, 2019). Left: ISIS operatives executing members of the security forces who arrived on the scene (Akhbar al-Muslimeen, December 4, 2019)

The attack on the town of Ghadwa

    
Right: Breaking into a house in Ghadwa. Left: The house being set on fire
(Akhbar al-Muslimeen, December 4, 2019)

    
Right: Shooting, apparently at the local security forces in the town of Ghadwa (Akhbar al-Muslimeen, December 4, 2019). Left: ISIS operatives leaving the town of Ghadwa and driving into the desert on SUVs (Akhbar al-Muslimeen, December 4, 2019)

ISIS’s Libya Province suffered a severe blow with the fall of the Sirte control area in December 2016. However, ISIS was not eradicated from Libya and its activity was relocated to the central and southern parts of the country. In the past year, there have been reports of attempts by the Libya Province to reorganize, in light of the country’s shaky security situation, especially in the south. The activity of the Libya Province is apparently concentrated in the Sabha region and in mountainous areas in central Libya. According to an estimate from 2018, ISIS’s Libya Province numbers 3,000-4,000 operatives (undocs.org, May 4, 2019; Asharq Al-Awsat, October 17, 2019; The Washington Post, November 24, 2019).

Somalia

• On December 3, 2019, a member of the Somali security forces in the Bakara market in the capital Mogadishu was targeted by gunfire and was killed (Telegram, December 4, 2019).
• On December 9, 2019, two Somali policemen were shot at in the city of Bosaso on the shores of the Gulf of Aden (northeastern Somalia). Both policemen were killed (Telegram, December 9, 2019).

Afghanistan

Operatives of the Khorasan Province in Nangarhar and their families continue to turn themselves in to the Afghan security forces. In view of the collapse in Nangarhar, ISIS’s Khorasan Province is maintaining media silence and refraining from commenting on incidents or claiming responsibility for attacks.

• On December 5, 2019, official Afghan sources reported that in the past week, around 100 other ISIS operatives and their families had turned themselves in to the Afghan government security forces. So far, a total of 1,450 ISIS operatives and their families have reportedly surrendered to the security forces since the beginning of the campaign against ISIS about a month ago (Afghan news site Salaam Times, December 6, 2019).

Pakistan

• On December 3, 2019, an IED was activated against a Pakistani intelligence operative in the Mohmand Agency area in Peshawar, about 40 km east of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. He was killed (Telegram, December 4, 2019).
• On December 8, 2019, a Pakistani intelligence operative was targeted by gunfire in Balochistan, about 30 km southwest of Quetta (about 45 km east of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border). He was wounded (Telegram, December 8, 2019).

Bangladesh

• On December 5, 2019, an IED was activated against a Bangladesh Police motorcycle garage near the city of Khulna (Bangladesh’s third largest city) in southwestern Bangladesh. Several motorcycles were damaged (Telegram, December 6, 2019).

Yemen

The area of Qifah in the Al-Bayda Province

• ISIS’s activity continues against Al-Qaeda in the Qifah area, in northwestern Al-Bayda Province (about 100 km southeast of Sana’a). The main ISIS activity this week was:
  • On December 4, 2019, an Al-Qaeda position in the Qifah area was targeted by machinegun fire. An Al-Qaeda operative was killed and another was wounded (Telegram, December 6, 2019).
  • On December 7, 2019, Al-Qaeda operatives attempted to neutralize an IED planted by ISIS in the Qifah area. Two Al-Qaeda operatives were wounded (Telegram, December 7, 2019).
  •  On December 8, 2019, mortar shells were launched at Al-Qaeda operatives in the Qifah area. An Al-Qaeda operative was killed and others were wounded (Telegram, December 9, 2019).

End of an ISIS artillery course in the Al-Bayda Province

• ISIS announced the completion of the training of its artillery operatives. Based on the photos that were published, the training apparently focused on mortar shell operation (Telegram, December 9, 2019).

    
Right: ISIS operative (probably a course instructor). Left: Trainees during a course session (Telegram, December 9, 2019).

The Aden-Abyan Region

• On December 7, 2019, Muhammad Saleh, a commander in the forces loyal to the United Arab Emirates, was targeted by light arms fire. He was killed (Telegram, December 7, 2019).

     
Right: Muhammad Saleh, a commander affiliated with the UAE, shortly before he was shot dead by an ISIS operative in the Al-Mansura area in Aden. Left: ISIS operative firing a light weapon at Muhammad Saleh (Telegram, December 7, 2019)

The battle for hearts and minds

About two weeks after a large-scale operation by Telegram’s management, in cooperation with Interpol, to shut down groups of ISIS-affiliated entities, it is evident that new accounts have filled the gap that was created, and ISIS has resumed its regular media activity.

^[1] The Red Cross supports five medical centers in Borno State, in order to provide first aid. Its activity in this area faces difficulties in view of the deteriorating security situation. ↑

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