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Since early December 2021, when a small cell of Islamic State East Asia (ISEA) fighters announced their presence in Thailand, TRAC has been closely monitoring the group's movements over the past six months, particularly their expansion into Thailand.
On 18 May 2022, the unofficial media outlets for ISEA and Islamic State (IS) Thailand announced a merger and a week later, a highly complex attack, with all the earmarks of Islamic State tactics, was carried out on the Thai Naval Base, Tak Bai, Narathiwat Province. This major attack seemingly affirmed the announced merger. While the attack was later claimed by, Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), it is important to note that Islamic State's expansion plans have always included co-opting the local groups and grievances, so it would not be unlikely that BRN elements have merged with IS.
A more recent attack on 20 June 2022, which involved a truck bomb detonating near a Thai police checkpoint in Palas City, Pattani Patani region was suspected to be the work of ISEA, based on the dissemination and celebration of the attack on Islamic State channels on Telegram. In contrast, Thai authorities have attributed the attack to local dissidents not specifically affiliated with any group. TRAC continues to work to clarify the details and perpetrators of this attack, but what we do know for sure is that Islamic State would definitely use the wake of violence to conduct their own attacks and act as a booster campaign to get more recruits. Instability in any region is the breeding ground for IS.
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TRAC Insight:
The Far Left Extremist Group ‘Jane’s Revenge’ Released a
New Statement Threatening ‘Increasingly Drastic Measures’
against Pro-Lifers in United States
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Image: Graffiti 'signature' of Jane's Revenge | |
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Jane’s Revenge is a far-left extremist group whose group name is a reference to the “Jane Collective,” a Chicago-based underground organization that assisted women in obtaining abortions before they made the decision. The group claims to have members all around the country and a desire to carry out future attacks.
Since the leaking of the possible overturning of Roe v Wade supreme court ruling, an outburst of negative feelings and attacks have taken place across the United States, with left-wing extremists and anarchists targeting outspoken anti-abortion churches and pro-life organizations.
On 09 June 2022, 'Janes Revenge’ published a ‘call for action,’ calling for all forms of action against any anti-abortion institutions and persons. This call to action appears to be advocating for more violent acts, which was reiterated on 15 June 2022, when the group released a new statement threatening ‘increasingly drastic measures’ against pro-lifers. In their statement they clearly outline plans to take their attacks to the next level: “We promise to take increasingly drastic measures…that may not come in the form of something so easily cleaned up as fire and graffiti.”
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TRAC Incident Report:
France Reports that They Have Captured an Islamic State Greater Sahara (ISGS) Senior Commander, Oumeya Ould Albakaye,
as Part of Operation Barkhane, Mali – Niger Border
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Image: Map of the Sahel, highlighting the restive Liptako-Gourma Region of Mali, Burkina Faso. and Niger. | |
On 15 June 2022 the French Ministry of the Army released a notice that they captured a senior Islamic State Greater Sahara Commander, Oumeya Ould Albakaye. The press release charges Albakaye with being the ISGS head for Gourma, Mali and for Oudalan in northern Burkina Faso, which is part of the larger Liptako-Gourma region, encompassing southwest Mali, northeast Burkina Faso and west Niger. Additionally, Liptako-Gourma has been a centralized hotbed of contested fighting between ISGS and Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), and is one of the primary areas of operation for the French forces of Operation Barkhane, which is set to completely withdraw from Mali at the end of the summer 2022. Beyond his abuses against the Malian and Burkinabe people, Albakaye is reportedly the organizer of various attacks against military bases in Mali, especially in the region of Gao. He is also charged with directing supply networks for improvised explosive eevices. Albakaye’s capture could disrupt ISGS’ ability to conduct attacks in the region at a time when the group is amassing forces for a potential bloody battle between JNIM and the Azawad militias. | |
TRAC Incident Report:
Islamic State Central Africa (ISCA/ISCAP) Killed 2 People, Burned Houses & Vehicles, and Robbed Shops in Mabasele, Oïcha City, Beni, North Kivu Province, Congo (DRC)
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Image: Bandits who abducted 40 wedding guests and traders along the Sokoto-Zamfara Road | |
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On the morning of 22 June 2022, Islamic State Central Africa (ISCA/ISCAP), formerly called the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), killed 2 people, burned houses and vehicles, and robbed shops in Mabasele, Oïcha City, Beni, North Kivu Province, Congo (DRC). The militants reportedly escaped into the wild after attacking the civilians.
On the same day, Islamic State Central Africa (Wilayat Wasat Ifriqiyah/ISCA) carried out an attack against a convoy of Christians, killing 5 people and burning 4 vehicles. Local sources reported that this was the third attack carried out by ADF in a week. However, TRAC is aware that all the other recent attacks were conducted and claimed by Islamic State Central Africa.
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