Spotlight on Global Jihad (September 22 – October 6, 2022)

Main events of the past week^[1]

• Over the past two weeks, ISIS has concentrated its activity mainly in Afghanistan and Africa.
• Israel: The Israeli security forces detained six residents of Nazareth on suspicion of carrying out attacks for ISIS and planning to carry out attacks, one of them at a Muslim school in the city.
• Afghanistan: Two suicide bombing attacks were carried out in Kabul, claiming dozens of lives. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. ISIS is believed to be behind them. The official in charge of finances and recruitment for ISIS in Afghanistan was reportedly detained.
• The Sinai Peninsula: The Egyptian security forces continued their counterterrorism efforts. The Egyptian Parliament overwhelmingly approved the Egyptian President’s decision to extend the state of emergency in a number of regions in the Sinai Peninsula for another six months.
• Syria: The Kurdish security forces revealed ISIS’s intentions to carry out an attack against the Al-Hawl camp. A huge stockpile of weapons and ammunition was found in the Al-Hasakah region. ISIS continued to operate against the Kurdish forces and the Syrian army.
• Iraq: ISIS continued to carry out relatively low-intensity activity.
• Africa: In Nigeria: There was an increase in ISIS activity in the northeast of the country. For the first time ever, ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack in Ondo State, in the southwest of the country. The Democratic Republic of the Congo: ISIS continued to carry out attacks against Christian villages and Congolese army compounds. In Somalia: Three car bombs exploded at the entrance to an army base that is also a Somali government headquarters. At least 20 people were killed. A senior member of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab organization was killed in a joint operation by the Somali government and the United States. In Mali: Clashes broke out between ISIS and an Al-Qaeda-affiliated organization in eastern Mali. In Burkina Faso: Attacks by elements affiliated with ISIS and Al-Qaeda continued.

Israel

ISIS networks in Israel exposed

• In a joint operation carried out several weeks ago by the Israeli security forces, six Nazareth residents were detained on suspicion of intending to carry out terrorist activity in Israeli territory as ISIS operatives. The detainees are: Muhammad Ihab Suleiman, 25 , who was known to the security forces due to his past ISIS-related activity; Abd al-Ghaffar Suleiman, 21; Muamen Nijam, 20; Ahmed Belal Suleiman, 18; Jihad Bakr, 20; and a minor, a high school student whose details have been banned from publication.

• Under investigation, it became evident that they had consumed ISIS content via the Internet in a way that led to their profound identification with its ideology. At some point, they decided to carry out an attack on behalf of ISIS. To this end, they met secretly and planned various types of attacks. The main target was a Muslim high school in Nazareth which, according to them, “followed the path of the infidels” and taught sex education. They also attempted to identify other targets, such as a busy bus station in a city in northern Israel, a police station near their homes, woods where Jews roam, and more. In order to carry out the attacks, they worked to obtain weapons and recruit additional operatives. Charges were filed against the six detainees (Israel Police website, October 2, 2022).

The Sinai Peninsula

ISIS activity

• On September 29, 2022, ISIS attacked an Egyptian army force west of Bir al-Abd, in the northern Sinai Peninsula. A captain was killed and several other soldiers were wounded (Al-Araby al-Jadeed, September 30, 2022). Several days afterward, on October 3, 2022, medical sources in Sinai reported that an Egyptian soldier had been killed in an ISIS attack against an Egyptian force operating west of Bir al-Abd (Al-Araby al-Jadeed, October 4, 2022).
• On September 25, 2022, an IED was activated against a Sinai Tribal Union patrol carrying out searches near Salim Square in Rafah. Two fighters were wounded (Telegram, September 28, 2022).

Counterterrorism activity

• The Egyptian Parliament overwhelmingly approved Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s decision to extend the state of emergency in a number of regions in Sinai for another six months starting on October 3, 2022. The purpose of this measure is to fight terrorism and take precautions in these areas (Al-Mayadeen, October 1, 2022).
• On October 3-5, 2022, eleven ISIS operatives were killed in activity carried out by the Egyptian army and the Sinai Tribal Union in the Jalbanah area, in northwestern Sinai, about 20 km east of the Suez Canal (Sinai Tribal Union’s Twitter account, October 5, 2022).
• A Sinai Tribal Union force operating on October 5, 2022 against ISIS operatives on the Rafah beach killed two operatives. One Sinai Tribal Union fighter was killed (Sinaa Mubasher Facebook page, October 5, 2022). According to ISIS, there was an exchange of fire with a patrol carrying out searches near the Rafah beach. ISIS operatives killed one fighter and wounded two others. In its statement, ISIS did not mention casualties among its ranks (Telegram, October 5, 2022).
• A Sinai Tribal Union force operating on October 2, 2022 in the Al-Matalah and Al-Husseinat area west of Rafah killed an ISIS commander (Sinaa Mubasher Facebook page, October 2, 2022).
• On September 30, 2022, an Egyptian army force captured an ISIS operative in the Jalbanah village area (Sinaa Mubasher Facebook page, September 30, 2022).
• On September 23, 2022, three ISIS operatives were killed in an exchange of fire between Egyptian security forces and ISIS operatives in the Jalbanah area (Sinaa Mubasher Facebook page, September 24, 2022).

The Syrian arena

Al-Hasakah region

• According to local sources, on the evening of September 24, 2022, a car bomb was detonated against an SDF vehicle in the village of Ghazilah, about 45 km east of Al-Hasakah. The passengers on board were wounded. ISIS claimed responsibility for the incident, providing a different statement of the affairs, according to which five of its armed operatives attacked an SDF convoy in the area mentioned above. A suicide bomber codenamed Abu Omar detonated a car bomb near the convoy while the other operatives fired at it. According to ISIS, 13 SDF fighters were killed and wounded, and two vehicles were destroyed. Four ISIS operatives were killed in the incident. According to ISIS, the attack was carried out in revenge for the SDF treatment of the wives of ISIS operatives held in the Al-Hawl camp (Telegram, Al-Naba, September 29, 2022; Enab Baladi, September 25, 2022).

• On September 22, 2022, an IED was activated against an SDF vehicle in the village of Gharibah al-Sharqiyah, in the Maysarah region, about 100 km south of Al-Hasakah. The vehicle was damaged (Telegram, September 22, 2022).

Deir ez-Zor-Al-Mayadeen region

• On October 5, 2022, one of the fighters of a pro-Iranian militia was targeted by sniper fire in the Al-Mayadeen Desert. The fighter, a resident of the town of Hatlah (about 4 km east of Deir ez-Zor), was killed (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, October 5, 2022).
• On October 3, 2022, an SDF fighter was abducted in the village of Abu al-Naytal, in the Al-Suwar area, about 50 km northeast of Deir ez-Zor. He was shot to death (Telegram, October 4, 2022).
• On October 3, 2022, armed men, apparently ISIS operatives, attacked a force of the Syrian regime’s National Security Apparatus east of Deir ez-Zor. Four Security Apparatus operatives were killed and three others were wounded (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, October 3, 2022).
• On October 2, 2022, an IED was activated against an SDF commander and his escort in the village of Jadid Akidat, about 20 km south of Deir ez-Zor. The two were wounded (Telegram, October 4, 2022).
• On October 2, 2022, an IED was activated against an SDF vehicle in the village of Jazrat Albu Hmeid, in the Kisrah region, about 30 km northwest of Deir ez-Zor. The vehicle sustained damage (Telegram, October 3, 2022).
• On September 30, 2022, armed men, apparently ISIS operatives, attacked an SDF vehicle in the town of Al-Zir, about 10 km north of Al-Mayadeen. One fighter was wounded (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, September 30, 2022).
• On September 24, 2022, two “sorcerers” (such a description usually refers to Sufi sheiks, fortune tellers, or witch doctors) were targeted by gunfire in the village of Al-Hariji, about 15 km north of Al-Mayadeen. They were both killed (Telegram, September 25, 2022).
• On September 23, 2022, an SDF patrol was targeted by gunfire in the village of Al-Kubar, about 35 km northwest of Deir ez-Zor. One fighter was killed and three others were wounded (Telegram, September 24, 2022).

The desert region

• On October 3, 2022, armed men, apparently ISIS operatives, attacked a joint force of the Syrian National Security Apparatus and the Al-Quds Brigade (Liwa al-Quds), a Palestinian force supporting the regime, in Jabal al-Bishri, in the Deir ez-Zor desert region. An Al-Quds Brigade fighter was killed and other fighters of the joint force were wounded (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, October 3, 2022).
• On September 25, 2022, a military bus carrying Syrian soldiers on the Al-Raqqah-Al-Salmiyah road was attacked in the desert region southeast of Hama. Two soldiers were killed and another was wounded (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, September 25, 2022).
• On September 22, 2022, a Syrian army position was attacked in the Al-Saan region, about 50 km northeast of Hama. Three officers were killed (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, September 22, 2022).

Deir ez-Zor-Al-Mayadeen region

• On September 27, 2022, an IED was activated against a Syrian army vehicle on the Al-Tabqah airfield road, about 40 km west of Al-Raqqah. Two soldiers were wounded, and the vehicle was put out of commission (Telegram, September 29, 2022).

Counterterrorism activity

Turkey arrested ISIS operatives in northern Syria

• According to a Turkish military source, on September 30, 2022, a force of the Turkish-affiliated Free Syrian Army, with Turkish Intelligence (MIT) support, arrested 18 ISIS operatives in northern Syria (the exact location was not mentioned). Another ISIS operative was killed. Under interrogation, the operatives admitted that they had collected intelligence on Turkish bases and institutions in Syria, followed the routine of Turkish vehicle traffic, and even carried out four attempts to attack vehicles in August and September 2022. Weapons, ammunition, and a large quantity of explosives were found in their possession (Anatolia News Agency, September 30, 2022)

Al-Hasakah region

• On September 21, 2022, Kurdish Internal Security forces (Asayish) managed to prevent an ISIS squad from attacking the Al-Hawl camp (about 30 km east of Al-Hasakah), where family members of ISIS operatives are held. The squad intended to detonate two car bombs at the entrance to the camp and then break into the camp and liberate inmates. Their plan was thwarted when the Kurdish forces ambushed the ISIS squad near Umm Fakik, about 20 km north of Al-Hawl. In the exchange of fire between the Kurdish forces and ISIS, a car bomb was detonated resulting in the killing of three ISIS operatives, and the fourth was captured. Another car bomb was neutralized. A tank containing about 300 kg of explosives was found in the car. In addition, the forces seized three Kalashnikov rifles, magazines, and several hundred bullets. One Asayish fighter was lightly wounded (SDF Press, September 21, 2022).
• On September 28, 2022, a joint force of the SDF and the Kurdish Internal Security forces located a huge stockpile of ISIS weapons and ammunition hidden in the village of Al-Qayrawan, about 50 km east of Al-Hasakah (about 6 km north of the Syria-Iraq border). The stockpile contained, among other things, dozens of Kalashnikov rifles and hundreds of magazines, silencers, and hand grenades, about two hundred rockets, charges of various kinds, a large quantity of TNT, and equipment for making IEDs (SDF Press, September 28, 2022).

    
Left: Rockets and IEDs found by the SDF forces. Right: Assault rifles and magazines found by the forces (SDF Press, September 28, 2022)

The desert region

• On September 27-28, 2022, Russian fighter jets carried out over 20 airstrikes against ISIS activity areas in the Rasafah Desert, about 40 km southwest of Al-Raqqah and in the Aleppo-Hama-Al-Raqqah triangle. Five ISIS operatives were killed and four others were wounded (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, September 28, 2022).

Al-Raqqah region

• SDF Special Forces, supported by the US-led Global Coalition, arrested an ISIS operative at his home, in a farm near the town of Al-Karamah, about 20 km east of Al-Raqqah. They also found and seized documents and equipment (SDF Press, September 26, 2022).
• On September 26, 2022, an SDF force broke into an apartment in Al-Raqqah where ISIS operatives were planning attacks and making IEDs. Three ISIS operatives were caught (SDF Press, September 26, 2022).

The Iraqi arena

ISIS attacks by province^[2]

Diyala Province

• On September 25, 2022, an Iraqi army force was targeted by gunfire during an operation south of Qara Tapa, about 100 km northeast of Baqubah. One soldier was killed and two others, including an officer, were wounded (Telegram, September 26, 2022).

Kirkuk Province

• On October 2, 2022, a mortar shell was fired at Iraqi army forces near the village of Al-Tar, about 30 km south of Kirkuk (Telegram, October 2, 2022).
• On October 2, 2022, an IED was activated against an Iraqi soldier near Wadi al-Shay, southwest of Daquq. He was wounded (Telegram, October 2, 2022).
• On September 29, 2022, three mortar shells were fired at an Iraqi police compound near the village of Al-Khasha, south of Daquq (Telegram, September 29, 2022).

• On September 24, 2022, an IED was activated against an Iraqi police vehicle about 30 km south of Kirkuk. An officer and three policemen were wounded. The vehicle was put out of commission (Telegram, September 25, 2022).
• On September 20, 2022, an Iraqi army compound was attacked by gunfire and hand grenades in the village of Simlawah, in the Al-Dibs region, about 30 km northwest of Kirkuk. One soldier was killed (Telegram, September 21, 2022).

Salah al-Din Province

• On October 4, 2022, an Iraqi soldier was targeted by gunfire and killed in the Al-Azari region, about 30 km north of Baghdad (Telegram, October 4, 2022).
• On September 24, 2022, during an operation in the Al-Azari region, there was an exchange of fire between Iraqi soldiers and ISIS operatives. One soldier was killed and two others, including an officer, were wounded. That same day, another soldier was targeted by gunfire in the same area and was killed (Telegram, September 24, 2022).

Counterterrorism activity

• On September 25, 2022, Sabah al-Nu’man, the spokesman for the Iraqi government’s Counterterrorism Unit, informed that in September, the unit had carried out 117 counterterrorism operations against ISIS. In those operations, they arrested many ISIS operatives. Many operatives were killed, including commanders. In addition, ISIS targets were destroyed. Al-Nu’man added that according to his information, 90% of the ISIS operatives are local people, i.e., Iraqis (Iraqi News Agency, September 25, 2022).

Summary of ISIS’s activity in the various provinces

• An infographic published by ISIS, summing up its activity around the world in the period between September 15 and September 21, 2022, indicates that the organization carried out 35 attacks in its various provinces around the globe (compared to 28 in the previous week). The largest number of attacks was carried out by ISIS’s Syria Province (8). Attacks carried out in the other provinces: Iraq (7); Khorasan, i.e., Afghanistan (6); Mozambique (5); West Africa (4); Somalia (3); Pakistan (1); and Sinai (1). A total of 93 people were killed or wounded in the attacks, compared to 62 in the previous week. The largest number of casualties was in the Mozambique Province (40). The other casualties were in the following provinces: Khorasan, i.e., Afghanistan (17); Iraq (15); Syria (10); West Africa (4); Somalia (3); Pakistan (2); and Sinai (2) (Al-Naba weekly, Telegram, September 22, 2022).
• An infographic published by ISIS, summing up its activity around the world in the period between September 22 and September 28, 2022, indicates that the organization carried out 31 attacks in its various provinces around the globe (compared to 35 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: Iraq (6); Syria (5); Central Africa (3); Mozambique (2); Khorasan, i.e., Afghanistan (1); and Sinai (1). A total of 62 people were killed or wounded in the attacks, compared to 93 in the previous week. The largest number of casualties was in the West Africa Province (22). The other casualties were in the following provinces: Syria (21); Iraq (12); Khorasan, i.e., Afghanistan (2); Sinai (2); Central Africa (2); and Mozambique (1) (Al-Naba weekly, Telegram, September 29, 2022).

 
Right: Summary of ISIS attacks on September 15-21, 2022 (Al-Naba, Telegram, September 22, 2022). Left: Summary of the attacks on September 22-28, 2022
(Al-Naba, Telegram, September 29, 2022)

ISIS attacks by week (according to ISIS data)

Africa

Nigeria^[3]

Attack in Ondo State

• Operatives of ISIS’s West Africa Province fired shots at a Nigerian police vehicle in the town of Ibil, in Ondo State, in southwestern Nigeria. According to ISIS, the policemen fled from the damaged vehicle (Telegram, September 21, 2022). This was the first attack carried out by ISIS operatives in Ondo State.

Counterterrorism activity

• On September 26, 2022, a Nigerian army force fired rockets at operatives of ISIS’s West Africa Province while they were holding a meeting in Wulle, about 45 km south of Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State. The ISIS operatives had reportedly convened to carry out an attack against a nearby Nigerian army force. An unknown number of ISIS operatives were killed (Leadership, Nigerian news site, September 29, 2022).

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

• On October 3, 2022, an IED was activated against Christian civilians in a movie theater in the Pusinzira neighborhood in the city of Butembo in North Kivu Province, in northeastern Congo. A total of 10 civilians were wounded (Telegram, October 4, 2022).
• On October 1, 2022, an attack was carried out against the Christian town of Mayoano, in the Ituri region, about 100 km west of the Congo-Uganda border. A fighter in a militia supporting the Congolese army was killed. His weapon was seized. The Congolese soldiers fled. Congolese army compounds in the village were set on fire, along with shops, houses, a hotel and vehicles of Christian residents (Telegram, October 2, 2022).

• On September 30, 2022, an attack was carried out against a Congolese army compound in the village of Nzinga, in the Beni region, near the Congo-Uganda border. The soldiers fled, weapons and ammunition were seized (Telegram, October 1, 2022).
• On September 29, 2022, an attack was carried out against a Congolese army compound in the village of Bellongo, in the Beni region. One soldier was killed and the rest fled. Weapons and ammunition were seized (Telegram, September 29, 2022).
• On September 23, 2022, a Congolese army compound was targeted by gunfire in the area of Basho, in the Beni region. The soldiers fled. The compound was set on fire. An assault rifle and ammunition were seized (Telegram, September 25, 2022).

Mozambique

• On September 28, 2022, an attack was carried out against a joint compound of the Mozambican army and the African SADC (Southern African Development Community) in the village of Namuimba, in the Nangade region of Cabo Delgado Province. The soldiers and fighters fled (Telegram, September 28, 2022).
• On September 25, 2022, a Christian civilian was abducted and executed in the village of Natutoy, in the Mocímboa da Praia region in Cabo Delgado Province (Telegram, September 26, 2022).
• On September 23, 2022, an attack was carried out against the Christian village of Umba, in the Moida region of Cabo Delgado Province. A civilian was executed. Vehicles and dozens of homes were set on fire (Telegram, September 29, 2022).

Burkina Faso

• On September 26, 2022, an attack was carried out by terrorist operatives (probably affiliated with Al-Qaeda or ISIS) against a supply convoy numbering 150 vehicles, which was escorted by a Burkina Faso army force, in Gaskindé, in the Soum Province in the north of the country. A total of 11 soldiers were killed and 50 civilians are missing. In addition, 28 people were wounded, including 20 soldiers. Dozens of trucks were destroyed (Al-Jazeera, September 28, 2022). An official source in Burkina Faso announced that on September 26, 2022, terrorist operatives (apparently affiliated with al-Qaeda or ISIS) had attacked a military supply convoy in the Gaskindé region in the north of the country. A total of 11 soldiers were killed and about 50 civilians are missing (Associated Press, September 28, 2022).
• On September 25, 2022, terrorist operatives (apparently affiliated with al-Qaeda or ISIS) ambushed a Burkina Faso army force and a civilian force of volunteers assisting it in the Tapoa Province in the east of the country. Two soldiers and two volunteers were killed. There were apparently losses among the terrorist operatives as well. It should be noted that since 2015, thousands of people have been killed in Burkina Faso and two million civilians have been displaced from their homes due to the fighting (VOA, September 25, 2022).

Mali

Clashes in eastern Mali

• According to a report from September 20, 2022, for several days there had been clashes between elements affiliated with ISIS’s Sahel Province and elements affiliated with the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin organization (an Al-Qaeda branch) over control of territory primarily in the Gao region in northeastern Mali. Both sides reportedly received reinforcements from outside the country (Difesa & Sicurezza, September 20, 2022).

Somalia

Al-Shabaab activity

• On October 3, 2022, three car bombs were detonated at the entrance to a military base used as a headquarters of the Somali government in the city of Beledweyne, about 300 km northwest of Mogadishu. Two of the cars were detonated in the morning and the third in the afternoon. At least 20 people were killed and about 50 others were wounded. It is estimated that the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab organization is behind the attacks (VOA, October 3, 2022).
• On September 29, 2022, Al-Shabaab operatives attacked a team drilling a water well in the town of Gariley, in the Gedo region, in southern Somalia. A total of 12 workers were killed. The Somali security forces operating against the attacking force killed six Al-Shabaab operatives. This region in the Horn of Africa currently suffers from the most serious drought in the past 40 years (VOA, September 30, 2022).

ISIS activity

• On September 21, 2022, a hand grenade was thrown at a Somali policeman in the city of Afgoye. He was killed (Telegram, September 21, 2022).

Counterterrorism activity

• The Somali government announced that on October 1, 2022, Abdullahi Nadir or Abdullahi Yare, the head preacher of the Al-Shabaab organization, had been killed in an airstrike in a joint operation with the US forces. The senior operative had been the former head of Al-Shabaab’s Shura Council (leadership council) and the group’s director for finances. He was believed to be next in line to take over the leadership (thedefensepost.com, October 3, 2022; Somali government, as appeared in the @Rita_Katz Twitter account, October 2, 2022).
• The Al-Shabaab Organization announced that on October 1, 2022, its operatives had taken over Mokakori in the east of the Hiran region (Al-Firdaws, October 2, 2022). It should be noted that as part of a large-scale operation against the organization, the Somali army has taken over the central Hiran over the past three weeks (www.hstoday.us, October 2, 2022).

Morocco

• In a joint operation held on October 4, 2022, the Moroccan Internal Security Apparatus and Spanish Police detained 12 ISIS operatives. Two operatives were detained by the Moroccan security forces in Nador, in the northern part of the country. Ten others were detained by the Spanish police in Melilla, which belongs to Spain, about 10 km north of Nador (France 24, October 4, 2022).
• On September 29, 2022, the Moroccan Internal Security Apparatus, working in collaboration with US Intelligence, detained a 29-year-old ISIS operative in Casablanca. They found two laptops, cell phones and SIM cards in his possession. The detainee had reportedly tried to locate supervision posts of the security forces in order to attack them and seize their weapons for terrorist purposes (Al-Araby al-Jadeed, September 29, 2022).

Asia

Afghanistan

• On September 30, 2022, a suicide bomber detonated a charge he carried on his body in an education center in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood in southwest Kabul. The majority of the residents there are Hazaras and Shiites. The classroom was packed as they were holding a mock university entrance preparation exam. According to the UN mission to Afghanistan, 53 people, including 46 girls and young women, were killed, and 110 people were wounded. So far, no organization has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, ISIS is probably behind it (India Today, October 3, 2022; France 24, September 30, 2022; CNN, September 30, 2022).

• On September 23, 2022, a car bomb was detonated at the main entrance to the Wazir Akbar Khan Mosque in north Kabul, against worshipers leaving after the Friday prayers. A source in the Afghanistan government reported that 19 people, mostly civilians, had been killed, and 42 had been wounded. A Taliban source reported that seven senior officials in the Haqqani network had been killed and 13 civilians had been wounded. Many senior officials in the Taliban administration have reportedly been among the hundreds of worshipers in the mosque. So far, no organization has claimed responsibility for the attack but it was probably carried out by ISIS (Al-Jazeera, September 23, 2022; Khaama Press, September 24, 2022; BNN Newsroom, September 25, 2022).

• On September 28, 2022, a Taliban “spy” was targeted by gunfire and killed in the village of Mano, in the Chaparhar District, about 12 km southwest of Jalalabad (Telegram, September 29, 2022).
• On September 26, 2022, a Pakistan police checkpoint was targeted by gunfire in the Mamund region in Bajaur, on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. One policeman was killed and another was wounded (Telegram, September 26, 2022).

Counterterrorism measures

• The Taliban government’s General Intelligence Directorate reported the arrest of Abd al-Malek, codenamed Maleki, ISIS’s official in charge of finance and foreign relations of the Khorasan Province. According to the Taliban administration, the detainee received funds from Ukraine, Germany, and Spain to finance ISIS’s activity (alemarahenglish.af, October 4, 2022).

Pakistan

• On October 1, 2022, members of the counterterrorism unit were targeted by gunfire and hand grenades in the Karachi neighborhood of Gulshan-e-Maymar. Four fighters were wounded (Telegram, October 4, 2022).

Turkey

• On September 26, 2022, Turkey’s security services arrested eight people suspected of ISIS activity in the Mersin Province, in southern Turkey. The detainees are suspected of disseminating propaganda for terrorist organizations and financing them. That same day, 16 people suspected of ISIS activity were detained in Istanbul (Anatolia News Agency, September 26, 2022).

Appendix

ISIS activity in Nigeria

• On October 3, 2022, ISIS operatives attacked the Christian village of Jilang, near the town of Chibok, about 100 km southwest of Maiduguri. Four civilians were killed and houses were set on fire (Telegram, October 4, 2022).
• On October 2, 2022, ISIS operatives attacked forces of militias supporting the Nigerian army on the road between the towns of Goza and Polka, in Borno State. Three fighters were killed and several others were wounded. A motorcycle was set on fire (Telegram, October 3, 2022).
• On October 2, 2022, ISIS broke into the home of a fighter in one of the militias supporting the Nigerian army in the town of Azari, in Borno State. The fighter was shot to death. His personal rifle was seized (Telegram, October 4, 2022).
• On September 30, 2022, ISIS attacked a Nigerian army camp in the town of Kumshe, about 120 km southeast of Maiduguri. Two soldiers were killed and another was wounded. An armored car was set on fire. Four assault rifles and ammunition were seized (Telegram, October 1, 2022).

• On September 30, 2022, a mortar shell was fired at a Nigerian army compound in the town of Malam Fatori, about 200 km north of Maiduguri. According to ISIS, accurate hits were detected (Telegram, October 1, 2022).
• On September 29, 2022, ISIS attacked a Nigerian army checkpoint in Maiduguri. Two soldiers were killed and the rest fled (Telegram, October 1, 2022).
• On September 28, 2022, a commander in the militias supporting the Nigerian army was targeted by gunfire and killed in the town of Gajiram, about 70 km north of Maiduguri. His assault rifle and vehicle were seized (Telegram, September 29, 2022).
• On September 27, 2022, a Nigerian army convoy was attacked on the road been the towns of Goza and Polka, in Borno State. Several soldiers were killed or wounded. One vehicle was set on fire (Telegram, October 1, 2022).
• On September 26, 2022, a Nigerian army convoy was attacked on the Maiduguri-Damboa road, about 80 km southwest of Maiduguri. Several soldiers were wounded. A tank was damaged (Telegram, September 28, 2022).
• On September 26, 2022, forces supporting the Nigerian army were targeted by gunfire in the town of Fanishik, about 15 km south of Maiduguri. Six fighters were killed. Four vehicles were set on fire (Telegram, September 27, 2022).
• On September 25, 2022, a Nigerian army checkpoint was attacked in the town of Goniri, about 45 km southeast of Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State. Several soldiers were wounded and others fled (Telegram, August 28, 2022).
• On September 25, 2022, a Nigerian army checkpoint was targeted by gunfire in the town of Ajiri, about 15 km south of Maiduguri. Several soldiers were wounded (Telegram, September 26, 2022).
• On September 24, 2022, ISIS attacked forces of the Nigerian police and militias supporting it in the town of Gubio, about 80 km northwest of Maiduguri. Several policemen and fighters were killed or wounded. Two assault rifles and a vehicle were seized (Telegram, September 25, 2022).
• On September 24, 2022, ISIS attacked the Christian village of Ayara, in Kogi State, about 150 km southwest of the capital, Abuja. The residents fled. A church was set on fire and property was seized (Telegram, September 25, 2022).
• On September 24, 2022, a Nigerian army “spy’ was targeted by gunfire and killed in the town of Sabon Gari, about 130 km southwest of Maiduguri (Telegram, September 25, 2022).
• On September 22, 2022, ISIS attacked the headquarters of a militia supporting the Nigerian army in the town of Mona, in Borno State. Several fighters were wounded. Four assault rifles were seized (Telegram, September 24, 2022).

^[1] Spotlight on Global Jihad will not be issued next week. We wish all our readers a Happy Sukkot. ↑
^[2] According to ISIS claims of responsibility and the Iraqi media ↑
^[3] See the appendix for details of the attacks. ↑

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