Syria

Spotlight on Global Jihad (December 30 – January 5, 2022)

Afghanistan: There was a significant decrease in ISIS’s activity this week. Two attacks were carried out in the capital Kabul, killing six Taliban members. Syria: Artillery exchanges continued between the Syrian army and the forces supporting it, and the rebel forces. Iraq: This week, ISIS concentrated its activity mainly on Iraqi army forces and counterterrorism units operating against ISIS in the Hamrin region in the northern part of the Diyala Province. Sinai: An Egyptian soldier and a fighter from the Sinai Tribal Union were reportedly . Lebanon: Lebanese foreign fighters have reportedly joined the ranks of ISIS in Syria, apparently in light of the dire economic situation in Lebanon.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (December 23-29, 2021)

Afghanistan: ISIS continued its attacks against the Taliban forces and government institutions. The climax of its activity this week was the detonation. Syria: The downtrend in ISIS’s activity continued. Most of ISIS’s activity this week focused on the Deir ez-Zor-Al-Mayadeen region, targeting the Kurdish SDF forces. Iraq: This week, there was a significant decrease in ISIS’s activity. Africa: Most of ISIS’s activity this week focused on Nigeria, Congo and Mozambique. The battle for hearts and minds: This week’s lead article in ISIS’s Al-Naba’ weekly was devoted to a review of the legacy of ISIS’s leaders since ISIS’s inception, and their role as leaders of the Islamic nation in implementing Sharia and carrying out jihad against the “infidels.”
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (December 16-22, 2021)

This week, there was a slight decrease in the scope of ISIS’s activity compared to last week. Most of ISIS’s activity this week focused on Iraq. Afghanistan: ISIS continued its activity, targeting mainly Taliban members and Shiite residents. Syria: This week, there was a decrease in ISIS's activity. Iraq: This week, the epicenter of activity was in the Diyala Province. The Sinai Peninsula: Two ISIS commanders were killed in a joint operation by the Egyptian army and the Sinai Tribal Union in the Al-Ajraa region south of Rafah. The battle for hearts and minds: The editorial in this week's issue of ISIS’s Al-Naba’ weekly was devoted to the survival of the Islamic State, four years after the member countries of the Global Coalition to defeat ISIS announced that it had been eliminated.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (December 8-14, 2021)

Afghanistan: ISIS continued its activity in Afghanistan this week. The activity targeted mainly Taliban forces and the Shiite population. Syria: The downtrend in ISIS’s activity continued. Most of the attacks this week targeted the Kurdish SDF forces in the Deir ez-Zor-Al-Mayadeen region. Seven Syrian soldiers and militiamen were killed in an attack against a post in the Al-Masrab Desert, northwest of Deir ez-Zor. Iraq: ISIS concentrated its activity against the Iraqi security forces, mainly in the Kirkuk and Diyala provinces. The battle for hearts and minds: The lead article in this week's issue of Al-Naba’ weekly was devoted to ISIS operatives’ revenge on infidels and those who deviate from the path of Islam. By way of example, the article describes ISIS’s activity against the Yazidis in Syria and the Shiites in Iraq. The author even quotes passages from the Quran which, in his opinion, legitimize this behavior on ISIS’s part.
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Spotlight on Global Jihad (December 2-8, 2021)

This week there was an increase in the volume of ISIS’s activity around the world. ISIS carried out noteworthy attacks in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Sinai Peninsula and Nigeria. Afghanistan: ISIS continued its attacks, mainly against the Taliban forces. Syria: ISIS carried out noteworthy attacks in the desert region against militias and forces supporting the Syrian army. Iraq: ISIS concentrated on attacks against the Kurdish Peshmerga forces. The Sinai Peninsula: ISIS operatives carried out a number of attacks against the Egyptian army and the forces supporting it. The battle for hearts and minds: The lead article in Al-Naba’ weekly was devoted to ISIS’s interpretation of the recent events in Sudan.
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Spotlight on Iran (December 2, 2021 – December 9, 2021)

For the first time since Ebrahim Raisi assumed the position of President of Iran, the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faysal Miqdad, arrived for a two-day visit in Iran. Against the backdrop of the visit of the Iranian minister of industry and trade in Syria and the opening of the Iranian trade fair in Damascus in late November, senior Iranian officials working in the economic sphere renewed their call to solve the issues hindering the expansion of trade ties between the two countries.
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