Spotlight on Global Jihad (December 1-7, 2022)

Main events of the past week

• ISIS operatives around the world published their pledges of allegiance to Abu Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, the organization’s new leader^[1]. As in recent weeks, ISIS’s relatively moderate activity continued around the world. The hotspots of activity were Afghanistan, Syria, Nigeria and Mozambique. Fighting continued between the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab and the Somali army.
• Syria: This week, ISIS focused on the desert area. Three Syrian army officers were killed in an exchange of fire with ISIS in the Palmyra region.
• Afghanistan: An IED, apparently planted by ISIS, exploded in Mazar-i-Sharif and killed seven people. ISIS claimed responsibility for an assassination attempt on the life of the head of the diplomatic mission at the Pakistani embassy in Kabul. He escaped unhurt, but his bodyguard was wounded.
• Somalia: The Somali army and international forces operated jointly against a force of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab about 100 km north of Mogadishu. At least 40 Al-Shabaab operatives were killed and many others were wounded.
• Africa – Nigeria: This week, ISIS operated at a relatively low intensity in the northeast of the country, mainly against security forces and Christian citizens. Mozambique: ISIS carried out several attacks against security forces and Christian citizens in the northeast of the country.

The Syrian arena

The desert region

• On December 6, 2022, ISIS operatives attacked several Syrian army positions in the Al-Sukhnah region, about 60 km northeast of Palmyra. Several soldiers were killed and wounded (Al-Badia24, December 6, 2022).
• On December 3, 2022, ISIS operatives attacked positions of the Palestinian Al-Quds Brigade, which operates alongside the Syrian regime, in the Al-Masrab Desert, about 30 km northwest of Deir ez-Zor. No casualties were reported (Al-Badia24 Twitter account, December 3, 2022).
• On December 1, 2022, a Syrian army captain and two lieutenants were killed in an exchange of fire between the Syrian army and ISIS squads in the desert region of Palmyra (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, December 1, 2022).

Deir ez-Zor-Al-Mayadeen region

• On December 6, 2022, a patrol of the Homeland Defense Forces, a local force operating alongside the Syrian regime, carried out searches for ISIS operatives in the desert area near the town of Al-Tabani, about 35 km northwest of Deir ez-Zor. It was reported that contact with the patrol was lost (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, December 6, 2022).
• On December 6, 2022, two gunmen on a motorcycle, apparently ISIS operatives, shot at a vehicle carrying SDF fighters in the town of Al-Hassan, about 4 km north of Deir ez-Zor. Three fighters were wounded (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, December 6, 2022).
• On December 5, 2022, ISIS operatives shot at an SDF checkpoint in the village of Al-Hariji, about 40 km northeast of Deir ez-Zor. Two fighters were killed (Telegram, December 5, 2022).

Counterterrorism activity

• On December 4, 2022, Turkish-backed local forces detained 13 ISIS operatives in the towns of Jarabulus, in northern Syria, near the Syria-Turkey border, and Al-Bab, about 30 km northeast of Aleppo (Al-Araby al-Jadeed, December 4, 2022).

The Iraqi arena

ISIS attacks by province^[2]

Salah al-Din Province

• On December 5, 2022, an Iraqi soldier was shot and killed in the Al-Khan area, in Al-Tarmiyah, about 30 km north of Baghdad (Telegram, December 5, 2022).

Counterterrorism activity

• On December 1, 2022, a total of 16 ISIS operatives were detained by the Iraqi security forces in five provinces: Nineveh, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, Diyala and Al-Anbar (Al-Sumaria, December 1, 2022).
• On November 30, 2022, two wanted ISIS operatives who had carried out attacks in Iraq and were arrested in Syria were handed over to the Iraqi security forces (Al-Sumaria, November 30, 2022).

Diyala Province

• On December 6, 2022, Iraqi Air Force F-16 fighter jets operating on intelligence carried out airstrikes against an ISIS hideout in the Hamrin Mountains, about 100 km northeast of Baqubah. Eight ISIS operatives were killed and the hideout was destroyed (Al-Sumaria, December 6, 2022).

Babel Province

• On December 6, 2022, a joint force of the Popular Mobilization and the Iraqi army exchanged fire with ISIS operatives in the Al-Bahbahani region, in Jarf al-Sakhr, about 45 km south of Baghdad. Two ISIS operatives were killed. A Popular Mobilization fighter was also killed, and three others were wounded (Iraqi News Agency, December 6, 2022).

ISIS has previously used chemical weapons in Iraq

• A UN report published on December 5, 2022, stated that between 2014-2019, ISIS operatives used chemical weapons in Iraq. According to the report, ISIS produced rockets and shells with chemical warheads as well as chemical charges. Among the chemical substances used by ISIS were also very toxic substances such as aluminum phosphide, chlorine, cyanide, nicotine, ricin, and thallium sulfate. The investigation revealed payments which were transferred to the families of ISIS operatives who engaged in the deployment of chemical weapons and were killed during that activity (Al-Arabiya, December 6, 2022).

Summary of ISIS’s activity in the various provinces

• An infographic published by ISIS, summing up its activity around the world between November 24 and November 30, 2022, indicates that the organization carried out 22 attacks in its various provinces around the globe (compared to 27 in the previous week). The largest number of attacks was carried out by ISIS’s West Africa Province (13). Attacks carried out in the other provinces: Khorasan, i.e., Afghanistan (3); Central Africa (2); Sinai (1); Mozambique (1); Syria (1); and Iraq (1). A total of 28 people were killed and wounded in the attacks, compared to 118 in the previous week. This is the lowest number of casualties as a result of ISIS attacks since the beginning of 2022. The largest number of casualties was in the West Africa Province (8). The other casualties were in the following provinces: Sinai (6); Mozambique (5); Central Africa (4); Khorasan, i.e., Afghanistan (3); and Syria (2) (Al-Naba weekly, Telegram, December 1, 2022).

ISIS attacks by week (according to ISIS data)

Africa

Nigeria

ISIS activity^[3]

• This week, ISIS continued to operate in northeastern Nigeria, albeit at a relatively low intensity, mainly against Nigerian security forces and Christian civilians.
  • On December 3, 2022, ISIS fired mortar shells and shot at a Nigerian army camp in the town of Wajiroko, about 115 km southwest of Maiduguri, in northeastern Nigeria. Nigerian army forces exchanged fire with ISIS operatives and they withdrew. The Nigerian army ambushed and fired at the retreating ISIS operatives, killing dozens of them. Weapons and ammunition were confiscated (Within Nigeria, December 3, 2022).

    
ISIS operatives attacking Nigerian army camp (Telegram, December 6, 2022)

• • On November 30, 2022, an IED was detonated against a Nigerian army vehicle moving between the towns of Wajiroko and Damboa, about 80 km southwest of Maiduguri. The vehicle was destroyed and the passengers on board were killed or wounded (Telegram, December 3, 2022).
  • On November 28, 2022, ISIS attacked the Christian village of Maradi, about 30 km west of the Nigeria-Cameroon border, in Adamawa State. A Christian civilian was killed and another was abducted (Telegram, November 30, 2022).

Counterterrorism activity

• On December 6, 2022, a Nigerian army force ambushed Boko Haram operatives on the road between Maiduguri and Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, about 125 km west of Maiduguri. Eight Boko Haram operatives mounted on four motorcycles were killed (Akhbar Al-Aan, December 6, 2022).
• On November 29, 2022, Nigerian Air Force planes carried out airstrikes against ISIS operatives in the Lake Chad region. Muhammad Malik, a senior commander in ISIS’s West Africa Province, was severely wounded and later died of his wounds. Malik, who was formerly a member of the Shura Council in Marte, about 90 km northeast of Maiduguri, in Borno State, went to Somalia to study a course in computer engineering and a course on making IEDs funded by ISIS. It was reported that upon his return, he gave training on how to plant IEDs during attacks (Punch, November 30, 2022).

Clashes between ISIS and Boko Haram

• On December 3, 2022, hundreds of Boko Haram operatives under the command of Ali Ngulde, one of the organization’s most senior commanders in northern Cameroon and along part of the border with Nigeria, attacked an ISIS camp in Yuwe, in the Sambisa Forest, south of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, northeastern Nigeria. The attack was carried out after negotiations between the parties failed. At least 33 women, wives of ISIS operatives, were killed (Akhbar Al-Aan, December 6, 2022).

Mozambique

• This week, ISIS carried out several attacks against the security forces and Christian civilians in northeastern Mozambique:
  • On November 28, 2022, an attack was carried out on a Mozambican army camp in the village of Mianjaliwa, in the Muidumbe region, in northeastern Mozambique. Six soldiers were killed and others were wounded. ISIS operatives seized 10 rifles, five medium machine guns, and assorted ammunition, and set fire to the camp (Telegram, December 4, 2022).
  • On November 27, 2022, ISIS ambushed and fired at a police car and a vehicle owned by a Christian in the Muidumbe region. The two vehicles caught fire and four Christian citizens, including a police commander, were killed (Telegram, December 4, 2022

Somalia

Al-Shabaab activity

• On December 2, 2022, Al-Shabaab operatives took over two regions in Somalia: the village of Deynunay, about 215 km northwest of Mogadishu, and the Gofgadud Buurey area, about 30 km northwest of Deynunay. The takeover was accomplished following heavy fighting against the Somali army troops, who retreated. According to Al-Shabaab, 103 soldiers and fighters of militias supporting the army were killed and wounded in the fighting (SITE, December 2, 2022, Garowe Online, December 3, 2022).

Somali army activity against Al-Shabaab

• On December 2, 2022, in a joint operation with international allies, a Somali army force operated against an Al-Shabaab force (in advance of an attack it was preparing to mount) in the Ali Fooldhere Forest region, about 100 km north of Mogadishu. At least 40 Al-Shabaab operatives were killed and many others were wounded (Radio Muqdisho, December 2, 2022). The Somali army also managed to recapture four villages in the Hiran region, north of Mogadishu, and in the Shabelle region, south of Mogadishu (VOA, December 3, 2022).

ISIS activity

• On December 3, 2022, an IED was activated against a group of Somali policemen in the Karan region, in the southeastern part of Mogadishu. One policeman was killed and three others were wounded (Telegram, December 3, 2022)

Asia

Afghanistan

•  On December 6, 2022, an IED exploded next to a bus transporting workers of an oil company in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, in northern Afghanistan, not far from the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border. Seven company employees were killed and more than 10 were wounded. No one has claimed responsibility for the incident so far, but it can be estimated that ISIS is behind it (Arab News, December 6, 2022; Press TV, December 6, 2022).

   
The scene of the attack in Mazar-i-Sharif (Press TV, December 6, 2022)

• On December 2, 2022, gunmen fired at the Pakistani embassy compound in Kabul in an attempt to assassinate Ubaid-Ur-Rehman Nizamani, the head of the Pakistani mission at the embassy. The head of the mission escaped unhurt, but his bodyguard was wounded (Khaama Press, December 2, 2022). ISIS claimed responsibility for the assassination attempt, noting that the attack was carried out by two operatives using light weapons and sniper fire (Telegram, December 3, 2022). Following the assassination attempt, Pakistan announced the return of its diplomatic staff from Kabul to its territory (Al-Arabiya, December 2, 2022). On December 5, 2022, it was reported that the Afghan security forces had arrested a foreign ISIS operative suspected of being involved in the attack (Al-Arabiya, December 5, 2022).

Turkey

Counterterrorism activity

• On December 1, 2022, the Turkish Ministry of Finance decided to freeze the assets of 17 people and four legal entities linked to ISIS due to the financial aid they provided to terrorist organizations (Anatolia News Agency, December 1, 2022).

United States

• On November 29, 2022, Elvin Hunter Bgorn Williams, 22, a US citizen from Seattle, was sentenced in a court in Seattle to four years in prison on charges of attempting to join ISIS in 2021. Williams, who converted to Islam, is accused of providing material assistance to the organization. In addition to the years of imprisonment, it was determined that after his release from prison he will be supervised for 15 years. Williams was arrested on May 28, 2021, at the Seattle airport after it was reported to the authorities that he was interested in traveling to the Middle East and joining ISIS (Fox News, December 1, 2022).

The battle for hearts and minds

Pledge of allegiance to ISIS’s new leader

• Following the announcement of the appointment of Abu Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi as ISIS’s new leader, ISIS operatives around the world published their pledges of allegiance to the new leader. According to the SITE website, which follows ISIS on social media, ISIS operatives and supporters from at least 30 countries have so far pledged allegiance to the new leader (SITE, November 30, 2022).

The Iraq Province

   

   
(Telegram, December 2, 2022)

The Syria Province

   
(Telegram, December 3, 2022)

West Africa Province

     
ISIS operatives in the Sambisa region, south of Maiduguri (northeastern Nigeria) pledging allegiance (Telegram, December 2, 2022)

     
ISIS operatives in the Lake Chad region (northeastern Nigeria and the border area with Chad) pledging allegiance (Telegram, December 2, 2022)

    
ISIS operatives in the Banki region, near the Nigeria-Cameroon border, pledging allegiance (Telegram, December 3, 2022)

Khorasan (Afghanistan) Province

   

    
(Telegram, December 2, 2022)

Pakistan

   
(Telegram, December 6, 2022)

The Sahel Province

   
ISIS operatives in the Azawagh region, in northwestern Niger and northeastern Mali, pledging allegiance (Telegram, December 3, 2022)

     
ISIS operatives in the Al-Muthalath region (the Niger-Mali-Burkina Faso tri-border area), pledging allegiance (Telegram, December 3, 2022)

Central Africa Province

   
Operatives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo pledging allegiance
(Telegram, December 4, 2022)

Somalia Province

   
(Telegram, December 4, 2022)

Mozambique

   
(Telegram, December 6, 2022)

Yemen Province

   
(Telegram, December 3, 2022)

Hadm al-Aswar Media Foundation

• The ISIS-affiliated Hadm al-Aswar (“Breaking down the Walls,” referring to the walls of the prisons where ISIS operatives are detained) media foundation published the wording of the pledge of allegiance of the organization’s media channels to ISIS new leader Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi (Telegram, December 1, 2022).

Al-Battar Media Foundation’s video calls for the liberation of ISIS prisoners

•  On December 5, 2022, ISIS-affiliated Al-Battar Media Foundation released a video entitled “The Release of the Prisoners from the Christian Prisons,” documenting prison breaks that were carried out by ISIS operatives in the past year to liberate ISIS operatives. The video highlights the importance ISIS attaches to the liberation of its prisoners and can be interpreted as calling on the organization’s operatives to carry out additional such actions (Telegram, December 5, 2022).

^[1] For further details about the announcement on the appointment of the new leader, see the ITIC’s Information Bulletin from December 1, 2022, “ISIS has officially announced the death of the organization’s leader and the appointment of a new leader” ↑
^[2] According to ISIS statements and the local media. ↑
^[3] According to ISIS claims of responsibility. ↑

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