TRACWatch
Weekly Analyst Review
Images Above: Taliban claims of credit for the 18 May 2020, suicide bomber (Zaid Kandahari) rigged a stolen Humvee as a car bomb, detonating the device within a National Directorate of Security (NDS) facility in Ghazni, Afghanistan.
Bottom Line Up Front : Afghanistan continues to confound with an increase in violence in recent weeks. A VBIED attack in Ghazni at an NDS facility on Monday was claimed by the Taliban. IEA stated in its claim that it was in response to Ashraf Ghani's vow to go on the offensive against the group after ISK-suspected attacks in Kabul and Nangarhar last week. According to the Afghan president, an offensive posture is necessary due to the Taliban's permissive nature, which allows for Islamic State Khurasan (ISK) operations to continue. On a positive note, political rivals Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah have agreed to a power-sharing agreement, freeing up US aid and perhaps opening a window for further negotiations/movement on the prisoner swap issue. The current rate violence and mistrust from both sides will make further progress difficult. 
Top Incidents & Analysis
TRAC Incident Report: ( Video) Islamic State: 'Strike Their Necks'- Iraq 15 May 2020 (Featuring Crop Burning, Training Camps & Executions)
Senior Analyst Daniel Lebowitz continues his close monitoring of the ground situation in Iraq. Islamic State operations in Iraq released an extensive video on 15 May. The massive runtime of 49 minutes reflects the group's recent surge in claimed attacks across the country. Federal Police and Popular Mobilization militiamen are ambushed and assassinated during the night, while snipers and armed patrols operate in daylight. The group's potency is demonstrated by the variety of operations, whether they be IEDs, rocket attacks or ambushes. Significantly, crop burning footage is included, a tactic deployed last summer to devastating effect.
Photos Above:   Large contingent of fighters, undisclosed location. 
Photos Above: José Rodrigo Aréchiga Gamboa, "Chinese Anthrax", founding leader of the group of assassins 'Los Antrax' & previous Sinaloa Cartel member rumored to have escaped prison in San Diego, California.
TRAC INCIDENT REPORT: Following His Prison Release in San Diego, California, José Rodrigo Aréchiga Gamboa, aka "El Chino Ántrax" Found Dead Alongside His Sister & Brother in Law in Sinaloa, Mexico
Analyst Kelsey Tamplin monitors cartel activity. She followed the killing of José Rodrigo Aréchiga Gamboa, alias "El Chino Ántrax" ("The Chinese Anthrax"), founding leader of the group of assassins known as 'Los Antrax' & previous Sinaloa Cartel's head sicario (assassin). He was released from prison on 09 May. Though released on probation for the exchange of information, Gamboa's supporters boasted he escaped a prison in San Diego, California. Following his release, Gamboa disappeared, ultimately found to have fled to his hometown in Sinaloa, Mexico. Obviously, the Sinaloa Cartel has the most to gain from the murder of Gamboa, as he was suspected to be working with the U.S. in order to betray the Zambada family. If Gamboa alerted authorities to the whereabouts of the Sinaloa Cartel hideout, it is a powerful motivation to murder him.
TRAC INCIDENT REPORT: Al Shabaab Suicide Bomber on Scooter Taxi (VBIED) Targets Governor Ahmed Muse Nur and Three of His Bodyguards in Galkayo, Mudug Region, Puntland, Somalia
As London-based Analyst Sophia Badawy reports, on 17 May, a suicide bomber disguised as a taxi driver on a scooter targeted Governor Ahmed Muse Nur's vehicle in Somalia. The governor was accompanied by two body guards and his driver, the governor was rushed to the hospital but died within an hour upon arrival. Al Shabaab claimed the attack. Puntland has been ravaged by both al Shabaab and rival clans, but, political officials and security forces have been especially targeted in Galkayo. The bombing is the second attempted targeted assassination of a political official in Galkayo in six week's time. In early April, al Shabaab claimed an attempted assassination of Puntland Finance Ministry Official Abd Gube.
Photo (above): Al Shabaab spokesman, Abdiasis Abu Musab, told the media "We are behind the explosion. It was a suicide car bomb. We killed Mudug region governor and his three bodyguards."
On Our Radar:
Islamic State Foreign Fighter Tsezar Tokhosashvili, aka Al-bara Shishani, Extradited From Ukraine to Georgia
(Claim) Islamic State in Somalia (Abnaa ul-Calipha): Explosives Targeted Army Near Mogadishu, Somalia
Stabbing at Toronto erotic massage parlor on 24 February 2020 deemed terrorist attack inspired by 'incel' ideology
TRAC Weekly Analyst Briefing
As many of our clients know, we invite one organization a week to sit in on our Analyst Briefing. The briefings take place at 10 AM US eastern time and last an hour. We meet virtually in TRAC's online conference center.

If your organization is interested in attending, please schedule with the link below. We look forward to having you join us and ask questions.
2020 Past Newsletters