Syria

On March 22, 2022, a combined vehicular ramming and stabbing attack was carried out in Beersheba. Four people were killed. The perpetrator, who was killed by civilians at the scene, was a resident of Hura, a Bedouin township near Beersheba. He had been arrested in the past and served a prison sentence for supporting ISIS. In Syria, activity focused on the desert region. Iraq: The relatively low level of ISIS activity continued, concentrating mainly in the Salah al-Din and Kirkuk provinces. The Sinai Peninsula: The uptrend in ISIS activity continued, after a hiatus of several months. The activity was directed against the forces of the Egyptian army and Sinai Tribal Union, which supports it. The battle for hearts and minds: This week, too, the lead article in ISIS’s Al-Naba’ weekly was devoted to the death of ISIS’s leader. Read more...

This week, ISIS officially confirmed the death of its leader and spokesman (who were killed on February 3, 2022) in an audio recording by its new spokesman, Abu Omar al-Muhajer. According to the recording, ISIS's new leader is Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. In Syria, low-scale activity continued, mainly against the SDF forces. Syrian army forces and forces of the militias supporting it reportedly sent reinforcements to the Palmyra Desert in preparation for an operation to locate ISIS operatives in the desert region. In Iraq as well, relatively low-scale activity continued. The Sinai Peninsula: In several hotspots in the northern part of the peninsula, including Al-Arish, Egyptian army forces and Sinai Tribal Union forces exchanged fire with armed men, apparently ISIS operatives. Several soldiers and Sinai Tribal Union fighters were killed or wounded. For the time being, ISIS has not claimed responsibility for the incidents. Read more...

The main event of the week was a multi-casualty suicide bombing attack carried out by operatives of ISIS’s Khorasan Province in a Shiite mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan. A total of 63 people were killed and more than 200 were wounded. Syria: 13 soldiers were killed and 18 others were wounded east of Palmyra when their bus was attacked by armed men, apparently ISIS operatives. Iraq: Relatively sparse ISIS activity was detected this week as well, most of which took place in the Al-Anbar Province. The Sinai Peninsula: According to eyewitness reports, armed men, apparently ISIS operatives, attacked the headquarters of the Egyptian army's 101st Battalion in Al-Arish. Several soldiers were killed or wounded. Official Egyptian sources have denied the report. The US Department of the Treasury has designated four major ISIS funding sources in Africa, who work for ISIS’s branches in Syria, Iraq and Mozambique. Read more...

Similar to recent weeks, the epicenter of ISIS activity was in Africa, particularly Nigeria and Mozambique. Syria: ISIS carried out relatively low-intensity activity. Iraq: The downtrend in ISIS activity in Iraq continued. The Sinai Peninsula: During the week, ISIS operatives continued to attack the Egyptian army and the Sinai Tribal Union which supports it. Afghanistan: The downtrend in ISIS activity against the Taliban continues. Lebanese security forces detained a Palestinian ISIS squad in the Ein al-Hilweh refugee camp. The members of the squad, which was handled by an ISIS operative in Syria, planned to carry out three attacks in the Hezbollah stronghold of south Beirut. The battle for hearts and minds: The lead article in Al-Naba’ weekly was devoted to those who adhere to the path of ISIS, in spite of the difficulties. Read more...