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Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) runs rampant in the region of Burkina Faso for quite some time, but the landlocked country has seen a renewed vigor from the militant group over the last two months, particularly in the last eight days. It is almost as if the recently reported death of PMC Wagner Founder and President, Evgeniy Prigozhin, along with other high ranking members of the paramilitary group, has somehow emboldened JNIM militants.
Since 27 August, the same date Russian authorities officially confirmed Prigozhin's death, until present day, JNIM has conducted five well-planned armed assaults against a combination of FDS soldiers, VDP Forces, and the Burkinabe Army. Only two of the five major armed assaults have gone unclaimed by the militant group, but based on targets and tactics, TRAC is confident that all five can be attributed to JNIM.
The attacks, which have purportedly taken the lives of a total of nearly 70 soldiers and wounded many others, took place in the Burkina Faso provinces of Nayala on 27 August, Bam, Topoa, and Yagha on 30 August, and Yatenga on 04 September. It is important to note that all five of these provinces either border or are relatively near the border of the neighboring countries of Mali, Niger, or Benin.
The attack that was seemingly unexpected was that of the 30 August armed assault on the small village of Tawori in Topoa Province. TRAC does not have a previous record of that village being attacked, likely due to the fact that Tawori is of little regional interest to most militant groups. Although this attack has gone unclaimed by JNIM, aside from the similar modus operandi, one cannot ignore that only a few miles away is the Boungou gold mine. The small village of Tawori may prove to be a perfect staging ground for JNIM to conduct ambush attacks on security forces and trucks transporting gold alike.
The other armed assault that may have taken some by surprise was the 27 August attack on the Army Barracks in Sagfar, Goa, in Nayala Province. Nayala has not been targeted since January 2023 which could mean that either a JNIM new cell has moved into the area or the army has only recently been redeployed to the area. Although Nayala Province is a very infrequent target for JNIM, Goa sits strategically between Dedougou and Koudougou on the N14. It is TRAC’s assessment that this cell was moving through this area and happened on the barracks and attacked in a mission of opportunity. Goa is no doubt a stopover point for JNIM moving between Koudougou and Dedougou.
The attack that yielded a huge win for JNIM was the 04 September armed assault on FDS soldiers in Koumbri, in Yatenga Province, which reportedly left 50 soldiers dead and another 40 injured. Although the town of Koumbri had not seen an attack in over two years, Yatenga Province is prime JNIM territory. This attack is a massive defeat for FDS troops, which already have little support from the locals to begin with, as Burkinabe Forces have reportedly killed and targeted civilians in the area. TRAC has no doubt that the civilian population that is loyal to JNIM in the region greatly contributed to JNIM's success in this attack.
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TRAC Insight:
Islamic State (IS) Introduces New Organizational Structure "Mekteb-i-Furkan" to Reorganize in the Caucasus and Africa
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Map of Islamic State in Africa as of 25 March 2023 | |
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Islamic State (IS) is an organization continuously reconstituting itself despite setbacks like the 2019 in Bāghūz, Syria or the most recent leadership decapitation. These recurring setbacks have failed to stop the group from inspiring mayhem worldwide and their motto of "remaining and expanding" still resonates with both their supporters and fighters.
While the strength of the group cannot be overstated, according to a 2020 United Nations (UN) report, IS has more than 10,000 active fighters in Iraq and Syria alone. These numbers should not come as a surprise considering the fact that TRAC has recorded over 800 IS operations in Iraq and Syria so far in 2023. It is worth mentioning that these 800 attacks include both claimed and unclaimed operations attributed to IS by TRAC by identifying targets, tactics, and locations.
Islamic State’s New Structure: Mekteb-i-Furkan
Over the years, IS has continued to expand its influence beyond Iraq and Syria, inspiring and directing attacks in various parts of the world. The latest indictment on the Islamic State (IS) prepared by the Diyarbakir General Prosecutor’s Office shows that IS has introduced a new structural plan to reorganize the group in at least nine countries in the Caucasus and Sahel region of the African continent. Turkey’s official indictment, coming from Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, offers new insight into Islamic State's global structure.
The Caucasus
The Diyarbakır indictment was prepared following the May counter-terrorism operations carried out across 23 Turkish provinces. It came to light that IS had established a fresh framework operating under the guise of a bookstore. This newly identified structure is called "Mekteb-i-Furkan" meaning "Furkan School," which operates in countries like Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Chechnya, Mali, Uganda, Sudan, and Turkey.
It further states that the IS bases or cells, especially from Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, are the main constituents of the "Mekteb-i-Furkan" and reportedly receive their "armed and military training" in Georgia. There have been unconfirmed reports circulating online that after the 2019 defeat in Syria and Iraq, IS has turned to a new structure in Damascus – create a base, recruit young and capable fighters, and provide military training and funding to the bases the group wants to conquer. It should be noted that even after the fall of the official Caliphate, Islamic State never abandoned operations.
Turkey has long been used as a transit and logistical hub for Islamic State operations for both travel in and out of ash-Sham but also in and out of Europe. Islamic State also operated a media branch out of Turkey during the heyday of the Caliphate and it should be assumed that there are at least some media releases still coming out of Turkish IS hideouts. Additionally, it should be also assumed that the Islamic State’s external operations branch, known as The Emni, is actively overseeing foreign operations and is reactivating cells or “waking up sleeper cells” in many different locations worldwide.
All Roads Lead to the Sahel
Another striking detail in the Diyarbakır indictment is the fact that IS militants who entered Turkey illegally and hid there, later moved to Sub-Saharan Africa under the guise of conducting humanitarian aid activities. These Turkish jihadists are traveling to Uganda, Mali, and Sudan as aid personnel with visit purposes such as "water wells, founding orphanages, and extending financial aid to children who are purportedly without parental care." Taking over traditional humanitarian aid is a tried and true global tactic of Islamic State’s "hearts and minds" campaign to recruit new supporters.
Since the official call, IS adopted a more strategic approach to create a Caliphate from coast to coast in the Sub-Sahara. The group has established itself in 21 countries in the African continent. Considering the current momentum, TRAC is certain that Islamic State's expansion plans in Africa are not limited to just these 21 countries.
The fact that IS militants are traveling to the Sahel further strengthens TRAC's assessment that Sub-Saharan Africa will house the Caliphate 2.0, overshadowing the previous caliphate in Iraq and Syria and paving the way for an even more glorified comeback by Islamic State. Official Islamic State photo reports and videos confirm that both ISGS and ISWA numbers are in the 1,000s and the propaganda is meant to appear both epic and inevitable.
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TRAC Incident Report:
Austrian Police Raided & Arrested a Cell of 10
Islamic State Russia Kavkaz (ISR/ ISKQ) Supporters
in the Linz Area of Upper Austria
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Map of the Linz Area of Upper Austria | |
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At the beginning of July, the Austrian police arrested nine men and one woman who are said to be affiliated with Islamic State Russia Kavkaz (ISR/ ISKQ), in the Linz area of Austria. The suspects are between the ages of 15 and 23; at least one minor is among the arrested. One of the suspects, an 18-year-old, was placed under arrest by the Linz public prosecutor's office on the grounds that there was a chance he may run away or commit crimes. Investigations into the other suspects are ongoing.
The ten arrested are from Croatia, Iraq, Turkey, Austria, the Russian Federation, or stateless. They reside in Linz-Land, and several of them have a criminal history. They are alleged to have advocated for IS(KQ) and intended to establish a special prayer space that would be adorned with an IS flag. During the residential searches, dozens of mobile phones, laptops, PCs, other data carriers, and propaganda materials were seized. The cell is charged with encouraging a 19-year-old male to spray paint IS graffiti in St. Pölten and cause additional property damage, although the 19-year-old has not yet received a legal sentence term of two years of partial jail. The suspects are being held on on suspicion of involvement with terrorist and criminal organizations.
It is important to note that an Islamic State (IS) attack in Vienna had long been expected. On 17 March 2023, a security alert was issued by the Austrian Directorate for State Security and Intelligence (DSN), in connection with a planned attack in Vienna by a Syrian Islamic State (IS) cell. Austrian authorities regularly arrest IS sympathizers, with the most recent being the three who were arrested for planning a mass shooting, a knife attack, and a vehicle attack dur the LGBTQ+ pride festival in Vienna.
It is important to note that many news agencies refer to the arrested persons as being affiliated with both Islamic State Russia Kavkaz and Caucasus Emirate. TRAC emphasizes that before IS Wilayat Kavkaz/Qawqaz in North Caucasus Region was declared in June 2015, Caucasus Emirate (CE) was the most dominant in the region. With the death of their last Emir, there was a shift in their allegiance, leading to many of the first IS Wilayat Kavkaz recruits to come from the well-established Caucasus Emirate.
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TRAC Incident Report:
Two Weaponized Drones Kill Five Government Officials, Myawaddy, Kayin State, Myanmar
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Resistance Force militant with a weaponized drone. | |
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On 03 September 2023, in the evening hours, two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were dropped by a drone flown by resistance forces into a government compound in Myawaddy, Kayin State. The drone attack resulted in the death of a military officer, two police officers, and three general administration officials, as well as the injury of 11 other police officers.
Myawaddy is a township located in southeastern Myanmar, in Kayin State, close to the border with Thailand. Anti-junta attacks by the resistance forces are rare in this part of the country, which leads TRAC to deduce that the rebels' goal was to take the government forces by surprise.
The use of commercial drones to drop IEDs against the military junta forces is not uncommon among the resistance forces. The militants have been taking advantage of low-cost technology to cope with the better-equipped military Junta. TRAC reported on a July 2023 shelling of a military convoy conducted by means of a commercial surveillance drone in Chin state and prior to that, a December 2022 attack on a police station, targeted by PDF rebels with IEDs dropped by a modified drone in Magwe Region.
In the recent months, People’s Defense Forces started using modified civilian drones to drop bombs on regime Forces at checkpoints, police stations and military installations.
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TRAC Incident Report:
Suspected Anarchists Behind an Arson Attack on United Parcel Service (UPS) Company's
Vehicles in Fleurus, Wallonia, Hainaut, Belgium
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TRAC Video Report:
Islamic State (IS) Insiders Circulate a Video Featuring Suspected IS Fighters Promising to Target Prisons and al-Hol Camp in al-Hasakah, Syria
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TRAC Incident Report: One Israeli Soldier
Killed & Five Others Injured in a Car Ramming at the Maccabim Checkpoint, Ramallah, West Bank, Israel
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