Spotlight on Global Jihad (March 2-8, 2023)

Main events of the week

• ISIS activity around the world moderately increased this week. The main event was a suicide attack in southwest Pakistan in which 10 policemen were killed and 12 others were wounded.
• Syria: Eight civilians were killed and over 35 were wounded when a mine, apparently of ISIS, exploded near a truck that was carrying civilians to collect truffle mushrooms southwest of Deir ez-Zor.
• Iraq: ISIS operatives attacked civilians who were collecting truffle mushrooms northeast of the Iraqi-Saudi border. Two were killed and three were kidnapped and later executed.
• Africa:
  • Somalia: Somali security forces killed 200 operatives of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab and took over several areas that were under the organization’s control. In the city of Mogadishu, gunmen, apparently Al-Shabaab operatives, shot at a café, killing at least five people.
  • Nigeria: ISIS operatives killed more than 200 Boko Haram operatives and their families in the northeast of the country. At the same time, ISIS operatives carried out attacks against Nigerian army forces in the area.
• Afghanistan: Six ISIS operatives, including a woman, were killed in an attack carried out by Taliban security forces against an ISIS hideout in Herat province, in western Afghanistan.
• Yemen: Hamad bin Hamoud al-Tamimi, a senior operative of Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen, was killed in an attack by a US aircraft in northern Yemen.
• The battle for hearts and minds: Several media foundations affiliated with ISIS, which deal with the translation of the organization’s media materials into different languages, announced that they started operating under one media foundation called “Fursan al-Tarjuma.”

The Syrian arena^[1]

ISIS activity

The desert region

• On March 2, 2023, a landmine, apparently of ISIS, exploded in the area of Kobajjep, about 50 km southwest of Deir ez-Zor. It exploded while a truck was passing by, carrying civilians to collect truffle mushrooms. Eight people were killed and over 35 were wounded (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, March 2, 2023).

Deir ez-Zor-Al-Mayadeen region

• On March 4, 2023, an SDF checkpoint was targeted by gunfire in the Al-Basira area, about 15 km north of Al-Mayadeen. An SDF fighter was killed and another wounded (Telegram, March 5, 2023).
• On March 2, 2023, an SDF checkpoint was targeted by gunfire in the town of Al-Sabha, about 20 km north of Al-Mayadeen. An SDF fighter was killed and two others were wounded (Telegram, March 2, 2023).

Al-Raqqah region

• On March 4, 2023, a squad of ISIS operatives attacked a group of shepherds in Wadi Obeid, near Al-Raqqah. A shepherd was killed and another was kidnapped. In addition, 1,000 head of sheep were stolen. In this context, it was noted that in recent times, ISIS operatives stop vehicles carrying agricultural goods or sheep, trying to collect money under the pretext that it is charity money, or as they are called by ISIS, “Government Levy” (“al-Kulfa al-Sultaniya”) (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, March 4, 2023).

Counterterrorism

Idlib region

• On March 4, 2023, additional details were published about the attack carried out by the US-led Global Coalition on February 24, 2023, using a drone near the town of Mashhad Rohin, about 35 km north of Idlib. According to local sources, Abd al-Ra’uf al-Muhajer, known as Abu Sara al-Iraqi (i.e., the Iraqi), was killed in the attack, as well as one of his escorts. Al-Iraqi was in charge (emir) of the general administration of ISIS’s provinces. It was noted that he was formerly a commander in Hurras al-Din (Guardians of Religion), Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, March 4, 2023).

The Iraqi arena

ISIS attacks by province^[2]

Al-Anbar Province

• On March 1, 2023, ISIS operatives attacked five people while they were collecting truffle mushrooms in the Al-Nakhib Desert, about 100 km northeast of the Iraqi-Saudi border. ISIS operatives killed two of them and their bodies were located by Iraqi security forces. The other three, two of whom are members of the Iraqi security forces, were kidnapped. The day after, it was reported that they were murdered by the organization’s operatives (Al-Araby al-Jadeed, March 1, 2023; @Mustafa AL Dulaimi Twitter account, March 2, 2023).

Counterterrorism

Al-Anbar Province

• On March 2, 2023, a combined force of the Iraqi army and the Tribal Mobilization operated against an ISIS terrorist hotspot in the Hit district, about 140 km northwest of Baghdad. Three ISIS operatives were killed. Equipment belonging to Iraqi security personnel killed by ISIS in this area four days earlier was found at the scene. At the same time, the forces attacked a building where three ISIS operatives were staying in the city of Hit and killed them (Iraqi News Agency, March 2, 2023).

Counterterrorism activity against ISIS in Syria and Iraq

• The US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that during the month of February 2023, its forces, acting in cooperation with local entities (the Kurdish SDF forces, the Iraqi army, and the Kurdish forces in Iraq), carried out 48 operations against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, during which 22 operatives were killed and 25 were arrested, according to the following breakdown (CENTCOM, March 3, 2023):
  • Syria: A total of 15 joint operations and two exclusive operations of the US military were carried out. Five ISIS operatives were killed and 11 operatives were arrested.
  • Iraq: A total of 33 operations were carried out in cooperation with local authorities, in which at least 17 ISIS operatives were killed and 14 operatives were arrested.
• According to US Central Command Commander General Michael Kurilla, the fight against ISIS continues, and although the organization’s capabilities have significantly decreased following the operations, its ideology still remains influential and it still possesses the capabilities to direct, inspire, organize, and lead attacks in the region and beyond.

Summary of ISIS’s activity in the various provinces

• An infographic published by ISIS, summing up its activity around the globe on February 23 – March 1, 2023, indicates that the organization carried out 16 attacks in its various provinces (compared to 17 in the previous week). The largest number of attacks was carried out by ISIS’s Iraq Province (7). Attacks carried out in the other provinces: the Sahel (3); West Africa (3); Central Africa (2); and Syria (1). A total of 138 people were killed and wounded in the attacks, compared to 30 in the previous week. The largest number of casualties was in the Sahel Province (117). The other casualties were in the following provinces: Iraq (14); Central Africa (5); and Syria (2) (Al-Naba weekly, Telegram, March 2, 2023).

ISIS attacks by week (according to ISIS data)

Africa

Nigeria

Clashes between ISIS and Boko Haram

• On March 4, 2023, ISIS operatives attacked a camp where hundreds of Boko Haram operatives and their families were staying in the Gudumbali area, in Borno State, in northeastern Nigeria. More than 200 Boko Haram operatives and their family members were reportedly killed, including women and children (thecable.ng, March 4, 2023).

ISIS activity

• On March 5, 2023, a Nigerian army patrol was targeted by gunfire while trying to reach ISIS positions in the town of Banki, about 120 km southeast of Maiduguri, near the Nigeria-Cameroon border. Five soldiers were killed and several others were wounded (Telegram, March 7, 2023).
• On March 3, 2023, three IEDs were activated against a Nigerian army patrol in the town of Bulabulin, about 50 km southwest of Maiduguri. Two soldiers were killed and others were wounded (Telegram, March 4, 2023).
• On March 1, 2023, an IED was activated against a Nigerian army foot patrol on the Maiduguri-Damboa road, about 80 km southwest of Maiduguri. Two soldiers were killed and others were wounded (Telegram, March 4, 2023).
• On March 1, 2023, two fighters of militias supporting the Nigerian army were shot and killed in the town of Wulgo, about 7 km southwest of the Nigeria-Cameroon border, in northeastern Nigeria (Telegram, March 2, 2023).
• On March 1, 2023, an IED was activated against a Nigerian army foot patrol in the town of Goniri, about 45 km southeast of Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, in northeastern Nigeria. Several soldiers were killed or wounded (Telegram, March 2, 2023).
• On March 1, 2023, an attack was carried out against a Nigerian army checkpoint in the town of Buratai, about 150 km southwest of Maiduguri. The checkpoint soldiers fled (Telegram, March 2, 2023).

Boko Haram

• On March 2, 2023, Boko Haram operatives attacked the village of Ngamma, in the Lake Chad region, in northeastern Nigeria, and kidnapped seven of the villagers (witnessngr.com, March 3, 2023).

Counterterrorism

• On March 2, 2023, the Nigerian army spokesman noted that during the general elections in the country, which were held on February 25, 2023, the Nigerian security forces had killed 133 terrorist operatives (ISIS and Boko Haram operatives) in the northern, northeastern and northwestern regions of the country. According to the spokesman, the operatives tried to disrupt the elections (The East African, March 2, 2023).

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

ISIS activity

• On March 1, 2023, a Congolese army compound was attacked in the village of Karoruma, in the Beni region, about 50 km west of the border with Uganda. One soldier was killed (Telegram, March 2, 2023).
• On February 27, 2023, a joint patrol of the Congolese and Ugandan armies was targeted by gunfire while they were trying to advance towards ISIS positions in the village of Kebasioa, about 50 km west of the border with Uganda. Several soldiers were killed or wounded (Telegram, March 1, 2023).

Mozambique

ISIS activity

• On February 25, 2023, a Christian citizen was kidnapped and later executed in the village of Muambula, in the Muidumbe area, in the Cabo Delgado province, in northeastern Mozambique (Telegram, March 4, 2023).

Mali

• On March 5, 2023, two Red Cross workers were kidnapped in northern Mali. It is believed that they were kidnapped by jihadist elements affiliated with Al-Qaeda or ISIS (Reuters, March 5, 2023).
• Abu Obeida Youssef al-Annabi, the head of Al-Qaeda’s branch in the Maghreb (AQIM), granted an exclusive interview to the France 24 channel. According to Al-Annabi, journalist Olivier Dubois, who was kidnapped in April 2021, is held by the organization. He says that there is war in Mali between Al-Qaeda and ISIS and it is not possible to reconcile them since Al-Qaeda considers ISIS as apostate (FRANCE24, March 6, 2023).

Somalia

Al-Shabaab activity

• On the late evening of March 4, 2023, gunmen, apparently Al-Shabaab operatives, opened fire at a café in the city of Mogadishu. At least five people were killed and three were wounded (allafrica.com, March 5, 2023).
• On March 2, 2023, an explosive device was activated against Somali policemen in Mogadishu. One policeman was killed and two were wounded (Telegram, March 3, 2023).

Counterterrorism

• The Somali army managed to thwart an Al-Shabaab attack against a military base in Afgoye, northwest of Mogadishu. After a long exchange of fire, Al-Shabaab operatives withdrew. Some of them were killed during the withdrawal (allafrica.com, March 6, 2023).
• Somali Minister of Information Daud Aweis announced that Somalia’s security forces had carried out a three-day operation against Al-Shabaab in the center and south of the country. During the operation, they took over a number of areas that were under the organization’s control in Hirshabelle, in the center of Somalia, near the border with Ethiopia, in Galmudug, about 500 km north of Mogadishu, and in Jubaland, in the south of the country. It was also reported that 200 Al-Shabaab operatives had been killed in the operation (mangalorean.com, March 3, 2023).
• On March 3, 2023, Somali government Special Forces with US support attacked a group of Al-Shabaab operatives in the Lower Juba area in the south of the country. Thirteen Al-Shabaab operatives were killed, one of them a senior operative of the organization (garoweonline.com, March 5, 2023).

Expanding aid to Somalia’s government

• The United States transferred a total of 61 tons of weapons and ammunition to the government of Somalia as part of its assistance to Somalia in its war against the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab (menafn.com, March 3, 2023). In addition, in a joint declaration with Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, the United States indicated that it would support Somalia’s efforts to manage its weapons and ammunition in a manner that will allow the UN Security Council to lift the arms embargo imposed on Somalia (Defense News, March 1, 2023). A total of 450 US military personnel are stationed in Somalia (The Heritage Times, March 1, 2023).
• The National Security Adviser to the President of Somalia announced that the governments of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti would soon send additional forces to Somalia to assist the Somali government in its fight against the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab (VOA, March 3, 2023).

Cameroon

• On March 5, 2023, Boko Haram operatives attacked a village in the Lake Chad region, in northern Cameroon. At least four villagers were killed (Xinhua, March 6, 2023).

Activity of ISIS’s Sahel Province

• ISIS’s Al-Naba weekly published an infographic summing up the activity of the Sahel Province in the Mali-Niger-Burkina Faso border triangle between February 2 and February 24, 2023. According to the infographic, during this period the province operatives carried out attacks that resulted in the killing of 129 people according to the following breakdown: Burkina Faso army (76); Niger army (35); Al-Qaeda and local militias (16); and two “spies” of the Wagner forces (Russian mercenaries acting on behalf of the Russian regime). Dozens more were wounded. According to the infographic, the province operatives caused material damage to their opponents and seized a large quantity of weapons and ammunition (Al-Naba weekly, Telegram, March 2, 2023).

Pakistan

•  On the morning of March 6, 2023, a suicide bomber blew himself up next to a truck carrying Pakistani policemen near the town of Sibi, in the province of Balochistan, in the southwest of the country. The truck was hit and overturned. Ten policemen were killed and another 12 were wounded (The Washington Post, March 6, 2023).

• ISIS’s Pakistan Province claimed responsibility for the incident, noting that a suicide bomber of the organization, known as Abd al-Rahman al-Bakistani (i.e., the Pakistani), carried out the attack using a motorcycle bomb and an explosive belt (Telegram, March 6, 2023).

• According to an AP report, a newly formed organization, called Tehreek-e-Jihad, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Afghanistan

• A spokesman for the Taliban government announced that on March 4, 2023, Taliban security forces killed six ISIS operatives, including a woman, during an attack on the organization’s hideout in Herat province, in western Afghanistan. According to the spokesman, one member of the Taliban’s security forces was wounded during the incident. Weapons were also found there (Khaama Press, March 4, 2023).
• Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, stated in an interview with an Afghan media outlet that if there is any center for Al-Qaeda, then in his opinion it is located in Iran. He said that although in the past, Afghanistan served as the organization’s center, the organization changed and it became a network operating through small groups in different parts of the world, and if there is indeed any center for the organization, it is believed to be located in Iran (Tolo News, March 2, 2023).

Yemen

• On February 26, 2023, an airstrike was carried out by a US drone against Hamad bin Hamoud al-Tamimi, known also as Abd al-Aziz al-Adnani, a senior Saudi operative in Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen (Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, AQAP). The attack took place while Al-Tamimi was staying in a rented house in the town of Al-Hassoun, in the north of the Marib province, in northern Yemen. Al-Tamimi served as chairman of the Shura Council and a judge of the Al-Qaeda branch in Yemen (Al-Araby al-Jadeed, March 1, 2023). On March 5, 2023, Al-Qaeda confirmed his death (SITE, March 5, 2023).

Turkey

• On March 1, 2023, it was reported that an Istanbul police force recently captured a senior ISIS operative known as Abu Hadhayfah (his real name was published under the initials M.M.B.), who served in a number of senior positions in the organization, including a judge in the city of Al-Raqqah and other areas in northern Syria. It was not stated when the arrest was made, but it can be estimated that it was during the last month (Al-Monitor, March 1, 2023).

Europe

France

• A court in Paris sentenced 32-year-old Douha Mounib to 12 years in prison on charges of supporting ISIS. Mounib arrived in Syria in 2013, after traveling from Morocco to Turkey and marrying a smuggler, who helped her cross the border into Syria. She stayed in Syria for only two months, when her goal was to join the ranks of ISIS, but she had to leave. After several more attempts to reach Syria, she succeeded in 2015 in crossing the Turkish-Syrian border together with her second husband. She stayed with him for about 15 months when they moved between Mosul in Iraq and Al-Raqqah in Syria, which were under the control of ISIS. At the end of 2016, she left the area and was arrested in March 2017 on the Turkish border with her infant daughter and small son. At the end of 2017, after spending nine months in a detention facility in Turkey, she was deported to France where she was arrested and brought to trial (RFI, March 2, 2023)

Denmark

• On February 28, 2023, a court in Copenhagen sentenced Elmina Aljic, 38, who has Danish-Bosnian citizenship, to four years in prison and the denial of her Danish citizenship, after she confessed and was convicted of aiding ISIS. In February 2015, Aljic went to Syria with her husband and children and was a housewife in Al-Raqqa, ISIS’s stronghold in Syria at the time. Aljic, who also holds Bosnian citizenship, was transferred in 2021 from a detention camp in Syria back to Denmark along with two other women and 14 children (Reuters, February 28, 2023).

Terrorism financing

• On March 3, 2023, Al-Qaeda published a message on social media calling on Muslims around the world to donate funds in Bitcoin to help the organization’s “jihad fighters” during the month of Ramadan, which is celebrated this year from March 23, 2023, to April 20, 2023 (MEMRI, March 3, 2023).

The battle for hearts and minds

• On March 3, 2023, groups affiliated with ISIS published a statement according to which several different media foundations affiliated with the organization decided to join forces in an effort to translate the organization’s media materials into different languages under one media foundation. The new foundation, called “Fursan al-Tarjuma,” i.e., “Knights of Translation,” will include translations into the following languages: English, French, Russian, Tajik, Uzbek, Bengali, Hausa, Indonesian, Persian, Hindi, Turkish, Kurdish, Pashto, Somali and Albanian (Telegram, March 3, 2023).

^[1] According to ISIS claims of responsibility and international media. ↑
^[2] According to ISIS claims of responsibility and international media. ↑

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