The West

This week, ISIS operatives carried out three noteworthy attacks: two attacks were carried out at the Al-Sayyida Zaynab Shrine, south of Damascus, a Shiite pilgrimage site. Another attack was carried out in Pakistan during a political gathering ahead of the elections. In Iraq Security forces continued their counterterrorism activities against ISIS’s infrastructure in the various provinces. One of ISIS’s senior commanders, described as “dangerous,” was detained. In Nigeria ISIS’s activity against the military forces continued, although this week it was relatively moderate. The Somali army reported that it had acted, in collaboration with the US army, against the Al-Shabaab infrastructure. According to Al-Shabaab, there was no military activity against it, and it was rather Al-Shabaab that acted against the Somali military forces. An ISIS suicide bomber carried out an attack during a political conference in Bajaur Province, east of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. At least 54 people were killed and about 200 were wounded. Read more...

This week, there was a moderate increase in the scope of ISIS’s activity in Syria. Noteworthy was the counterterrorism activity of the security forces against ISIS in Syria and Iraq and against Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab in Africa.Five Syrian army soldiers and/or operatives supporting the army were killed and ten were wounded in the explosion of an ISIS IED in the eastern Homs Province. Two ISIS operatives were killed and another was wounded in counterterrorism activity south of Al-Hasakah. In Somali army activity against Al-Shabaab northwest of Mogadishu, around 40 operatives were killed, including foreign commanders. Read more...

ISIS’s activity around the world continued to be relatively low this week. Most of it focused on Africa.The Iranian Revolutionary Guards branch in Syria and representatives of the Syrian army are working to recruit fighters trained by the Russian Wagner Group for operations against ISIS. Militants, apparently Al-Qaeda or ISIS operatives, attacked a convoy of Nigerien security forces close to the Niger-Mali-Burkina Faso tri-border area. A police officer and four civilians were killed and 19 people were wounded. The Somali government has declared an all-out war on the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab. The British Home Secretary warned that ISIS and Al-Qaeda were planning attacks in the kingdom. Following the burning of the Quran in Sweden, elements affiliated with ISIS and Al-Qaeda call for attacking Christians in Europe. Elements affiliated with Al-Qaeda call on Muslims in Israel to attack civilians and soldiers. Read more...

This week, ISIS’s activity around the world continued to be relatively limited and focused on Africa. A senior ISIS operative was killed in Syria in a US drone attack in the Aleppo region. Russian fighter jets disrupted the activity of US drones operating against ISIS in several different incidents. A video from the Al-Hol camp documents training of the children of ISIS operatives. In Nigeria ISIS operatives killed around 50 Boko Haram operatives and their families. In Kenya Thirty operatives of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab were killed in exchanges of fire with Kenyan police Special Forces. The editorial of ISIS’s weekly Al-Naba refers to the burning of the Quran in Sweden by an Iraqi immigrant and calls for jihad against the “infidels” and for applying Islamic law (Sharia). According to a new study, Islamic terrorist organizations in Africa are transferring their social media activity to encrypted applications. Read more...

This week, there was a further decline in ISIS’s activity around the world. The organization’s activity focused on Africa.ISA Director Ronen Bar revealed that since the beginning of 2022, the ISA has dealt with over 600 ISIS-related cases in Israel and that some of the operatives were just about to launch an attack. In Mozambique: ISIS operative attacked joint patrols of the Mozambican army and Southern African Development Community (SADC). In Somalia Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab held a parade attended by hundreds of its fighters. The forces of the African Coalition reduced their presence in the country.The battle for hearts and minds: The editorial of Al-Naba, ISIS’s weekly, deals with a jihad fighter’s reward. It stresses that the jihad fighter is rewarded both in this world and in the next. A senior leader in Al-Qaeda’s branch in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) calls on Muslims in “Palestine” to continue the jihad against the Jews. He also calls on Al-Qaeda operatives in North Africa and the Sahel to continue fighting against ISIS and on Al-Shabaab operatives to continue fighting against their enemies, i.e., in Somalia and its neighboring countries Read more...

This week, there was a decline in ISIS’s activity around the world. The organization’s activity focused on Africa. In Syria Four policemen were killed in a shooting attack targeting a vehicle they were traveling in northwest of Daraa. A Syrian army brigadier general was ambushed and killed. Russian Air Force planes carried out extensive airstrikes against rebel targets in the rebel enclave of Idlib. Dozens of fatalities were reported. The Iraqi Army Spokesman noted that ISIS had lost 99 percent of its power in. In Somalia Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab detonated two car bombs against bases of the Somali army and the African Union troops. Seven soldiers were killed. The editorial of ISIS’s weekly Al-Naba deals with the importance of pilgrimage in Islam (Hajj) while criticizing the rulers of Saudi Arabia. Read more...