Spotlight on Global Jihad (August 19-25, 2021)

Main events of the past week

• Afghanistan: While ISIS displays a criticizing approach towards the events in Afghanistan in an article published in its weekly, the Al-Qaeda-affiliated HTS congratulated the Taliban on the takeover of Afghanistan. It should be noted that Al-Qaeda, which collaborated with the Taliban, has a massive presence in Afghanistan and many of its operatives were released from prison, while ISIS has been active against the Taliban as well. A senior researcher at the Middle East Institute has warned of an increase in ISIS and Al-Qaeda attacks in Afghanistan, especially against the US forces during the evacuation. In fact, no ISIS activity was identified in Afghanistan.
• In ISIS’s other provinces as well, there was relatively little activity this week.
  • Syria: There was a significant decrease in ISIS’s activity. One noteworthy incident was the killing of a commander of the Kurdish internal security forces west of Deir ez-Zor. The SDF forces continued their counterterrorism operations, detaining several ISIS operatives.
  • Iraq: There was also a decrease in ISIS’s activity in Iraq. There were noteworthy attacks in the Kirkuk, Diyala and Salah al-Din provinces. Most of the attacks were carried out against forces of the Iraqi army and the organizations supporting it. The Iraqi security forces continued their counterterrorism operations in the various provinces of Iraq.
  • The Sinai Peninsula: Most of the attacks consisted of sniper fire at the Egyptian security forces and were carried out in the New Rafah region. Egyptian fighter jets carried out several airstrikes against ISIS targets in the Sheikh Zuweid region.
  • Africa: There was also a significant decrease in the number of attacks in Africa. In Libya, a car bomb was detonated near a Libyan army post near the city of Zillah, about 500 km southwest of Benghazi. Several soldiers were wounded in the explosion, which also caused material damage.
  • Asia: There was an increase in the volume of activity of ISIS’s East Asia Province in the Philippines. The epicenter of the activity was the Munai region, in the northern part of the island of Mindanao, in the south of the country. Virtually no activity by ISIS was identified in other Asian countries.

Afghanistan

ISIS’s reaction to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan

• This week’s feature article in ISIS’s Al-Naba’ weekly is entitled “In the end they promoted the mullah ‘Bradley’^[1]!” The article is devoted to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the US pullback. The author mentions the cooperation between the Taliban and the US during the takeover of the country. The following are the main points raised in the article (Al-Naba’ weekly, Telegram, August 19, 2021):
• The fall of Afghanistan into the hands of the Taliban stems from complete coordination with the United States: The fall of Afghanistan into the hands of the Taliban is a natural result, knowingly and willingly, of those who signed the agreement (the Taliban and the US). The US previously overthrew the Taliban regime and has now brought it back into power. There was direct coordination between the Taliban and the US during their advance towards Kabul. The US even handed over the capital Kabul to the Taliban without a single bullet being fired. The evacuation of thousands of American soldiers (the “Crusaders”) and agents was carried out in an atmosphere of absolute trust between the two sides. This was actually a peaceful transfer of power from one tyrant to another.
• ISIS’s path is the right path: Whenever ISIS looked at the methods that promoted the new version of the Taliban, its certainty in the righteousness of the path paved by the Islamic State increased. Support for Islam does not pass through the hotels in Qatar or the embassies of Russia, China and Iran. The victory signed by the United States under the auspices of Qatar and welcomed by the [Muslim] Brotherhood is a false victory. The Taliban is now in power without its ideology being realized.
• Criticism of Hamas: The author refers to Hamas as “abandoning Islam” and criticizes it for having congratulated the Taliban for the first time ever, and for publishing photos documenting a meeting of Hamas leaders with a Taliban delegation in Doha, Qatar.

   
Official photos released by Hamas from a senior meeting with a senior Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in May 2021 (Hamas website in Arabic, August 17, 2021)

• Accusing Qatar and Al-Jazeera of promoting the Taliban’s agenda: “It is no coincidence that all the sides that fought in the Islamic State are the ones promoting the penultimate version of the Taliban, which has been modified and altered in the studios [a reference to Al-Jazeera] in Doha.”
• Accusing the United States of double standards: The author accuses the US of supplying weapons to the Afghan army that were seized by the Taliban and used by thousands its operatives, at a time when US warplanes were carrying out airstrikes against ISIS operatives in the deserts of Libya and Somalia.

Congratulations by HTS

• On August 18, 2021, the Al-Qaeda-affiliated HTS published a leaflet entitled “Congratulations to the Taliban and the Afghan people.” The leaflet also congratulates the Afghan people on the victory and notes that they were very happy to hear about the victories of their Taliban relatives in Afghanistan and that their country has now been liberated from the occupation by the US and its agents. According to the leaflet, the HTS operatives in Syria draw inspiration from what is happening in Afghanistan and strengthen their steadfast stand. This is in view of the events that indicate adherence to the option of resistance and jihad, until liberty and dignity are attained and are manifested in the overthrow of the Afghan regime and its allies. The leaflet expresses hope that this victory will be a lesson and opportunity for the international community and the other countries that remain silent about the crimes of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his aides, and will encourage them not to side with Assad but rather with the “free peoples.” The leaflet ends with an expression of hope for a victory of the Syrian revolution (Telegram, August 18, 2021).

  
Right: The leaflet issued by HTS (Telegram, August 18, 2021). Left: A vehicle in Idlib bearing the Taliban flag, with a sign praising its operatives and their victory in Afghanistan (Telegram, August 20, 2021)

New threats and a far more dangerous environment in Afghanistan

• In an article by Charles Lister, Senior Fellow, Director of Syria and Countering Terrorism & Extremism programs at the Middle East Institute, he warns of new terrorist threats in Afghanistan. He writes that as evacuation efforts by the United States and its allies at Kabul airport ramp up, so too have terrorist threats to the airport and its airspace. For at least 48 hours, intelligence has indicated an “acute” and “persistent” threat of attacks by ISIS’s branch in Afghanistan, known as Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP). The ISIS-linked terrorist threat underlines the complexity of the jihadist dynamic in Afghanistan, as ISKP is explicitly hostile and in conflict with the Taliban. To destabilize Kabul and heighten tensions between NATO states and the Taliban around the airport would sit squarely within ISIS’s playbook.
• With regard to Al-Qaeda, the author writes that President Joe Biden claimed that Al-Qaeda was “gone” from Afghanistan, though United Nations reporting from July claimed that Al-Qaeda was operational in 15 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, while a June report asserted that Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) is “such an essential part of the insurgency” in Afghanistan “that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to separate it from its Taliban allies.” Moreover, when the Taliban captured all major prisons across the country, it appears to have released at least several hundred Al-Qaeda operatives – probably doubling the group’s fighting force in Afghanistan (MEI, August 23, 2021).

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 in the rebel enclave in Idlib (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, August 21, 2021). Since early August 2021, Russian fighter jets reportedly carried out about 50 airstrikes against the rebel organizations in the region (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, August 23, 2021).

ISIS attacks

Deir ez-Zor-Al-Mayadeen region

• Eight armed operatives on motorcycles stormed the home of Ayman al-Azba (Abu Mahyar), commander in the Kurdish interior security forces (Asayish), in central Albu Shams, about 45 km west of Deir ez-Zor. They shot him to death in front of his family. According to eyewitnesses, when they left, they shouted slogans supporting ISIS (SDF-affiliated North Press Agency, August 21, 2021). ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, noting that Ayman al-Azba had been an interrogator in the SDF forces (Telegram, August 20, 2021).

Counterterrorism operations

• SDF counterterrorism units, with Global Coalition air support, detained two ISIS operatives in Diban, about 5 km east of Al-Mayadeen. The two were involved in targeted killings and attacks against military positions, recruited operatives for ISIS, and facilitated the movement of ISIS operatives. During the operation, the forces found equipment and documents in their possession (SDF Press, August 24, 2021).
• Special SDF units acting on intelligence received from Global Coalition aircraft detained an ISIS operative in Jdeidat Akidat, about 12 km southeast of Deir ez-Zor. The detained operative had been responsible for smuggling and dispatching ISIS operatives, collecting funds, and providing ISIS cells with weapons and ammunition. Weapons and additional equipment were found in his possession (SDF Press, August 22, 2021).

The Iraqi arena

Attacks by province^[2]

Kirkuk Province

• On August 22, 2021, an IED was activated against an Iraqi federal police vehicle near Al-Khasha, about 30 km south of Kirkuk. The vehicle was put out of commission.
• On August 20, 2021, an IED was activated against an Iraqi army vehicle southeast of Tuz Khormato, about 70 km south of Kirkuk. The passengers on board were killed.
• On August 20, 2021, an Iraqi federal police compound was targeted by gunfire near Al-Mahdia, about 30 km southwest of Kirkuk. A policeman was wounded.
• On August 19, 2021, a Tribal Mobilization compound was targeted by gunfire and rockets near Al-Daba, about 30 km southwest of Kirkuk. Two fighters were killed and another was wounded. A short while afterwards, three mortar shells were fired at the same area.

Al-Anbar Province (western Iraq)

• On August 18, 2021, an Iraqi army foot patrol was targeted by gunfire while combing the Al-Akaba region near Hit, about 135 km northwest of Baghdad. Two soldiers were killed and another was wounded.

Salah al-Din Province

• On August 23, 2021, a foot patrol of the Iraqi Interior Ministry’s commando forces was targeted by gunfire about 100 km north of Baghdad. One fighter was killed and several others were wounded, including the deputy of the official in charge of intelligence in the Salah al-Din Province.
• On August 20, 2021, an IED was activated against a Popular Mobilization vehicle in Al-Tha’er, in the Mashahida region, about 20 km north of Baghdad. The vehicle was destroyed. A rescue force arriving at the scene was targeted by gunfire. Seven fighters as well as a deputy foj commander (a foj is a military unit whose size is between a battalion and a brigade) were killed, and three others were wounded.
• On August 19, 2021, a joint force of the Iraqi federal police and the Popular Mobilization was targeted by gunfire in Al-Ghazilia, about 30 km north of Baghdad. Three fighters were killed and two others were wounded.

Diyala Province

• On August 23, 2021, an emergency police compound was targeted by gunfire in Jalabi, about 15 km northeast of Baqubah. An officer with the rank of naqib (captain) and one of his escorts were killed. His vehicle was put out of commission.
• On August 18, 2021, an IED was activated against an Iraqi army vehicle south of the Bahraz region, about 5 km south of Baqubah. The passengers were killed or wounded. One of the wounded was an officer with the rank of ra’ed (major).
• On August 16, 2021, an Iraqi army compound was targeted by gunfire in Al-Ali, about 35 km northeast of Baqubah. Four soldiers were killed and another was wounded.

Karbala Province

• Several IEDs were activated against a high-voltage pylon in the Karbala Province. Two high-voltage power lines were put out of commission but the pylon itself did not collapse (Iraq News Agency, August 19, 2021).

Counterterrorism measures in Iraq

Al-Anbar Province

• On August 21, 2021, Iraqi army forces, acting on intelligence, ambushed and detained a wanted ISIS operative in the Al-Rutba district, in the western Al-Anbar Province (Iraqi News Agency, August 21, 2021).
• On August 21, 2021, Iraqi army forces located an ISIS IED cache in the Al-Zawiya region, in the Iraqi part of the Syrian Desert, about 200 km northwest of Baghdad. The cache contained several dozen IEDs of various types. Iraqi army sapper teams neutralized the IEDs in a controlled manner (Iraqi News Agency, August 21, 2021).

Nineveh Province

• On August 18, 2021, the Iraqi security forces, acting on intelligence, detained four wanted ISIS operatives in the Zummar region, about 50 km northwest of Mosul (Iraqi News Agency, August 18, 2021).

The Sinai Peninsula

Egyptian security forces counterterrorism activity

• Fighter jets carried out several airstrikes against ISIS targets in the Sheikh Zuweid region (Shahed Sinaa Facebook page, August 21, 2021).

ISIS’s attacks

• On August 22, 2021, an Egyptian soldier posted at a roadblock south of New Rafah was targeted by sniper fire. He was wounded (Telegram, August 23, 2021).
• On August 20, 2021, a Border Police camp in Rafah was targeted by sniper fire. One soldier was killed and several other people were wounded (Shahed Sinaa Facebook page, August 20, 2021).
• On August 20, 2021, armed operatives of ISIS’s Sinai Province entered central Bir al-Abd looking for wanted collaborators with the Egyptian army (Shahed Sinaa Facebook page, August 20, 2021). In response, the army imposed a lockdown on the village and its environs, prohibited movement during the night and equipped inhabitants collaborating with it with arms, for fear of armed operatives entering the area (Shahed Sinaa Facebook page, August 21, 2021).
• On August 18, 2021, an Egyptian Border Police compound on the Rafah beach was targeted by sniper fire. One fighter was killed and another was wounded (Telegram, August 18, 2021).

Summary of ISIS’s activity in the various provinces

Summary of ISIS’s weekly activity

• According to data from an infographic published by ISIS, summing up its activity around the world in the period between August 12 and August 18, 2021, ISIS carried out 49 attacks in the various provinces in Asia and Africa, compared to 73 attacks in the previous week. The data shows that this week, there has been a 33% decrease in the number of attacks carried out by ISIS operatives in the various provinces. The largest number of attacks was carried out in Iraq (29). Attacks carried out in ISIS’s other provinces: West Africa (6); Sinai (6); Khorasan, i.e., Afghanistan (3); Somalia (2); East Asia (1); Central Africa (1); Syria (1).
• According to the infographic, a total of 78 people were killed or wounded in the attacks, compared to 73 in the previous week. The largest number of casualties was in the Iraq Province (31). The other casualties were in the following provinces: West Africa (20); Sinai (17); Khorasan, i.e. Afghanistan (5); East Asia (2); Somalia (2); Central Africa (1) (Al-Naba’ weekly, Telegram, August 19, 2021).

Africa

Democratic Republic of the Congo

• On August 17, 2021, ISIS operatives ambushed and fired at two trucks of Christian residents in Ituri, in northeastern Congo. One man was killed. They set fire to the two trucks (Telegram, August 18, 2021).

Nigeria

• On August 23, 2021, ISIS released a series of photos showing the activity of the Bureau of Justice (Diwan al-Qada) and the Islamic Police in the sharia court in Nigeria, apparently in Borno State, in northeastern Nigeria, where ISIS is in control (Telegram, August 23, 2021).

   
Right: Activity of the Bureau of Justice and the Islamic police in ISIS’s sharia court in Nigeria. Left: An official holding a legal document at the Bureau of Justice and Islamic Police in ISIS’s sharia court in Nigeria (Telegram, August 23, 2021).

• On August 16, 2021, a Nigerian army roadblock was targeted by gunfire in Dusuman, about 10 km northeast of Maiduguri, in the northeastern part of the country. Two soldiers and two fighters of forces supporting the Nigerian army were killed. A motorcycle and a rocket launcher were seized (Telegram, August 18, 2021).

Somalia

• On August 18, 2021, Mohammad Ahmad Mo’men, a head of a village southeast of Bosaso, in northeastern Somalia, was killed by gunfire (Telegram, August 19, 2021).

Libya

• A car bomb was detonated near a Libyan army position (128th infantry brigade) near the city of Zillah, about 500 km southwest of Benghazi. Several soldiers were wounded in the explosion and damage was caused. The security forces managed to detain the man responsible for the detonation of the car bomb (Al-Ghad YouTube channel, operating from Egypt, August 22, 2021). ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. According to ISIS, a car bomb was detonated against a roadblock of General Haftar’s forces, and soldiers deployed at the roadblock were killed. The roadblock and several vehicles in the area were destroyed (Telegram, August 23, 2021).

 
Right: Vehicles going up in flames following the detonation of a car bomb. Left: The burned out vehicles (Al-Ghad YouTube channel, August 22, 2021).

Asia^[3]

Pakistan

• On August 20, 2021, a person allegedly affiliated with the Pakistani intelligence was targeted by gunfire in the Mamozai region, about 35 km southeast of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. He was killed (Telegram, August 21, 2021).

The Philippines

• This week, there was an increase in the scope of activity of ISIS’s East Asia Province in the Philippines, The epicenter of ISIS’s activity was in the Munai region, in the Lanao del Norte Province in the northern Mindanao Island, in the southern Philippines. Following are the main incidents:
  • August 22, 2021, a Philippine army patrol was attacked in Lindongan. At least three soldiers were killed and several others were wounded. The ground forces were supported by fighter jets, and ISIS’s operatives retreated (Telegram, August 21, 2021).
  • On August 19, 2021, a Philippine army patrol was attacked in a forested area near Bacayawan. Three soldiers were killed (Telegram, August 21, 2021).

^[1] The quotes appear in the original. The name of the Afghan mullah Baradar appears to have been deliberately distorted as Bradley, a US-made armored vehicle named after an American general, thereby emphasizing the cooperation between the Taliban and the United States. ↑
^[2] Mostly according to ISIS’s claims of responsibility posted on Telegram ↑
^[3] According to ISIS’s claims of responsibility posted on Telegram ↑

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