Afghanistan: ISIS continued its activity in Afghanistan this week. The activity targeted mainly Taliban forces and the Shiite population. One noteworthy incident was the activation of IEDs against three buses at different sites in Kabul, killing and wounding many Shiite residents. In an interview with US media, the commander of the US Central Command noted that in his estimation, the number of Al-Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan increased somewhat after the pullback of US forces. He noted that the United States expected the Taliban to adopt a strong position against Al-Qaeda.
Syria: The downtrend in ISIS’s activity continued. Most of the attacks this week targeted the Kurdish SDF forces in the Deir ez-Zor-Al-Mayadeen region. Seven Syrian soldiers and militiamen were killed in an attack against a post in the Al-Masrab Desert, northwest of Deir ez-Zor. In the Al-Hasakah Province, SDF forces handed over more than 100 ISIS detainees to the Iraqi government.
Iraq: ISIS concentrated its activity against the Iraqi security forces, mainly in the Kirkuk and Diyala provinces. According to an announcement by the US Department of Defense, the US army has completed its military missions in Iraq and its activities will now focus on assisting Iraq in training and in an advisory capacity. The number of US soldiers who will remain in Iraq to carry out these missions is 2,500.
Africa: In Nigeria, ISIS’s activity centered on an army base in the Malam Fatori region, on the Nigeria-Niger border. After several attacks against the base, a car bomb was detonated near a military convoy. Dozens of soldiers were killed and wounded and many vehicles were destroyed. ISIS also carried out an attack this week in Adamawa State, in eastern Nigerian. In Mozambique, ISIS expanded its activity to the Niassa Province. This is after its activity to date has been concentrated in the Cabo Delgado Province.
Pakistan: This week, ISIS operatives targeted Pakistani police in the Afghanistan- Pakistan border area. This activity is further evidence that ISIS’s Khorasan Province is expanding its activity into Pakistan.
The battle for hearts and minds: The lead article in this week’s issue of Al-Naba’ weekly was devoted to ISIS operatives’ revenge on infidels and those who deviate from the path of Islam. By way of example, the article describes ISIS’s activity against the Yazidis in Syria and the Shiites in Iraq. The author even quotes passages from the Quran which, in his opinion, legitimize this behavior on ISIS’s part.