ISIS

Spotlight on Global Jihad (July 1-7, 2021)

Syria: In the Idlib region, exchanges of fire continued between the Syrian army and the rebels. In one incident (July 3, 2021), eight people were killed by Syrian army gunfire. The fatalities included six children and one woman. Iraq: This week as well, ISIS operated in the various provinces in Iraq, but there has been a decrease in the number of attacks. The Sinai Peninsula: According to Gazan sources, a Palestinian from Rafah who joined ISIS several years ago was killed in an exchange of fire with Egyptian soldiers in the Bir al-Abd region.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (June 24-30, 2021)

Syria: The exchanges of artillery fire between the Syrian army and the rebel forces in the Idlib enclave continued this week. Iraq: ISIS continued to attack targets of the Iraqi security forces. Sinai: The province's activity against the Egyptian security forces was relatively limited this week. In one noteworthy attack, two soldiers were killed by an IED south of Bir al-Abd, in northern Sinai. In Africa, the relative downtrend in ISIS’s activity continues. Afghanistan: ISIS’s activity continued, mainly against Afghan government targets. One noteworthy incident this week was an attack on economic targets (an oil tanker and a high-voltage pylon) as part of what ISIS calls its economic war.
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ISIS spokesman releases an audiotape calling on the operatives to intensify their attacks, lashing out against Iran, Turkey and the leaders of the Arab states, and expressing support for the Palestinians but not for Hamas

ISIS Spokesman Abu Hamza al-Qurashi. The tape, which lasts about 38 minutes, is entitled “You are the sublime ones if you believe.” It mainly contains words of encouragement to ISIS’s fighters around the world, calls on them to intensify their activity and asks them to choose more substantial targets for their attacks (Telegram, June 22, 2021).
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (June 17 – 23 2021)

This week, ISIS’s activity in the various provinces continued at a "routine" level: Syria: Tension returned to the rebel enclave in Idlib after the Syrian army intensified its artillery fire, possibly in preparation for a ground attack. Iraq: ISIS has stepped up its activity in what it calls its economic war. As part of this activity, ISIS operatives targeted high-voltage pylons and refineries. Sinai: In the Sinai Province, ISIS has stepped up its activity against the Egyptian army. Afghanistan: ISIS’s activity in Afghanistan continues. Africa: The downtrend in ISIS’s activity in Africa continues. The battle for hearts and minds: On June 21, 2021, ISIS’s Al-Furqan Media Foundation released an audiotape of the speech by ISIS Spokesman Abu Hamza al-Qurashi.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (June 9 – 16, 2021)

This week, ISIS’s activity in the various provinces continued at a "routine" level: Syria: In the desert region (Al-Badia), Russian warplanes made over 40 sorties against ISIS targets. However, ISIS’s activity did not stop. Iraq: The main event was an attack carried out by ISIS in Jalam Samarra, about 30 km north of the city of Samarra. Sinai: A senior official in ISIS’s Sinai Province was reported killed in an operation by an Egyptian elite unit south of Rafah. Another senior official of the province was arrested in the operation. Afghanistan: This week, the increase in ISIS’s activity in the country continued, similar to recent weeks. Africa: There has been a decline in the volume of ISIS’s activity, with northeastern Nigeria continuing to be the epicenter.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (June 2-9, 2021)

This week, ISIS’s activity in the various provinces continued at a "routine" level: Syria: The main event this week was an attack, apparently carried out by ISIS operatives, against a convoy of the Syrian army and members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the Al-Sukhnah Desert, on the Palmyra-Deir ez-Zor highway. Iraq: ISIS claimed responsibility for detonating an IED near the tomb of Imam Musa al-Kadhim in the Shiite Kadhimiya neighborhood in northern Baghdad. The Sinai Peninsula: ISIS operatives carried out a combined attack on an Egyptian army camp south of Sheikh Zuweid. There has been a downtrend in ISIS’s activity in Africa. Libya: After a long period with no ISIS attacks in the country, this week ISIS carried out a suicide bombing attack at a roadblock set up by General Haftar’s army about 670 km south of Tripoli. At least four military personnel were killed, including an officer.
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