Shabaab targets presidential palace with suicide assault
Saturday’s suicide attack on the presidential compound in Mogadishu came just a week after a similar strike was conducted on Somalia’s Ministry of Interior.
Author Archives: Caleb Weiss
US adds Iranian-supported Bahraini militia to terrorism list
The US Department of State added Saraya al Ashtar, an Iranian-supported group that openly flaunts its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps affiliation, to its list of global terrorists.
Iraqi Shia militia ‘willing to send fighters to Yemen’
The Secretary-General of Kata’ib Sayyid al Shuhada, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia, said he is a “soldier” of Abdel Malek al Houthi, the leader of Yemen’s Houthi movement.
Al Qaeda wing ambushes police officers in northern Tunisia
Yesterday’s ambush was the highest death toll in a terrorist attack in the country since the Islamic State’s foray into Ben Gardane in March 2016.
Leader of Iranian-backed Shia militia seen inside Syrian military ops room
Liwa Zulfiqar’s secretary general was seen in a Syrian military operations room for ongoing operations in Syria’s southern Deraa province.
Yemen’s Houthis highlight new underground missile launchers
The Houthi rebels showed off new ballistic missile technology in a new missile launch directed at an airport in southern Saudi Arabia.
JNIM claims suicide bombing on French troops in Gao
The jihadist group claims the bombing, and last week’s bombing at the G5 Sahel base in central Mali, were messages to warn France and its allies about the “costs” of being in Mali.
Suicide car bombing hits French troops in northern Mali
Only days after a suicide assault on an African military base in central Mali, another suicide car bombing hit French Barkhane troops in the northern city of Gao.
Suicide assault targets African coalition military base in central Mali
While no group has claimed responsibility yet, it was most likely conducted by al Qaeda’s Group for Support of Islam and Muslims.
Islamic State in the Greater Sahara branch films clashes with Tuareg militias
This is the second video released by ISGS’ Katibat Salahadin in the span of a week, marking a significant uptick in social media activity for the jihadist group.
Confirmed: First evidence of Iranian-controlled militia involvement in southern Syria
An Iranian-controlled Iraqi Shia militia advertised its presence in the current Syrian regime offensive in the southern province of Deraa. The photos provide evidence for Iranian involvement in the offensive.
Burkina Faso wanted list details Ansaroul Islam network
Burkina Faso’s wanted list gives more information into the inner-workings and operations of Ansaroul Islam, a relatively under-researched and little understood al Qaeda-linked jihadist group.
Shia militias across the Middle East send condolences to Hezbollah Brigades
Various Shia militias from around the Middle East have expressed their support or condolences for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah Brigades, which was targeted in unclaimed airstrikes in eastern Syria on Sunday.
Bahraini militia sends condolences to Hezbollah Brigades, adopts more IRGC branding
Saraya al Mokhtar sends its condolences and congratulations to the Hezbollah Brigades for being the target of recent airstrikes in eastern Syria. At the same time, the Bahraini group also unveiled a new logo.
Suicide bombers target Eid celebrations in Nigeria
As Abubakr Shekau’s Boko Haram was holding its own Eid al Fitr celebrations in northeastern Nigeria, it launched coordinated suicide bombings on civilians also celebrating the Islamic holiday.
Shabaab targets base where US soldier died with suicide bombing
One day after Shabaab launched a deadly assault in which one US service member was killed, the al Qaeda branch again targeted the base today with a suicide car bomb.
More female suicide bombers target Niger mosque
Three suicide bombers, including two girls, targeted a mosque and a Quranic school in Diffa, Niger, on Monday. The three are believed to have been sent by Abubakr Shekau’s Boko Haram faction.
Tuareg alliance claims more operations against ISGS in northern Mali
The weekend clashes are the latest in a series of skirmishes and inter-communal killings between the two Tuareg militias and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.
Shabaab video details assassination unit in Mogadishu
The video is one of the first times that the Somali jihadist group has highlighted its assassinations within Mogadishu.
Somali intelligence agency arrests two Islamic State members in Mogadishu
The arrests come a month after another Islamic State member was arrested in Mogadishu. Additionally, the Islamic State also claimed another assassination inside the country yesterday.
Foreign fighters in Turkistan Islamic Party call on Westerners to migrate to Syria
The foreign fighters include one Canadian and three French-speaking militants. The latter bunch likely belong to Omar Diaby’s Firqatul Ghuraba, a French jihadist outfit in Syria.
State adds Islamic State in the Greater Sahara to terrorist list
Months after killing four US Special Forces soldiers, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara has been designated as a terrorist group by the US government. Its leader, Abu Walid al Sahrawi, was also designated today.
Somali markets targeted in Shabaab explosions
Two busy markets in southern Somalia were targeted by deadly explosions this week, which left at least 14 people dead and many others wounded.
Analysis: Islamic State ramps up attack claims in Somalia
The Islamic State has claimed several attacks inside Somalia in the past month, further outpacing the past two years in claimed attacks in the country. While the Islamic State has had a difficult time establishing a foothold inside the country, its claimed operations paints a picture of its areas of operation and types of operations it conducts.
Analysis: Conflict within a conflict in Mali’s northern Menaka region
Intercommunal eye for an eye killings have been increasing in the past week with dozens of Tuaregs and Fulani being killed on both sides of the Mali-Niger border. The massacres come in the backdrop of ongoing counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.
At least two dozen killed in Nigeria suicide bombings
Yesterday’s suicide bombing continues to prove the residual threat of jihadist violence in northeastern Nigeria.
JNIM claims four suicide bombers used in Timbuktu attack
The group said that four suicide bombers, rather than the previously reported two or three, were used in the April 14 suicide assault on the Timbuktu airport. Additionally, JNIM also denied claims of the use of female suicide bombers.
IRGC network eulogizes slain top Yemeni Houthi official
Several groups within the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps network have eulogized Saleh al Sammad, the political leader of Yemen’s Houthis.
Al Qaeda’s JNIM claims suicide assault in Timbuktu
JNIM claims the brazen assault was in retaliation for the death of several of its commanders and fighters in recent French raids.
Islamic State-loyal militants claim attacks in Burkina Faso
Today’s claims of responsibility are the first for the group in Burkina Faso since 2016.