Syria

Spotlight on Global Jihad (October 28 – November 3, 2021)

Afghanistan: The most prominent incident of the week was a combined attack carried out by ISIS operatives at the Taliban-run military hospital in the capital Kabul. Syria: The downtrend in ISIS’s activity in the various provinces continues. Iraq: In general, the number of attacks carried out by ISIS operatives has continued to drop. Africa: In general, the downtrend in ISIS’s activity in the various provinces in Africa continues. The battle for hearts and minds: The lead article in this week’s issue of ISIS’s Al-Naba’ weekly calls on the foreign fighters ("the immigrants") in Syria to join the ranks of ISIS.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (October 21-27, 2021)

Afghanistan: This week there was a relative decrease in the scope of ISIS’s terrorist activity. Syria: The decrease in ISIS attacks continues. Iraq: This week, the downtrend in ISIS’s activity continued. Africa: ISIS’s activity continued, mainly against military targets in African countries (Nigeria, The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda). Financing terrorism: According to a report published by The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), since 2020 ISIS and Al-Qaeda have stepped up their online activity aimed at recruiting operatives and fundraising. The battle for hearts and minds: This week’s lead article in Al-Naba’ weekly was devoted to the importance of jihad in the sense of fighting against the infidels.
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Spotlight on Iran (October 7, 2021 – October 21, 2021)

Iranian media outlets did not go beyond offering basic news reports concerning the assassination of Midhat al-Saleh, who was tasked by the Assad regime of managing the “Golan file.” In early October, the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein-Amir Abdollahian, visited Syria and Lebanon. The spokesman of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the deadly clashes that erupted on October 14 in Beirut, and accused Israel of backing those who fired at Hezbollah and Amal supporters. Several Iranian media outlets voiced concern about the results of the parliamentary elections in Iraq.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (October 14-20, 2021)

Afghanistan: ISIS operatives once again carried out an attack on a Shiite mosque in the Kandahar Province during Friday prayers. More than 60 people were killed in the attack and a similar number were wounded. In Syria, relatively low ISIS activity was recorded this week. In Iraq as well, the number of attacks continued to drop. Britain: A British MP was stabbed to death during an election rally at a church. British security officials determined that this was a terrorist attack. The battle for hearts and minds: This week’s lead article in ISIS’s Al-Naba’ weekly was devoted to an argument with those who oppose the war against the Shiites (implicitly the Taliban).
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (October 7-13, 2021)

Afghanistan: ISIS operatives continued to carry out attacks against the Taliban forces and Shiite civilians. Syria: In general, there has been a decrease in ISIS attacks. Iraq: Despite this week's elections, ISIS was relatively inactive (two attacks were carried out against polling stations). The Sinai Peninsula: Egyptian President Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi issued a presidential decree (the first of its kind) authorizing the defense minister to impose a series of special measures on the entire Sinai Peninsula and not just the northeast, which is the area where the campaign against ISIS operatives is taking place. The battle for hearts and minds: The feature article in Al-Naba’ weekly was devoted to the parliamentary elections in Iraq and the fact that democracy is in complete contradiction to Islamic law (Sharia).
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (September 14 – October 6, 2021)

Afghanistan: ISIS’s Khorasan Province significantly increased its activity against the Taliban in Afghanistan over the past three weeks. During the period under review, there was a relative decrease in ISIS’s activity in most of the provinces, apart from Iraq: Syria: ISIS’s activity focused on the Syrian Desert region, mainly against the Syrian army and the forces supporting it. Iraq: ISIS’s activity continued, mainly against the Iraqi security forces and the forces supporting them. Most of the activity focused on the Diyala Province. The Sinai Peninsula: The head of ISIS’s Sharia activity in the Sinai Peninsula and his family turned themselves in to the tribal militias in Sinai, which support the Egyptian army.
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