MESOP NEWS INTEL BY MEIR AMIT CENTER / ISRAELSpotlight on Global Jihad (September 14 – October 6, 2021)

The suicide bomber Misbah al-Kunari (from the Kunar Province in Afghanistan) who carried out the attack (Telegram, October 4, 2021)

Main events of the past week

• Afghanistan: ISIS’s Khorasan Province significantly increased its activity against the Taliban in Afghanistan over the past three weeks. The province expanded its activity and also acted against the Pakistani security forces on the eastern side of the border. One noteworthy attack was carried out on October 3, 2021, when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt among senior Taliban operatives taking part in a mourning ceremony at a mosque in Kabul.
• During the period under review, there was a relative decrease in ISIS’s activity in most of the provinces, apart from Iraq:
  • Syria: ISIS’s activity focused on the Syrian Desert region, mainly against the Syrian army and the forces supporting it. Russian Air Force planes repeatedly attacked ISIS targets in the area. ISIS claimed responsibility for damage to the electricity grid in Damascus, causing prolonged power outages in the city.
  • Iraq: ISIS’s activity continued, mainly against the Iraqi security forces and the forces supporting them. Most of the activity focused on the Diyala Province. ISIS released a video calling on its operatives to continue to carry out terrorist attacks against the Iraqi authorities.
• The Sinai Peninsula: The head of ISIS’s Sharia activity in the Sinai Peninsula and his family turned themselves in to the tribal militias in Sinai, which support the Egyptian army. This is the most senior official in ISIS’s Sinai Province who has surrendered to the Egyptian authorities. At the same time, ISIS continued its activity against the Egyptian security forces and the forces supporting them, albeit on a small scale.
• Africa: ISIS’s West Africa and Central Africa provinces continued their intensive activity against the security forces and Christian residents, mainly in Nigeria and the Congo. French President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed that ISIS’s leader in the Sahara was killed by French forces.
• Asia: India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has released a report indicating that ISIS has recently been attempting to recruit operatives in India. According to the report, up to now 37 terrorist attacks in India have been thwarted, the last of which was in June 2021. Indonesia’s security forces killed Ali Kalora, leader of the East Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT), a jihadi organization that pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2014.
• German police thwarted an attack that was about to be carried out at a synagogue on Yom Kippur in the West German city of Hagen.
• The battle for hearts and minds: An article in ISIS’s Al-Naba’ weekly addressed the importance of propaganda and media activity to promote jihad.

Afghanistan

•  ISIS’s Al-Naba’ weekly published an infographic summing up the activity of ISIS’s Khorasan Province (Afghanistan) on September 18-22, 2021. According to the infographic, during this time, ISIS operatives carried out 20 attacks in various forms (15 IED attacks, four targeted killings, and one shooting attack). According to ISIS, 85 people were killed in the attacks, including a commander in the Taliban movement (Al-Naba’ weekly, Telegram, September 23, 2021).

• After a period of relative quiet, during the past three weeks there has been a significant increase in the activity of ISIS’s Khorasan Province. It was mainly targeted against members of the Taliban, who took over Afghanistan. Most of the attacks were in Jalalabad and took the form of detonating IEDs. A prominent attack was carried out on October 3, 2021: there was an explosion at the entrance of a mosque where a commemoration ceremony was held for the mother of the deputy information minister in the Taliban government. Five people were killed (WION, October 3, 2021; AFP, October 3, 2021). ISIS claimed that its operative who was wearing an explosive belt had blown himself up amongst a crowd of commanders and Taliban operatives during a mourning ceremony in Kabul. Dozens of people were killed and wounded (Telegram, October 4, 2021). Immediately after the incident, Taliban fighters raided a building which had been used by ISIS in north Kabul.  Several ISIS operatives were killed.

• Following are the main attacks (according to ISIS’s claims of responsibility on Telegram):
  • On October 2, 2021, an IED was activated against a foot patrol of Taliban fighters in Jalalabad. Two Taliban operatives were killed and another was wounded (Telegram, October 5, 2021). On the same day, a Taliban vehicle was targeted by gunfire. Four passengers were killed and one was wounded.
  • On October 1, 2021, an IED was activated against two Taliban vehicles in Sharikar, in Parwan, in north Kabul. Ten Taliban operatives were wounded.
  • On September 29, 2021, an IED was activated against a Taliban vehicle in Jalalabad. Three of the passengers were killed and four others were wounded.
  • On September 29, 2021, an IED was activated against a Taliban vehicle in Parwan. The four passengers were killed or wounded.
  • On September 29, 2021, an IED was activated against a Taliban vehicle in the Biruni region in the Kunar Province, near the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Five passengers were wounded.
  • On September 27, 2021, a Taliban roadblock was targeted by gunfire in the Soki region, in the Kunar Province. Three Taliban members were killed and two others were wounded.
  • On September 26, 2021, two IEDs were activated against two tankers carrying oil for the Taliban in north Kabul. The two tankers went up in flames.
  • On September 26, 2021, a Taliban vehicle was ambushed and fired at in the Parwan region. The four passengers were killed.
  • On September 25, 2021, an IED was activated against a Taliban vehicle in Jalalabad. Five Taliban members were killed or wounded. The following day, a vehicle was targeted by gunfire. Six Taliban members were killed.
  • On September 23, 2021, an IED was activated against a Taliban vehicle in Jalalabad. Five Taliban members were killed or wounded. On that same day, a Taliban member was shot in the city.
  • On September 22, 2021, an IED was activated against a crowd of Taliban members in Jalalabad. Two Taliban members were killed and two others were wounded. On the same day, an IED was activated against a Taliban vehicle. Two people were wounded. Another IED was activated against additional Taliban members who arrived on the scene. Two people were killed and two others were wounded. Yet another IED was detonated, killing two Taliban members and wounding four others.
  • On September 22, 2021, an IED was activated against a Taliban vehicle in Kabul. Six Taliban members were killed or wounded. On the same day, two Taliban members were targeted by gunfire in the city and were killed.
  • On September 20, 2021, an IED was activated against a Taliban vehicle in the Nangarhar Province. Four Taliban members were killed and three others were wounded. Another IED was activated against a group of Taliban members and two others were killed.
  • On September 20, 2021, an IED was activated against a Taliban vehicle in the Mazar Dara region, in the north of the country, near the Afghanistan-Uzbekistan border. Two Taliban members were wounded.
  • On September 19, 2021, an IED was activated against a Taliban vehicle in Jalalabad. Three Taliban members were killed and two were wounded.
  • On September 18, 2021, several IEDs were activated against Taliban vehicles in various regions in the city of Jalalabad, killing and wounding at least 30 Taliban members. That same day, a Taliban member was targeted by gunfire.

Counterterrorism measures

• In response to the increase in the attacks, senior Taliban officials announced that the organization forces had launched an operation against ISIS in the Nangarhar Province and in Kabul (Twitter account of the Afghan News Agency, September 29, 2021).
• Taliban sources reported the killing of Ziya al-Haq Abu Omar al-Khorasani, governor of ISIS’s Khorasan Province (Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan Twitter account, September 25, 2021). According to the announcement, he was killed on August 15, 2021, two days after the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban (Taliban’s Twitter account, September 25, 2021). It should be noted that his death was reported about a month ago, but so far no official source has confirmed it.

 The Syrian arena

The Idlib region

• This week, exchanges of artillery fire continued between the Syrian army and the forces supporting it, and the rebel forces in the rebel enclave in Idlib. At the same time, Russian fighter jets carried out airstrikes (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, September 14 – October 3, 2021).

Hurras al-Din Organization activity

• A US aircraft of the US-led Global Coalition attacked a vehicle in the Idlib region, killing two senior leaders of the Hurras al-Din Organization, the Al-Qaeda branch in Syria (US Army CENTCOM, September 20, 2021; the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, September 19, 2021; Enab Baladi, September 20, 2021).
• Hurras al-Din Organization leader Abu Humam al-Shami released a statement accusing HTS, the leading organization in Idlib, of detaining of his organization operatives during the American attack (“the Zionist Crusader Coalition”), instead of fighting alongside the “jihad fighters” (Telegram, September 23, 2021). It should be noted that on September 12, 2021, Al-Shami released a statement calling on HTS to reconcile with his organization (Telegram, September 12, 2021).

The desert region (Al-Badia)

• ISIS continued its attacks against the Syrian army and the forces supporting it. Following are the main incidents:
  • A brigadier general and five soldiers were killed and 11 others were wounded in an attack carried out by ISIS in the region east of Hama (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, October 2, 2021).
  • ISIS operatives activated an IED against a Syrian army vehicle on the Deir ez-Zor-Al-Raqqah highway. Two soldiers were killed (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, September 26, 2021).
  • Four (or six) fighters of Liwa al-Quds, a Palestinian militia supporting the Syrian regime which is guided by Russian officers, were killed in ISIS attacks in the region east of Homs (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, September 26, 2021; Shabakat Ayn al-Furat, September 26, 2021). Several days earlier, five militia fighters were killed in an attack carried out by ISIS on the outskirts of Palmyra (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, September 19, 2021).
  • Two Syrian soldiers and a National Guard commander were killed and six fighters of militias supporting the Syrian regime were wounded by the explosion of an IED in the Al-Sukhnah Desert, about 120 km southwest of Deir ez-Zor (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, September 23, 2021). Several days earlier, two soldiers were killed and seven were wounded, some of them severely, in the same area (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, September 18, 2021).
  • On September 13, 2021, ISIS operatives attacked positions of the Fatemiyoun Brigade, a pro-Iranian militia of Afghan soldiers supporting the Syrian regime, in the Al-Sukhnah region. Reportedly, many ISIS operatives, equipped with light arms, mortars, RPG rockets and machine guns arrived at the area and carried out a sudden attack against the militia positions. Heavy exchanges of fire took place in the area for several hours. Eight militiamen were killed and nine others were wounded. Iranian Revolutionary Guards operatives evacuated the wounded to a field hospital in Palmyra (Asharq Al-Awsat, September 15, 2021).
• The Russian Air Force continued to attack ISIS targets in the desert region. On September 17, 2021, aircraft attacked caves used by ISIS, weapons, equipment and ISIS operatives. Six operatives were reportedly killed (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, September 17, 2021). On October 2, 2021, nine ISIS operatives were killed and 12 others were wounded in attacks carried out in various areas in the region (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, October 2, 2021).

Al-Raqqah region

• A US army helicopter landed forces in the Al-Raqqah region. The troops, with SDF support, raided buildings in the area and abducted two civilians (SANA, September 14, 2021).
• An SDF force detained three senior ISIS operatives in Al-Raqqah. The three had hidden ISIS operatives and planned to carry out attacks against SDF fighters in the city (ANHA, September 26, 2021).

Deir ez-Zor-Al-Mayadeen region^[1]

• On September 28, 2021, two SDF fighters were targeted by gunfire in the Basira region, about 15 km north of Al-Mayadeen. Several days before, an SDF intelligence operative was targeted by gunfire in the same area.
• On September 17, 2021, the body of a Syrian soldier was found in the Al-Mayadeen Desert, about 14 km southeast of Deir ez-Zor, in an area where there is a high presence of pro-Iranian militias. It is unknown how he was killed. He may have been killed by ISIS operatives (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, September 17, 2021).
• On September 13, 2021, an SDF fighter was targeted by gunfire in the Sabha region, about 25 km southeast of Deir ez-Zor. He was killed and his weapon was seized (Telegram, September 14, 2021).

Al-Hasakah region

• ISIS reported that seven of its operatives had escaped from the Al-Hasakah Prison. The operatives include a Tunisian, a Moroccan, two Turkish nationals, a Chechen, a Russian and a Dutch national. The report has not been confirmed by any official Kurdish source (Telegram, September 21-22, 2021).
• An SDF force detained 27 ISIS operatives near Al-Hasakah (SDF website, September 18, 2021). The day before, a force of the SDF commando unit detained 20 ISIS operatives in the area (SDF website, September 17, 2021). In addition, two operatives, members of an ISIS sleeper cell, were detained on the outskirts of Al-Hasakah (SDF website, September 13, 2021).

Damascus region

• ISIS’s al-Sham Province claimed responsibility for attacking the Damascus electricity grid. According to the statement, as part of the “economic war” waged by ISIS against the Syrian regime, ISIS operatives used IEDs to blow up the pipe carrying gas for the production of electricity between the Tishreen power plant (in north Damascus) and Deir Ali (about 20 km south of Damascus), and also blew up two high-voltage pylons of the Deir Ali power plant, which caused a power outage in Damascus and its suburbs for several hours (Sky News, September 18, 2021; Syrian TV, September 18, 2021).

•    Syrian Electricity Minister Ghassan al-Zamel confirmed that the gas pipe and two high-voltage pylons had indeed been hit by the explosion of IEDs, which shut down the Deir Ali power plant and caused a power outage in Damascus and its suburbs for several hours (Sky News, September 18, 2021; Syrian TV, September 18, 2021).

The Iraqi arena

• ISIS’s Iraq Province released a 50-minute video documenting attacks carried out by its operatives in Iraq and encouraging ISIS operatives to carry on their attacks against the Iraqi authorities as part of “jihad against the infidels.” The video features, among other things, a masked ISIS operative claiming that the Iraqi government announcements on its strikes against ISIS are untrue. According to the operative, contrary to their statements, the Iraqi security forces have no achievements against ISIS and it is a media campaign. He further notes that the democratic government runs counter to the rule of Allah. He then goes on to attack the Shiites, who take over the country, according to him, at the expense of the Sunnites (Telegram, October 5, 2021). The video was apparently released on the occasion of the parliamentary elections which are due to take place on October 10, 2021.

     
ISIS operatives in the video (Telegram, October 5, 2021)

Attacks by province^[2]

Kirkuk Province

• On October 5, 2021, an Iraqi police headquarters was targeted by gunfire in the Riyad region, about 50 km southwest of Kirkuk. Two policemen were killed. A day earlier, a Popular Mobilization force was targeted by gunfire. A force arriving on the scene to provide assistance was also fired at. Four Popular Mobilization fighters were killed or wounded.
• On October 3, 2021, an Iraqi police post was targeted by gunfire in the Rashad region, about 40 km southwest of Kirkuk. One policeman was killed.
• On October 1, 2021, an IED was activated against an Iraqi police vehicle in the Rashad region. The passengers were killed or wounded.
• On October 1, 2021, an Iraqi army camp was targeted by gunfire in the Daquq region, in south Kirkuk. A soldier was wounded and the camp was damaged. That same day, a joint post of the Tribal Mobilization and Iraqi police was targeted by gunfire. Two fighters were wounded.
• On September 29, 2021, an IED was activated against an Iraqi police vehicle in the Tel Khadija region, on the outskirts of Kirkuk. The passengers were wounded.
• On September 27, 2021, an Iraqi police post was targeted by gunfire in the Rashad region. A policeman was wounded.
• On September 26, 2021, positions of the Tribal Mobilization were targeted by mortar shells in the Dakshaman region, in south Kirkuk. No hits or casualties were reported.
• On September 12, 2021, an IED was activated against an Iraqi police vehicle in the Daquq region. Three of the passengers were killed or wounded (Telegram, September 14, 2021).

Al-Anbar Province

• On October 3, 2021, ISIS claimed responsibility for detonating a car bomb at the Iraqi police headquarters in Ramadi. According to ISIS, eight people were killed or wounded, about eight cars were destroyed and the building was damaged (Telegram, October 3, 2021). On the other hand, official Iraqi sources noted that the car exploded as a result of a security operative firing at it and that no casualties or damage were caused (Al-Ikhbariya al-Suriya, October 3, 2021).

On September 27, 2021, an Iraqi army camp was targeted by gunfire east of Al-Rutba. One soldier was killed and another was wounded.

• On September 15, 2021, an IED was activated against a Tribal Mobilization convoy near Al-Al-Rutba, in western Iraq. Three fighters were wounded.

Diyala Province

• On October 3, 2021, two Iraqi army posts were targeted by gunfire in the northern Al-Azim region, about 60 km north of Baqubah. One soldier was killed and three others were wounded. A force arriving on the scene to provide assistance was targeted by gunfire, causing one vehicle to go up in flames and putting three other vehicles out of commission.
• On October 3, 2021, the home of Abdullah Jabouri, a former Iraqi MP, was targeted by gunfire. The house is situated in eastern Al-Miqdadiya, about 40 km northeast of Baqubah. One of his bodyguards was killed and three others were wounded.
• On September 26, 2021, an Iraqi police roadblock was targeted by gunfire in central Al-Miqdadiya. Three policemen, two of them officers, were killed, and two other policemen were wounded.
• On September 25, 2021, an IED was activated against a truck of a Shiite civilian in the Al-Waqf region, about 15 km northeast of Baqubah. The truck was destroyed. A Tribal Mobilization force and a police force arriving on the scene to provide assistance were targeted by gunfire. Four of the force members were killed. Five others, including a colonel, were wounded.
• On September 25, 2021, mortar shells were fired at an Iraqi army headquarters in the Bahraz region, south of Baqubah. According to ISIS, definite hits were detected.
• On September 21, 2021, a policeman and a civilian were shot dead from a roadblock placed by ISIS on the Kifri-Garmiyan highway, about 100 km north of Baqubah (Kurdistan24, September 21, 2021).
• On September 21, 2021, IEDs were activated against a house where policemen were staying in the Al-Waqf region. One policeman was killed and two others were wounded.
• On September 15, 2021, an IED was activated against an Iraqi army convoy east of Qara Tapa. Four soldiers were wounded. Another soldier was wounded when another vehicle was targeted by gunfire.
• On September 12, 2021, an Iraqi army camp was targeted by gunfire about 60 km north of Baqubah. Two soldiers were wounded.

Nineveh Province

• On September 13, 2021, an IED was activated against an Iraqi army foot patrol in the village of Abu Yousef, south of Mosul. One soldier was killed and several others were wounded.

Salah al-Din Province

• On October 4, 2021, mortar shells were fired at an Iraqi Military Intelligence headquarters west of Tuz Khormato, about 100 km northeast of Samarra. According to ISIS, definite hits were detected. An Iraqi army post at the site was targeted by gunfire and a soldier was killed.
• On October 3, 2021, a National Security Apparatus “spy” was abducted in the Tarmiyah region, about 30 km north of Baghdad. He was interrogated and then executed.
• On October 3, 2021, an Iraqi army post was targeted by gunfire in the Hamrin Mountains, about 50 km north of Tikrit. One soldier was killed and another was wounded.
• On September 30, 2021, ISIS operatives broke into a house of three Iraqi police “spies” northwest of Samarra and killed them.
• On September 29, 2021, an attack was carried out against a joint force of the Iraqi army, the Popular Mobilization and the National Security Apparatus, which ambushed ISIS operatives in the Tarmiyah region. One of the force fighters was killed.
• On September 27, 2021, two mortar shells were fired at a Tribal Mobilization camp in the Jalloum al-Dour region, about 30 km north of Samarra. According to ISIS, definite hits were detected.
• On September 27, 2021, an Iraqi army camp was targeted by gunfire west of Tuz Khormato. One soldier was killed.

Counterterrorism measures in Iraq

• Iraqi Military Spokesman Yahya Rasool published details about the achievements of the Iraqi security forces in the past year and a half (between May 1, 2020, and September 25, 2021) in the fighting against ISIS. According to the details published, in the period in question, 257 terrorist operatives were killed, 472 operatives were detained, 377 hiding places used by ISIS were destroyed, and 211 explosive belts of ISIS were found throughout Iraq (Yahya Rasoul’s Twitter account, September 26, 2021).

Kirkuk Province

• On October 1, 2021, forces of the counterterrorism unit with Iraqi army air support killed eight ISIS operatives in the Kirkuk Province (Yahya Rasoul’s Twitter account, September 26, 2021).
• On September 22, 2021, the Iraqi Air Force attacked ISIS positions in the Kirkuk Province. According to the report, secondary explosions occurred in some of the targets attacked, indicating the presence of a weapons cache at the site (Iraqi News Agency, September 22, 2021).

Al-Anbar Province

• On September 28, 2021, the Iraqi security forces announced that they had thwarted an attempt to smuggle about half a ton of TNT explosives from Syria to Iraq (Khaliyat al-I’lam al-Amni Facebook page, September 28, 2021).
• On September 22, 2021, the Iraqi security forces announced the detention of ISIS’s “minister of agriculture” in the Al-Anbar Province (Khaliyat al-I’lam al-Amni Facebook page, September 22, 2021).
• On September 16, 2021, the Iraqi security forces killed three ISIS operatives in the Wadi Zghaitoun region, about 50 km southwest of Kirkuk (Al-Sumaria, September 16, 2021).

Salah al-Din Province

• On September 29, 2021, the Iraqi security forces killed two ISIS operatives in the Tarmiyah region. One of the operatives had reportedly planned to carry out a suicide bombing attack in Baghdad (Popular Mobilization website, September 29, 2021).
• On September 28, 2021, the Iraqi security forces killed an ISIS commander near Samarra (Facebook page of Iraqi Armed Forces Spokesman Yahya Rasoul, September 28, 2021).

The Sina