ISIS

Spotlight on Global Jihad (February 25 – March 3, 2021)

Syria: In the Idlib region, exchanges of artillery fire continued between the Syrian army and the forces supporting it, and the rebel forces south of Idlib. Iraq: The main event this week was a car bomb explosion in the western Al-Anbar Province, killing and wounding at least 15 Iraqi soldiers and Tribal Mobilization fighters. Egypt: Three Egyptian soldiers were killed, including an officer with the rank of colonel, when an IED was activated against an Egyptian army foot patrol south of the city of Rafah. Africa: ISIS carried out noteworthy attacks in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Counterterrorism in Europe: In Germany, a Muslim preacher of Iraqi descent was sentenced to prison for recruiting ISIS fighters throughout Germany.
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As part of the battle for hearts and minds, ISIS uses TikTok to spread propaganda messages mainly to a younger audience

Ever since its establishment, ISIS has been well aware of the importance of the battle for hearts and minds to attract operatives to join its ranks and promote its goals, and has been investing extensive resources doing that. In its heyday, ISIS made massive use of all possible platforms on the web: social media, video file-sharing websites, blogs, internet forums, and various websites.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (February 18-24, 2021)

Syria: In the Idlib region, exchanges of artillery fire continued between the Syrian army and the forces supporting it, and the rebel forces. Iraq: This week, the Iraqi security forces continued their counterterrorism activity against ISIS operatives. A number of ISIS operatives were killed in the attack, including senior figures. Africa: The intensive activity of ISIS operatives in Africa continues, with an emphasis on Nigeria. Afghanistan: ISIS claimed responsibility for an exchange of fire in Jalalabad on February 15, 2021, between fighters of an Afghan elite unit and ISIS operatives. Tunisia: ISIS’s Al-Naba’ weekly published a report on its activity in Tunisia (which has not yet been declared an official ISIS province).
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (February 11-17, 2021)

In the Idlib region, exchanges of artillery fire continued between the Syrian army and the forces supporting it, and the rebel forces, south and southeast of Idlib. Iraq: ISIS continued its activity against the Iraqi security forces, mainly in the form of sniper and machine gun fire and activating IEDs. Africa: ISIS carried out intensive activity this week, mainly in Nigeria. This week, there was also an increase in ISIS’s attacks against the Afghan security forces, mainly in Jalalabad in the Nangarhar Province.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (February 4-10, 2021)

Syria: During the week, the Syrian army and the forces supporting it suffered heavy losses at the hands of ISIS operatives in the desert region (Al-Badia). Iraq: The Popular Mobilization forces announced the killing of ISIS’s commander of North Baghdad and Karmah. In the Sinai Peninsula, after a period of relative calm, ISIS operatives ambushed and killed six fighters of the tribal militias that support the Egyptian regime and abducted another fighter. Afghanistan: ISIS’s terrorist activity continued. Most of the attacks were carried out in the city of Jalalabad and were directed mainly at Afghan Intelligence and government officials. Africa: ISIS’s attacks continued, mainly against Nigerian army forces in the northeast of the country.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (January 27-21, 2021)

The main event of the week was a double suicide bombing attack carried out by ISIS operatives in Baghdad. Routine attacks continued in ISIS’s various provinces in Syria, Iraq and throughout Africa and Asia. Noteworthy incidents this week: Syria: ISIS’s activity continued in the desert region. Iraq: ISIS ambushed and attacked forces of the Popular Mobilization (Shiite militias) north of Baghdad. The Sinai Peninsula: ISIS continued its attacks in the northern Sinai Peninsula against Egyptian army targets (mainly the activation of IEDs and shooting attacks at targets such as a tank, an armored vehicle and a bulldozer). Afghanistan: Noteworthy incidents this week included targeted killings of intelligence personnel through the use of sticky bombs (Kabul) and shooting at point-blank range (Jalalabad).
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