MESOPOTAMIA NEWS INTEL BY MEIR AMIT CENTER ISRAEL : Spotlight on Global Jihad (July 15-21, 2021)

• Syria: Idlib region – 10 soldiers were killed and several others were wounded in exchanges of artillery fire between the Syrian army and the rebels. Eight civilians were also killed. HTS, the dominant organization in the rebel enclave in Idlib, issued an ultimatum to the operatives of Jund al-Sham (an organization of Chechen operatives) operating in the rebel enclave, ordering them to either join it or disband their organization. Al-Raqqah region – ISIS fired machine guns and a tanker belonging to the Al-Qaterji company, which supplies oil to the Syrian regime, east of Al-Raqqa. According to ISIS, the tanker was put out of commission.
• Iraq: One noteworthy attack this week was a deadly attack carried out by ISIS operatives on the eve of Eid al-Adha in a crowded open market in a Shiite neighborhood in east Baghdad. A total of 30 people were killed in the attack, including children, and 50 were wounded. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. At the same time, ISIS operatives continued their “economic war” against the Iraqi regime. Attacks were also carried out against the Iraqi army and the militias supporting it.
• Africa: ISIS announced the resumption of hostilities between its operatives and the joint forces of Mozambique, South Africa and Portugal in the Palma region, northeast of Mozambique. At least 15 fighters of the joint force were reportedly killed in the fighting. Nigeria – ISIS continued its activity, mainly against positions of the Nigerian army and the militias supporting it in the northeast of the country.
• Afghanistan: ISIS operatives continued to attack government and Taliban targets. One noteworthy attack was rocket fire at the Presidential Palace and the Green Zone (the embassy and government building compound) in the capital Kabul. Three rockets reportedly landed near the Presidential Palace during a prayer service attended by senior government officials. No fatalities were reported.
• This week, ISIS’s organ published photos documenting the organization’s activity in the various provinces.

The Syrian arena

The Idlib region

• This week, the Syrian army continued its artillery fire at the rebel enclave in Idlib. At least eight civilians were killed and 10 others were wounded. Several Syrian soldiers were killed by a rocket fired by the rebel forces at an armored vehicle (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, July 14-18, 2021). Several other soldiers were killed and others were wounded in an attack carried out by the rebels in the northeastern part of the enclave, near Aleppo (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, July 20, 2021).
• HTS, the dominant rebel organization in the enclave, issued an ultimatum to Jund al-Sham (a rebel organization consisting mostly of Chechens): they must join HTS or disband their organization. According to sources in Idlib, this was the reason the Jund al-Sham operatives left their positions in the western part of the enclave (Al-Monitor, July 15, 2021).

The desert region (Al-Badia)

• On July 19, 2021, four Syrian soldiers were ambushed and killed by ISIS operatives in the Palmyra desert region (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, July 19, 2021). Russian fighter jets carried out over 50 airstrikes against ISIS targets in the area (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, July 20, 2021).

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

• On July 17, 2021, the vehicle of a commander in the SDF civilian council in Shahil, about 10 km north of Al-Mayadeen, was targeted by gunfire. He was killed.

Counterterrorism measures

• On July 15, 2021, an SDF patrol located five ISIS tunnels in the northern part of Deir ez-Zor. They found weapons (SDF Facebook page in the Deir ez-Zor region, July 15, 2021). The day before, the SDF forces arrested 10 people suspected of ISIS activity near Deir ez-Zor (www.kurdistan24.net, July 14, 2021).

Al-Raqqah Province

• On July 16, 2021, an oil tanker belonging to the Al-Qaterji company, which supplies oil to the Syrian regime, was targeted by gunfire in the Al-Manakher region, east of Al-Raqqah. It was put out of commission (Telegram, July 16, 2021).

The Iraqi arena

Deadly attack in a Shiite neighborhood in east Baghdad

• This week, ISIS carried out a multi-casualty attack in a Shiite neighborhood in the city of Baghdad. On July 19, 2021, on the eve of Eid al-Adha, there was an explosion in the Al-Wahilat open market in Sadr City, a Shiite neighborhood in east Baghdad. A total of 30 people, including children, were killed. Fifty people were wounded. According to eyewitnesses, the explosion was caused by an IED or an explosive belt. According to security sources, a self-manufactured IED exploded (Al-Sumaria, Al-Ghad channel, July 19, 20, 2021).

    
Scene of the attack in the Al-Wahilat open market in Sadr City, in east Baghdad
(Al-Sumaria, July 19, 2021)

• ISIS issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. According to its claim of responsibility, the attack was carried out by an ISIS operative codenamed Abu Hamza al-Iraqi, who was wearing an explosive vest. ISIS claimed that at least 30 people had been killed and at least 35 had been wounded (Telegram, July 19, 2021). A photo of the suicide bomber was published the day after the attack (Telegram, July 20, 2021).

• The attack was carried out on the eve of Eid al-Adha, when the markets are very crowded, in a clearly Shiite neighborhood. The neighborhood in question is a stronghold of Shiite leader Muqtada Sadr. It should be noted that having suffered many suicide bombing attacks in 2017, the city of Baghdad had become much safer in recent years. However, this is the third suicide bombing attack carried out by ISIS in Baghdad over the past year.

Attacks by province

• This week as well, there were many ISIS attacks against electricity and gas infrastructure as part of the “economic war” waged by ISIS against the Iraqi authorities. At the same time, ISIS also carried out attacks against the Iraqi security forces and the militias supporting them. Following are the main ISIS attacks in the various provinces of Iraq^[2]:

Kirkuk Province

• On July 18, 2021, a police patrol that set up an ambush for ISIS in a house in Al-Tar, about 50 km southwest of Kirkuk, was targeted by gunfire. One policeman was killed and another was wounded.
• On July 17, 2021, rockets were fired at the headquarters of the Al-Shamal Gas Company in southwest Kirkuk. According to ISIS, a definite hit was identified. For the time being, no official sources have reported about it.
• On July 16, 2021, an Iraqi army guard post was targeted by gunfire. The post is intended to secure high-voltage pylons in the Dabas region, about 40 km northwest of Kirkuk. Four soldiers were killed. A force arriving on the scene to provide assistance was also targeted by gunfire. Several other soldiers were wounded. Two vehicles were damaged. The ISIS operatives seized weapons.

• On July 15, 2021, an Iraqi police post was targeted by gunfire in the Rashad region, about 40 km southwest of Kirkuk. One policeman was killed. Several days before, ISIS operatives claimed responsibility for downing an Iraqi police drone in the area.

• On July 14, 2021, an Iraqi police roadblock was targeted by gunfire on the outskirts of the Riyad region, about 50 km southwest of Kirkuk. One policeman was killed and another was wounded. Three days later (July 17, 2021), the same post was targeted by gunfire again. Two policemen were killed or wounded.

Al-Anbar Province (western Iraq)

• On July 18, 2021, three “spies” of the Iraqi security forces were targeted by gunfire east of Hit, in western Iraq. They were killed.
• On July 16, 2021, joint forces of the Iraqi army and the Tribal Mobilization operating in the Al-Anbar Desert were attacked. There was an exchange of fire. According to ISIS, the forces fled.

Salah al-Din Province

• On July 18, 2021, an IED was activated against an Iraqi army vehicle in the Zarka region, about 100 km northeast of Samarra. The passengers on board were wounded.
• On July 15, 2021, an IED was activated against a Popular Mobilization fighter riding a motorcycle east of Tuz Khormato, about 100 km northeast of Samarra. He was wounded.
• On July 13, 2021, a police post was attacked in the Al-Moatassem region, about 15 km southeast of Samarra. One policeman was wounded.

Diyala Province

• On July 17, 2021, an Iraqi army camp was targeted by gunfire east of Al-Miqdadiya, about 40 km northeast of Baqubah. One soldier was killed and two others were wounded.

Nineveh Province

• On July 14, 2021, an IED was activated against a Popular Mobilization ATV south of Mosul. Six fighters were killed or wounded.

Erbil Province

• On July 13, 2021, a Tribal Mobilization fighter was abducted and executed in the Makhmur region, about 70 km southeast of Mosul.

Babel Province

• On July 18, 2021, a camp of a Popular Mobilization militia (a Hezbollah militia) was targeted by gunfire in Jarf al-Sakhr, about 40 km south of Baghdad. One fighter was killed and another was wounded.

Counterterrorism measures in Iraq

Kirkuk Province

• The Iraqi security forces killed two ISIS operatives south of Kirkuk (Al-Sumaria, July 15, 2021).

Nineveh Province

• The Popular Mobilization forces foiled an attempt by ISIS operatives to activate IEDs against a high-voltage pylon south of Mosul (Al-Sumaria, July 18, 2021).

Babel Province

• A Popular Mobilization force foiled an attempt by ISIS operatives to enter the Jarf al-Sakhr region. The operatives activated an IED, killing a Popular Mobilization fighter (Popular Mobilization website, July 15, 2021).

The Sinai Peninsula

• On July 17, 2021, an IED was activated against an Egyptian army M90 tank on the outskirts of Al-Touma, south of Sheikh Zuweid. All the soldiers who were in the tank were killed or wounded. The tank was destroyed (shahidsinai2019 Facebook account, July 17, 2021).
• On July 17, 2021, ISIS operatives activated an IED against an Egyptian army water tanker south of the Kharafin roadblock, in the Sheikh Zuweid region. The tanker was put out of commission (Telegram, July 18, 2021).
• On July 12, 2021, ISIS operatives fired at a vehicle of a militia supporting the Egyptian army near Abu al-Araj, south of Sheikh Zuweid. All the passengers on board the vehicle were killed or wounded (Telegram, July 13, 2021).

The Gaza Strip

•   The Al-Qaeda-affiliated Salafi Army of the Nation in Jerusalem, a Salafist jihadi organization operating in the Gaza Strip, released a video intended to raise funds for the purchase of weapons for the organization (Telegram, July 17, 2021). This is not the first time it has campaigned to raise funds on the Internet. It repeatedly published posters calling on the public to donate in Bitcoin.^[3]

Summary of ISIS’s activity in the various provinces

•  Data from an infographic published by ISIS, summing up its activity around the world between July 8 and July 14, 2021, shows that during the past few weeks, there has been an increase in ISIS’s activity throughout the world. According to the data, in this period, ISIS carried out 85 attacks in the various provinces in Asia and Africa, compared to 78 attacks in the previous week. The largest number of attacks was carried out in Iraq (30). Attacks carried out in ISIS’s other provinces: Khorasan, i.e., Afghanistan (15); Central Africa (12); West Africa (12); Somalia (8); Syria (5); Sinai (3). A total of 189 people were killed or wounded in the attacks, compared to 140 in the previous week. The largest number of casualties was in West Africa (56). The other casualties were in the following provinces: Khorasan, i.e. Afghanistan (38); Iraq (31); Somalia (24); Central Africa (22); Sinai (9); Syria (9) (Al-Naba’ weekly, Telegram, July 15, 2021).