Syria

Spotlight on Global Jihad (November 16-22, 2017)

This week marked the end of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, which was declared by ISIS’s leader on June 29, 2014. The Islamic State has collapsed, but ISIS continues to exist as a terrorist and guerrilla organization in Syria, Iraq and abroad. Over the past two months, ISIS’s Khorasan Province (Afghanistan/Pakistan) has carried out four mass-casualty suicide bombing attacks in the capital Kabul.
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Combined ISIS Suicide Bombing at the Military Airfield in Deir al-Zor – Additional Indication of ISIS Remaining Military Capabilities after the Fall of the Islamic State

On November 13, 2017, ISIS carried out a well-planned, daring combined suicide attack at the military airfield in Deir al-Zor. There were between five and eight suicide bombers, who came from the desert region of Abu Kamal and entered the airfield dressed in Russian army uniforms.
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The Collapse of the Islamic State: What Comes Next?

On the ground, the Islamic State no longer exists as a functioning territorial entity. It has lost almost all of its territories, including its "capital cities" of Mosul and Raqqa, as well as its core territories along the Euphrates in Iraq and Syria. Apparently, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's vision of an Islamic Caliphate has come to an end, at least for the time being, although ISIS still maintains a presence in Syria and Iraq, and will continue to exist.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (November 9-15, 2017)

In the city of Albukamal, a fierce battle is being waged over the last stronghold of the Islamic State in Syria The Iraqi army, which liberated the city of Al-Qaim and the surrounding villages. Russia, the United States, and Jordan have signed a Memorandum of Principles (November 8, 2017). Moreover, the Memorandum of Principles deals with southwestern Syria and does not mention the removal of foreign forces from Syria.
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Spotlight on Iran (October 29 – November 12, 2017)

Iranian reactions to the resignation of the Lebanese prime minister. In light of the Assad regime’s gains in the campaign against ISIS, Iran is persisting with its effort vis-à-vis the leaderships of Syria and Russia to shape the Syrian arena. In Iraq, Iran has intensified its efforts to increase its economic foothold in the post-ISIS era.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (November 2 – 8, 2017, 2017)

The conquest of the regions controlled by the Islamic State has reached the last lap. Abu Kamal, ISIS's last stronghold, is currently under combined pressure from the Syrian army, the Shi'ite militias and Hezbollah operatives, and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) advancing on the city from both sides of the Euphrates. The strategically significant events in Syria were overshadowed this week by potentially explosive local events in the northern Golan Heights.
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