Main events of the week

• This week as well, high-intensity incidents continued in the Idlib region between the Syrian army and the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham and the other rebel organizations. One noteworthy attack this week was the activation of an IED against one of the Turkish vehicles in the joint Russian-Turkish patrols. A network calling itself the Chechen Khattab Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack.
• After the end of the wave of attacks (the “Raids of Attrition”), ISIS resumed its “routine” attacks. Last week, noteworthy military activity was carried out in the following provinces:
  • In Syria, an IED was activated near Deir ez-Zor against a Russian army convoy returning from a “humanitarian mission.” As a result, a senior Russian officer with the rank of major general was killed and two Russian military personnel were wounded. This was apparently a joint force of the Russians and the Homeland Defense Forces supporting the Syrian army, which was searching for missing Syrian fighters. In addition to the Russian casualties, six Homeland Defense Force fighters were also killed, including the commander of the Al-Mayadeen region in the Euphrates Valley. No organization has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it was apparently carried out by ISIS operatives, who are carrying out intensive activity in the region.
  • ISIS’s Sinai Province continued fighting against the Egyptian army in the area of Rabi’a, west of Bir al-Abd (northern Sinai). The Egyptian army has not yet managed to mop up the area nearly a month after a showcase attack carried out by ISIS operatives. In addition, an offensive by the Egyptian army and tribal groups against ISIS operatives in the Al-Maghara area in central Sinai also failed.
  • The Khorasan Province carried out intensive activity in Afghanistan. The main target of the attacks was Bagram Airbase north of Kabul, where US army troops are stationed.
  • There has been a significant increase in the activity of ISIS’s Yemen Province against the Houthi rebels, which was concentrated in the Al-Bayda Province (100 km southeast of Sana’a). Most of ISIS’s attacks took the form of activating IEDs and exchanging fire with the Houthi rebels. This week, ISIS claimed that its operatives had halted an attack by the Houthi rebels and killed 25 of their men.

ISIS’s activity in the various provinces around the world

• On August 13, 2020, ISIS’s Al-Naba’ weekly published an infographic entitled “The Harvest of the Fighters,” summarizing ISIS’s activity on August 6-12, 2020. According to the infographic, during this period ISIS carried out 49 attacks around the world, compared to 65 in the previous week, i.e., a decrease of about 25% in the scope of the attacks. A total of 27 attacks were carried out in Iraq, nine of them in the Diyala Province. Attacks were also carried out in ISIS’s other provinces in Africa and Asia: West Africa (8); Syria (5); Yemen (4); the Sinai Peninsula (2); Central Africa (1); Khorasan, i.e., Afghanistan (1) and Pakistan (1) (Al-Naba’ weekly; Telegram, August 13, 2020).
• Over 163 people were killed and wounded in these attacks, compared to over 258 people in the previous week. The largest number of casualties (50) was in Central Africa (Mozambique). The other casualties were in the following provinces: Iraq (41); West Africa (31); the Sinai Peninsula (15); Syria (10); Yemen (9); Khorasan, i.e., Afghanistan (5) and Pakistan (2) (Al-Naba’ weekly; Telegram, August 13, 2020).

The Syrian arena

The Idlib region

In the Idlib region, artillery exchanges between the Syrian army and the rebels continued this week almost on a daily basis. This week as well, most of the incidents took place in Jabal al-Zawiya, south of Idlib. In addition, Russian aircraft attacked targets apparently belonging to the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham in the Idlib region.

Attack against the Russian-Turkish joint patrol on the M-4 highway

• On the morning of August 17, 2020, Turkey and Russia carried out a joint patrol on the M-4 highway (Aleppo-Latakia). While the patrol was near Ariha (about 10 km south of Idlib), an IED was activated against one of the Turkish vehicles (according to another version, an RPG rocket was fired at it). The vehicle was hit (Khotwa; Enab Baladi, August 17, 2020). The Turkish Defense Ministry issued a statement that one of the vehicles of the Turkish army had been attacked by “terrorist operatives” during the 25th joint patrol with the Russians. According to the statement, the vehicle sustained slight damage (Anatolia News Agency, August 17, 2020).
• A network calling itself the Chechen Khattab Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack and promised to continue operating against the Russian-Turkish patrols (Enab Baladi, August 17, 2020). This network also claimed responsibility for attacking the joint patrol on July 14, 2020, in which a Russian vehicle was hit^[1].

ISIS activity in the Syria Province^[2]

The area of Deir ez-Zor, Al-Mayadeen, and Albukamal

Attack against a Russian army convoy killing a senior Russian officer

• The Russian Defense Ministry announced that on August 18, 2020, an IED was activated against a Russian army convoy about 15 km from the city of Deir ez-Zor. The convoy was on its way back to its base after carrying out a “humanitarian mission” (TASS, August 18, 2020). No organization has claimed responsibility for the attack. In the ITIC’s assessment, it was carried out by ISIS, which operates extensively in this region. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that a senior Russian officer, Major General Vyacheslav Gladkih, had been killed in the attack and two Russian military personnel had been wounded^[3] (TASS, August 18, 2020).

Senior Russian officers killed in Syria

      
Right: Senior Russian officer Vyacheslav Gladkih killed in an explosion of an IED near Deir ez-Zor (Deir ez-Zor 24, August 18, 2020). Left: Senior Russian officer killed by mortar fire near Deir ez-Zor (World War News, September 24, 2017)

• According to a local Syrian source, a day before the incident (August 17, 2020), six fighters of the Homeland Defense Forces supporting the Syrian army were declared missing. Consequently, a joint force of the Russian army and the Homeland Defense Forces was dispatched to locate the missing personnel. The force started to comb the area and then an IED was activated against it. In addition to the Russian casualties, six fighters of the Homeland Defense Forces were also killed, including Mohammad Taysir al-Zaher, commander of the Al-Mayadeen region. In addition, several fighters of the Homeland Defense Forces were wounded (Deir ez-Zor 24, August 18, 2020).

• On August 17, 2020 (or a few days earlier), ISIS operatives attacked a Syrian army compound in the Al-Mayadeen Desert. At least five Syrian soldiers were killed (ISIS released a photo showing their bodies).
• On August 16, 2020, an IED was activated against an SDF truck about 10 km north of Albukamal. The passengers were killed or wounded.
• On August 16, 2020, two IEDs were activated against SDF vehicles in the Al-Mayadeen area. Five fighters were killed and two others were wounded.
• On August 15, 2020 (or a few days earlier), an ISIS anti-tank missile was fired at a Syrian army tank in a desert area near Al-Mayadeen, destroying the tank.
• On August 13, 2020, ISIS activated two IEDs against the main building of a local council belonging to the SDF about 15 km northwest of Deir ez-Zor. The head of the local council was killed.
• On August 13, 2020, an SDF vehicle was targeted by machine gun fire about 45 km south of Al-Mayadeen. The passengers were killed or wounded.

The area of Al-Sukhnah and Palmyra (the Syrian Desert)

• On August 16, 2020 (or a few days earlier ), ISIS operatives captured a Syrian soldier and an Alawite civilian near Al-Sukhnah. The two men were executed.

Al-Raqqah region

• On August 15, 2020 (or a few days earlier), ISIS operatives captured a Syrian civilian member of the Ismaili sect about 40 km southwest of Al-Raqqah. He was executed (Telegram, August 15, 2020).

Aleppo region

• On August 15, 2020, an IED was activated against a commander in one of the Turkish-backed rebel organizations in Al-Bab, about 30 km northeast of Aleppo. He was killed (Telegram, August 15, 2020).

ISIS’s attacks^[4]

Al-Anbar Province

• On August 14, 2020, three mortar shells were fired at an Iraqi army compound in Al-Rutba. According to ISIS, accurate hits were observed.
• On August 13, 2020 (or a few days earlier), a motorcycle bomb was detonated against Syrian soldiers in a desert area about 20 km west of Hit. At least three soldiers were killed.

Salah al-Din Province

• On August 13, 2020, an Iraqi policeman was targeted by machine gun fire in central Al-Tarmiyah, about 30 km north of Baghdad. He was killed.

Diyala Province

• On August 13, 2020, a Tribal Mobilization fighter was targeted by machine gun fire about 80 km northeast of Baqubah. He was killed.
• On August 12, 2020, Tribal Mobilization fighters were targeted by sniper fire about 35 km northeast of Baqubah. One fighter was killed and two others were wounded.
• On August 11, 2020, a Tribal Mobilization vehicle was targeted by machine gun fire about 20 km northeast of Baqubah. Nine fighters were wounded.

Nineveh Province

• On August 15, 2020, a Tribal Mobilization fighter was targeted by machine gun fire about 25 km southeast of Mosul. He was killed.

Kirkuk Province

• On August 15, 2020, an IED was activated against a Tribal Mobilization fighter about 25 km southwest of Kirkuk. He was killed.

Counterterrorist activities by the Iraqi security forces

Al-Anbar Province

• On August 17, 2020, Iraqi security forces apprehended three wanted “terrorist operatives” (implicitly ISIS operatives) in the area of Al-Qaim (near Iraqi-Syrian border) (Facebook page of the Iraqi Defense Ministry, August 17, 2020).
• On August 16, 2020, Iraqi security forces apprehended a wanted ISIS operative near Fallujah (al-hashed.net, August 16, 2020).

Nineveh Province

• On August 15, 2020, Iraqi security forces apprehended an ISIS commander codenamed Abu Khattab and two of his aides in the city of Mosul. The commander previously served in an ISIS suicide bomber unit and was later appointed as a member of ISIS’s Sharia Council. In their initial interrogation, the three men admitted that they had taken part in carrying out attacks against the Iraqi security forces and against civilians (Al-Sumaria, August 15, 2020).

Kirkuk Province

• On August 16, 2020, Iraqi security forces apprehended six wanted ISIS operatives about 55 km west of Kirkuk. In addition, two ISIS weapons depots were found (Al-Sumaria, August 16, 2020).

Salah al-Din Province

• On August 17, 2020, Iraqi security forces apprehended three wanted ISIS operatives about 10 km west of Tikrit. In their initial interrogation, the three men admitted that they had taken part in carrying out attacks against the Iraqi security forces and against civilians (Al-Sumaria, August 17, 2020).
• On August 16, 2020, Iraqi security forces apprehended a “terrorist operative” who had participated in the ISIS massacre at Camp Speicher in 2014 (Al-Sumaria, August 16, 2020)^[5].