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Weekly Analyst Review

27 April 2022

Bottom Line Up Front

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TRAC has been following the expansion of Islamic State West Africa (ISWA) since 27 September 2021, when ISWA conducted a potentially joint operation with ISGS against towns in Sokoto State, Nigeria. Since then, ISWA fighters have been steadily expanding into Nigerian states outside Yobe and Borno, such as Niger, Adamawa and Zamfara.


This past week, TRAC observed ISWA's expansion into two new states: Taraba on 19 April and Kogi on 23 April. The Taraba State attack targeted a bar selling "burukutu" (moonshine) outside the Iwarre cattle market, a bombing for which the locals blamed on "bandits" and their leaders who were said to have invited Boko Haram and ISWA into the state. The Kogi State attack took place in the village of Ogaminana, Adavi LGA, where militants entered from multiple entry points and sporadically sprayed bullets before exchanging fire with local police and killing five officers and burning the police station. It is of note that this latest attack in Kogi State is not far from the capital Abuja, merely 173 km, appearing to hint at a strategy of choking off the capital from multiple directions.


On 26 April 2022, rumors circulated that ISWA had at least 20 ISWA suicide bombers ready to be deployed in Damboa, Gaidam, Maiduguri and Bama to ramp up suicide attacks in Nigeria. It is worth noting that sources also reported that the potential ISWA suicide bombers were instructed not refrain from fasting during Ramadan to prepare for their missions that would be rewarded in Jannah (heaven). Suicide bombers have been in abundance thus far in 2022; the total number through April 2022 equals the total number bombings in 2021 alone.

Other Developments

TRAC Insight:

Eco-Fascists Advocate Targeting Agro-Industrial Farm Industry With Arson ‘Burn Your Local Food Processing Plant’

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Image:  Eco-Fascist Poster circulated on Telegram

Eco-fascists often use the phrase “your local” in their stochastic propaganda, such as in their messaging "Support Your Local Famine." Eco-fascists have a general doomsday-prepper mentality, often advising people to start growing their own food in preparation for the upcoming collapse of society, which they have coined as "Accelerationism." This recent poster represents yet another topical convergence between the extreme far left and the extreme far right – their mutual hatred for the agro-industrial farm industry. An extreme far left group in France recently targeted the agro-industrial farming industry by destroying wheat destined for feeding chickens in a large poultry factory in Brittany. It should be noted that the United States has a very robust agro-industrial farm industry. If eco-fascists in the United States decide to act on their commitment against industrial farming in a manner similar to the Brittany attack, the damage could prove to be devastating to the food supply chain and the world's economy.

TRAC Incident Report:

Children of Fire Initiative (Ateshin Chuchuklari) Video Threaten Tourist Industry; Resorts, Hotels and Bars are All Now Legitimate Targets in Turkey

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Image: Screenshot  from Children of Fire Initiative Video

The PKK-linked ‘Children of Fire Initiative’ who claimed the 14 forest fires in Turkey last August have named a new target. On 20 April 2022, the group released a new video threatening Turkey's tourist industry. The video, released in seven different languages, warned tourists that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spends the money made from their vacations to Turkey on fighting against Kurds in both Turkey and Syria. As such, ‘Children of Fire Initiative’ now consider resorts, bars, restaurants, and hotels as legitimate targets on par with military personnel. As such, those transnational corporations who have business travel over the summer in Turkey should maintain situational awareness at all times.

TRAC Incident Report:

Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) Claim First Ever Female Suicide Bomber Attack Targeting Chinese & Killing Four

near the China Institute in Karachi, Pakistan

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Image: BLA female perpetrator, Shari Baloch aka Bramsh

On 26 April 2022, a female element of the Baloch Liberation Army committed a suicide attack targeting Chinese citizens near the Confucius Institute and the Karachi University in Karachi, Pakistan. The perpetrator was standing near the entrance of the institute, which is located inside the Karachi University. As a minibus entered the premises and came within range, the perpetrator detonated the bomb strapped to her body. This is the Baloch Liberation Army's first recorded suicide attack featuring a female fighter, who has been identified as Shari Baloch, alias Bramsh, as shown in the image above. She was disguised in a burqa, concealing the fact she was strapped with bombs. Separatists from Balochistan are repeatedly targeting Chinese citizens and related locations, as they are protesting against Beijing’s involvement in the Belt and Road strategy.


On Our Radar:

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Video:

Islamic State Sinai (Jamaat Ansar al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi Bayt al-Maqdis): Amaq News Agency Releases Execution Video For A “Spy” From Militias Loyal To The Egyptian Army, Bir al-Abed, Sinai, Egypt

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Instructional Video:

James Mason on Cell Strategy, Naming Your Group [The Base Example], And ‘Staying Within The Law’ Within Racist Propaganda, United States

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TRAC Incident Report: Bomb on Rural Transit Passenger Bus Injures Four in Parang Town, Maguindanao, Sulu, Philippines

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