Image Above: TRAC's roll-up of ISIS attacks in its July "War of Attrition."
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Bottom Line Up Front: TRAC Senior Analyst Daniel Lebowitz provides deep insight into the Islamic State during its "War of Attrition" in July, (more below.) Lebowitz catalogs the group's attacks in eleven areas of operation that culminated in the lead up to Eid al-Adha. According to the special report, 189 high profile attacks took place across the world in July. Iraq, Syria, and West Africa led the list of countries where the most kinetic activity took place. TRAC's statistical analysis of Islamic State activities worldwide assists in understanding where IS expansion and increased tempo of operations are occurring. Though the steady pace of attacks in Syria and Iraq have remained relatively constant, notable upticks in Bangladesh, west and central Africa and Sinai indicate Islamic State's continued global reach.
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Image Above: TRAC's roll-up of 189 attacks during its July "War of Attrition" include hyperlinks to each incident.
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TRAC Insight: Overview of Islamic State Global Operations for July & "War of Attrition" - July 2020 |
Islamic State branded its attacks with the 'War of Attrition' tagline, a reference to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's declaration in April 2019 that the war against 'Crusaders' is a 'battle (war) of attrition.' During this latest iteration, a number of Islamic State affiliates increased their operational tempo: in west Africa, 16 claimed attacks out of the 29 for the month were initiated during the 'War of Attrition.' In Iraq, 30 claimed attacks were undertaken in those 10 days alone. Regardless of the significant attacks claimed, the 'War of Attrition' tagline/ethos and Islamic State claims as a whole are propagandistic statements- setbacks are often spun into successes.For example, on 21 July in Somalia, American soldiers were allegedly killed by Islamic State militants; in truth, US airstrikes assisted in killing multiple IS Somalia elements and degrading a hideout. TRAC's roll-up contains links to claims of credit, audio, video, and other collected materials including analysis on many of the incidents.
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TRAC INCIDENT REPORT: Islamic State Khurasan (ISK) SVBIED Clears Way for Armed Assault on Jalalabad Prison, Nangarhar, Afghanistan |
A suicide bombing targeting a funerary service is the latest significant operation claimed by ISK in Nangarhar, east Afghanistan. Earlier in the week, the National Directorate of Security announced the killing of Assadullah Orakzai, a high ranking ISK intelligence operator charged with planning the attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul. It is unclear how many ISK prisoners were incarcerated at the prison before the siege, but 100 militants were allegedly "liberated."
It would appear Islamic State is ready to attempt a comeback in east Afghanistan. A UN Security Council monitoring team estimates that Islamic State fields over 2,000 fighters in Afghanistan, and that number could grow as Taliban members resistant to negotiating with America may flock to the group.
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Image above: ISK's form of "night letter" threatening Jalalabad civilians as provided by Afghan Journalist Bilal Sarwary. (@bsarwary)
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Images Above: Banners were placed at different points, mainly pedestrian bridges and main squares in the municipalities of Villa de Arista and Moctezuma, in the interior circuit, on the pedestrian bridge in front of Citadela de Soledad on Highway 57 and Rioverde. Other banners were found on the Rocha Cordero and Carretera a Matehuala boulevards on the Carretera a Rioverde pedestrian bridge, in front of the UPA.
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(Cartel Activity) The Cartel de Los Alemanes Makes its Presence Known to Authorities and Anyone Who Supports Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel (CJNG) in San Luis Potosi, Mexico |
In its fight to maintain territorial dominance, The Cartel de Los Alemanes (CDA) launched its latest volley in the ongoing turf war with Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel (CJNG) on July 30. CDA erected a series of large banners in multiple locations including overpasses and open spaces across the state of San Luis Petosi (SLP) Mexico. The message on the banners was directed at "all the ministries that support Jalisco" and made it clear that they will not let "Jalisco or their supporters in" and how they (CDA) have been operating in the capital of Potocina for a long time and intend to "fight with all those who are against us." The banner was signed by the cartel's commander, Alfredo Aleman. TRAC notes that it is likely that the distribution of banners throughout SLP by CDA is in response to the June 2020 CJNG accusations against the Ministerial Police and the implied relationship they have with the cartels, including the CDA.
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TRAC's Weekly Analyst Review is a small curated list of many events.
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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.
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