Spotlight on Global Jihad (May 13-20, 2021)

Main events of the past week

• This week, at the end of the month of Ramadan, there was a decrease in ISIS’s activity in the various arenas around the globe. ISIS’s media outlets published several summaries of its recent activity. The summaries indicate an increase in the number of attacks carried out by ISIS in the various provinces since the beginning of the month of Ramadan, particularly in Iraq and Africa.
• Syria: In the desert region (Al-Badia), ISIS operatives ambushed a Syrian army convoy. Two vehicles and a motorcycle were destroyed and those on board were killed or wounded. In the Deir ez-Zor-Al-Mayadeen region, ISIS operatives continued to attack the Kurdish SDF forces. The SDF forces detained 40 ISIS operatives in the region. In southern Syria, ISIS continued its activity in the Daraa region against the security forces and the Syrian army.
• This week, there was a significant decrease in the scope of ISIS’s activity in Iraq. Most of the attacks took the form of gunfire and activating IEDs, targeting the Iraqi security forces and the forces supporting them. In Africa as well, there was a decrease in ISIS’s activity this week. Most of the activity focused on attacking Nigerian and Congolese army and security forces.
• Operation Guardian of the Walls in the Gaza Strip and the issue of Jerusalem elicited a variety of statements by jihadist organizations around the globe. Various officials, mainly those affiliated with Al-Qaeda, called for action against Israel and against Jews around the globe. In a statement issued by Al-Qaeda’s central leadership in support of the Palestinians (“the guards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque”), the organization refers to the generation born after 1967 as “a generation that does not fear death” and a “generation that longs for death as a shaheed for the sake of Allah,” a generation on which “Allah will bestow the honor to carry out jihad against the Jews” and take control over the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Syrian arena

The Idlib region

• During the week, exchanges of artillery fire continued almost daily between the Syrian army and the forces supporting it, and the rebel forces. On May 12, 2021, Russian fighter jets attacked rebel targets in the southwestern part of the rebel enclave in Idlib (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, May 12, 2021).

The desert region (Al-Badia)

• ISIS operatives attacked a Syrian army convoy. At the same time, three IEDs were activated in the Al-Sukhnah Desert, about 120 km southwest of Deir ez-Zor. Two vehicles and a motorcycle were destroyed and the soldiers on board were killed or wounded. On May 14-15, 2021, Russian fighter jets carried out intensive airstrikes against ISIS targets in the desert region. A total of 13 ISIS operatives were killed and several ISIS vehicles were destroyed (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, May 15, 2021).

The Deir ez-Zor-Al-Mayadeen region

• ISIS continued its attacks against the Kurdish SDF forces operating in the area, although this week there has been a decrease in the scope of the attacks. In counterterrorist activity carried out by the SDF forces, they detained 40 ISIS operatives in the Deir ez-Zor rural area (RUDAW, May 13, 2021).
• The following are details about some of the attacks, according to ISIS’s claims of responsibility:
  • On May 19, 2021, an SDF local council member was targeted by gunfire in the village of Jazrat, west of Deir ez-Zor. He was killed.
  • On May 18, 2021, an IED was activated against an SDF vehicle in the Basira region, about 15 km north of Al-Mayadeen. The passengers on board were killed or wounded. On the same day, several IEDs were activated against the SDF headquarters in the Basira region. It was destroyed.
  • On May 18, 2021, an IED was activated against an SDF vehicle northwest of Deir ez-Zor. One SDF fighter was killed and three others were wounded.
  • On May 12, 2021, the SDF headquarters in Jazrat, in the Deir ez-Zor rural area, was targeted by machine gun fire. One SDF fighter was wounded. On the same day, an SDF vehicle was targeted by gunfire in the Sabha region, about 25 km southeast of Deir ez-Zor. The passengers were wounded.

The Al-Raqqah region

• On May 14, 2021, IEDs were activated against SDF vehicles. One of the IEDs was activated west of Al-Raqqah, and the other close to the Aaid Prison, west of Tabqa. Two SDF fighters were killed and several others were wounded.

Al-Hasakah region

• In two separate incidents (May 11 and 17, 2021), ISIS fired at an SDF roadblock in the Markada region, about 90 km south of Al-Hasakah. Two SDF fighters were killed and several others were wounded

Southern Syria

• On May 18, 2021, two fighters of a Shiite militia were targeted by gunfire east of Daraa. They were both killed.
• On May 14, 2021, a vehicle of the Syrian Military Security Apparatus was targeted by gunfire in Da’el, north of Daraa. All the passengers were killed or wounded. On the same day, ISIS operatives shot and killed two Syrian regime security personnel in Nawa, on the outskirts of Daraa.

The Iraqi arena

• This week as well, ISIS operatives carried out attacks in the various provinces in Iraq, although there was a decrease in the number of the attacks. The Iraqi security forces continued their counterterrorism measures against ISIS in the various provinces. The following is a list of attacks, mostly according to ISIS’s claims of responsibility.

Diyala Province

• On May 13, 2021, a Tribal Mobilization fighter was abducted west of Khanaqin. He was interrogated and then executed.

Salah al-Din Province

• On May 11, 2021, a rocket was fired at a Popular Mobilization outpost on the Baiji-Haditha road. No casualties were reported.

• On May 11, 2021, an Iraqi army vehicle and bulldozer were targeted by gunfire in Yathrib, about 40 km southeast of Samarra. Two soldiers were wounded.

Al-Anbar Province

• On May 18, 2021, an Iraqi soldier was targeted by gunfire east of Al-Rutba, in western Iraq. He was killed.
• On May 17, 2021, an IED was activated against an Iraqi army vehicle near Haditha, in western Iraq. All the passengers on board were killed or wounded.
• On May 12, 2021, an IED was activated against a Tribal Mobilization vehicle on the international highway east of Al-Rutba. All the passengers on board were killed or wounded.
• On May 12, 2021, an Iraqi soldier was targeted by gunfire on the Nukheib-Arar road, in southwestern Iraq. He was killed.

Nineveh Province

• On May 18, 2021, an IED was activated against a group of Iraqi soldiers west of Mosul. One soldier was killed and three others were wounded.

Counterterrorism in Iraq

Nineveh Province

• The Iraqi security forces announced the arrest of ISIS’s operative in charge of the attacks in the Rabi’a area, in the western Nineveh Province, and ISIS’s operative in charge of manufacturing IEDs. The two were arrested while they were crossing the border from Syria to Iraq (Al-Hurra, May 17, 2021). Eight ISIS operatives were killed southeast of Mosul in an operation by the Iraqi counterterrorism unit (Al-Sumaria, May 17, 2021). The Iraqi Air Force destroyed tunnels used by ISIS east of Mosul (Al-Sumaria, May 17, 2021).

Diyala Province

• International Coalition planes destroyed five ISIS outposts in the Hamrin region, about 50 km northwest of Baqubah (Al-Sumaria, May 15, 2021).

The Sinai Peninsula

• On May 18, 2021, ISIS operatives fired five mortars shells at an Egyptian army camp east of Al-Arish. Several soldiers were wounded.

Summary of ISIS’s activity in the various provinces

• This week, ISIS’s media outlets released several summaries of ISIS’s recent activity, indicating an increase in the number of ISIS’s attacks in the various provinces since the beginning of Ramadan, especially in Iraq and Africa:
  • Infographic summing up ISIS’s activity in May 6-13, 2021: During this period, ISIS operatives carried out 131 attacks in the various provinces in Asia and Africa, compared to 81 in the previous week. The largest number of attacks was carried out in Iraq (62). The attacks carried out in the other provinces: Syria (30); Khorasan, i.e., Afghanistan (16); West Africa (9); Sinai (7); Central Africa (5); Pakistan (1); India (1) (ISIS’s Al-Naba’ weekly, Telegram, May 15, 2021). According to the infographic, 217 people were killed or wounded in the attacks, compared to 168 in the previous week. The largest number of casualties was in West Africa (69). The other casualties were in the following provinces: Iraq (68); Syria (34); Khorasan, i.e., Afghanistan (23); Sinai (9); India (6); Central Africa (5); Pakistan (3) (Al-Naba’ weekly, Telegram, May 15, 2021).

• Infographic summing up ISIS’s activity in Syria and Iraq in the last month (April 13 – May 13, 2021). According to the infographic, 201 attacks were carried out in Iraq and 79 in Syria. A total of 315 people were killed or wounded in Iraq and 122 in Syria. The most active provinces were Kirkuk in Iraq and Deir ez-Zor in Syria. In addition, 14 high-voltage pylons were allegedly damaged in Syria and Iraq, as well as 19 homes and farms (Telegram, May 15, 2021).

• Infographic summing up ISIS’s activity during the month of Ramadan: According to the infographic, during Ramadan, ISIS carried out 361 attacks, killing and wounding 746 people. The highest number of casualties was in the Iraq Province (315 people), followed by the provinces of West Africa (191); Syria (122); Khorasan, i.e., Afghanistan (69); Central Africa (25); Sinai (9); India (8); Pakistan (7) (Al-Naba’ weekly, Telegram, May 15, 2021).

Africa

Nigeria

• On May 10, 2021, a Nigerian army camp was attacked in the Ajiri region, about 15 km south of Maiduguri, in northeastern Nigeria. There were exchanges of fire and several soldiers were killed or wounded. ISIS operatives seized weapons and ammunition. On the same day, two IEDs were activated against a Nigerian army foot patrol moving between Marte, about 40 km west of the Nigeria-Cameroon border, and Dikwa, about 50 km from the Nigerian-Cameroon border, in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria. Several soldiers were killed or wounded.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

• On May 13, 2021, vehicles of the Congolese army and UN forces were ambushed and targeted by rocket fire in the Kasundi region on the Congo-Uganda border, about 50 km southeast of Beni. All those on board were killed or wounded.
• On May 13, 2021, a camp of the Congolese army and the Ugandan and Kenyan forces supporting it was attacked in the Rwenzori region of eastern Congo, not far from the border with Uganda. There were exchanges of fire and several soldiers were wounded. ISIS operatives seized weapons and ammunition. On the same day, another camp was attacked in Nagaka, in the Beni region, about 50 km west of the Congo-Uganda border. There was an exchange of fire, the soldiers in the camp fled and the ISIS operatives seized weapons and ammunition.

Tunisia

• Tunisian security forces operating near the border with Algeria killed five operatives of the Uqba bin Nafe Battalions, an organization affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb. Three of them were Tunisian and the other two were Algerian (thearabweekly.com, May 18, 2021).

Asia

Afghanistan

• This week, ISIS continued to carry out attacks against infrastructure targets such as high-voltage pylons and oil and fuel tankers. This was part of what ISIS calls its economic war against the authorities. Following are several noteworthy attacks, according to ISIS’s claims of responsibility:
• On May 14, 2021, an IED was activated against a Sufi mosque in Kabul. The imam of the mosque, an opponent of ISIS, was killed along with 10 worshipers. About 40 people were wounded.
• On May 14, 2021, IEDs were activated against four high-voltage pylons north of Kabul. On the same day, a high-voltage pylon in the city of Kabul was also sabotaged. The power supply was cut off and material damage was caused.
• On May 13, 2021, an IED was activated against a group of policemen in Kabul. Ten policemen were killed or wounded.
• On May 13, 2021, an IED was activated against a group of members of the Hazara Shiite minority in the Kunduz region, near the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border. Several people were killed or wounded. When Afghan police arrived at the scene, an IED was activated against them. Three policemen were killed, and several other members of the Hazara minority who arrived at the scene were wounded.

India

• Grenades were thrown at an Indian army checkpoint at Srinagar, in Kashmir. Material damage was caused.
• ISIS’s India Province released documentation of a Hindu place of worship in Srinagar in Kashmir being set on fire (Telegram, May 19, 2021). It was not specified when the incident took place, but it was apparently during the past week. It should be noted that ISIS considers Hindus to be infidels.

The battle for hearts and minds

Comments on the events in Israel

• The IDF’s Operation Guardian of the Walls in the Gaza Strip and the clashes in Jerusalem elicited a variety of statements from jihadist organizations around the globe. Various officials, mainly those affiliated with Al-Qaeda, called for action against Israel and against Jews around the globe.
• Al-Qaeda’s central leadership issued a statement in support of the Palestinians (“the guards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque”). In the statement, the organization refers to the generation born after 1967 as “a generation that does not fear death” and a “generation that longs for death as a shaheed for the sake of Allah,” a generation on which “Allah will bestow the honor to carry out jihad against the Jews” and take control over the Al-Aqsa Mosque. According to the statement, the events in Jerusalem led to the reaction of the “jihad fighters” in Gaza and, together with the rest of the Muslims in Palestine, they launched a third Al-Aqsa Intifada.
• According to the statement, Al-Qaeda operatives learn patience, steadfastness and jihad from the Palestinians. It also claims that Al-Qaeda operatives are fighting against the same enemy in many arenas, as part of the war against the Zionists and the “Crusaders” (i.e., the Christian West). The statement also called on all jihad fighters everywhere to attack the Jews and lie in wait for the Zionists (website of Ayman Jawad al-Tamimi, researcher of Islamic movements, May 17, 2021).
• Following are additional comments:
  • Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) called on the Palestinians to “shed the blood of the Jews” and on Muslims in general to attack Israeli embassies and Jewish interests around the globe (MEMRI, May 8, 2021).
  • HTS, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda in Syria, issued a statement that it perceives the incidents in Al-Aqsa and Sheikh Jarrah and Israel’s “aggression against Gaza” during the month of Ramadan as provocation against Muslims around the globe. HTS called on Muslims to support the Palestinians. The statement also noted that in its war against the Syrian regime, HTS draws inspiration from the Palestinians, especially in everything related to motivation and prolonged steadfastness “against the occupier.” The statement also expressed condolences on the deaths of the Palestinians “who defended the first direction of prayer [of Islam, i.e., Jerusalem] and the place from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.” The statement ends with a prayer beseeching Allah to assist the people of Syria and the Palestinians and to grant them victory over their enemies (Telegram, May 11, 2021).

• On May 10, 2021, the Salafi Army of the Nation in Jerusalem, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated Salafist-jihadi organization operating in the Gaza Strip, issued a claim of responsibility for launching rockets at the Gaza envelope area (Telegram, May 10, 2021). At the same time, the organization continues to raise funds through Bitcoin (www.aymennjawad.org, May 12, 2021).
• The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab in Somalia issued a statement that the people of Jerusalem and Gaza had once again demonstrated “the spirit of jihad, sacrifice and steadfastness.” The organization rejected any normalization with Israel and claimed that there could be no peace agreement between the Islamic nation and the “sons of monkeys and pigs” (a derogatory name for the Jews used by Muslim anti-Semites). The statement also expressed gratitude for the solidarity with the Palestinians displayed by Muslims around the globe (Telegram, May 18, 2021).

Related Articles