Islamic State Archives

The Islamic State’s supporters want Mokhtar Belmokhtar dead

Thomas Joscelyn | August 23, 2015

The Islamic State’s supporters in Libya have added Mokhtar Belmokhtar to their “wanted dead” campaign. The Islamic State’s loyalists have released dozens of online posters targeting their pro-al Qaeda opposition in North Africa. Some of the men have been killed. The campaign was launched as a response to the Islamic State’s losses in Derna, Libya. The poster for Belmokhtar was quickly disavowed by some Islamic State social media accounts.

US says Baghdadi’s top deputy killed in airstrike

Thomas Joscelyn | August 21, 2015

The White House announced today that Fadhil Ahmad al Hayali (a.k.a. Hajji Mutazz), the deputy leader of the Islamic State, was killed in an airstrike on June 18. US military officials previously reported that he had been killed in December 2014. Al Hayali was one of the most senior leaders in the “caliphate,” and had wide-ranging responsibilities.

Islamic State attacks Iraqi troops near Fallujah

Bill Roggio and Caleb Weiss | August 21, 2015

The attack near Fallujah coincided with the release of a video by the Islamic State shows the corpses of more than 30 Iraqi troops in Saqlawiyah in 2014. The jihadist group also seized a number of armored vehicles.

Islamic State branch says caliphate’s ‘soldiers’ bombed Cairo courthouse, national security building

Thomas Joscelyn | August 20, 2015

The Islamic State’s so-called Sinai “province” has claimed responsibility for a car bombing outside of a Cairo courthouse and an Egyptian national security building earlier today.

Ayman al Zawahiri discusses the importance of jihadist media

Thomas Joscelyn | August 19, 2015

In his third media appearance this month,the al Qaeda emir discusses the Battle of Tora Bora and the value of a united jihadist media. The video is the seventh installment in Zawahiri’s “Days with the Imam” series, in which he recounts episodes from Osama bin Laden’s life. The first video in the series was released in November 2011.

American suicide bomber deployed in Islamic State assault in Baiji

Caleb Weiss | August 19, 2015

This makes at least two Americans used as suicide bombers for the Islamic State. Both detonated in the central Iraqi province of Salahadin.

The Islamic State’s ‘wanted dead’ list in Libya

Thomas Joscelyn | August 18, 2015

The Islamic State’s supporters in Libya have released dozens of “wanted dead” posters online. The images are part of a campaign targeting the “caliphate’s” jihadist and Islamist opposition in Derna and elsewhere in Libya. If the information in the graphics is accurate, then the Islamic State is offering up valuable intelligence on its pro-al Qaeda adversaries in North Africa.

Islamic State claims advances in Baiji

Bill Roggio and Caleb Weiss | August 13, 2015

Islamic State forces are pressing an offensive in the central Iraqi city. Iraq’s defense minister claimed that Baiji was liberated just two weeks ago.

Islamic State in the Sinai reports killing Croatian hostage

Caleb Weiss | August 12, 2015

The Islamic State said that Tomislav Salopek was killed after the deadline given to Egypt to comply with its demands expired.

Proposed buffer zone leads al Qaeda to withdraw fighters from northern Aleppo province

Thomas Joscelyn | August 10, 2015

The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, says that it is turning over the territory it controls in the northern Aleppo province to other rebel groups. The move is a response to Turkey’s proposed buffer zone in northern Syria.

Islamic State in the Sinai threatens to kill Croatian hostage

Caleb Weiss | August 5, 2015

The video is just the latest ultimatum given by the Islamic State in which the jihadists threaten to kill a foreign hostage if their demands are not met.

Jihadist front established to represent foreign fighters in Syria

Thomas Joscelyn | July 20, 2015

Jihadist groups in Syria, including the Al Nusrah Front and Ahrar al Sham, have established “Al Muhajirun” as a new front for foreign fighters. The alliance is intended to unite foreign jihadists and serve as a counterbalance to the Islamic State.

Islamic State strikes Egyptian naval vessel off Sinai coast

Bill Roggio | July 16, 2015

The Islamic State released photographs purporting to show a “frigate” being struck by a guided rocket launched from the coast near Rafah. The Egyptian military said a coast guard vessel was hit during a firefight with “terrorists.” The Islamic State’s Sinai province has used Kornet anti-tank rockets as recently as two weeks ago.

Message attributed to Mullah Omar takes aim at the Islamic State

Thomas Joscelyn | July 15, 2015

The Taliban has released a new statement attributed to Mullah Omar saying that his men have been ordered to “forcefully prevent” anyone from sowing dissent in the jihadists’ ranks in Afghanistan. Although the statement doesn’t mention the Islamic State or its followers by name, the Taliban clearly has Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s organization in mind.

Pakistani Taliban confirms death of Khorasan province spokesman, calls for Afghan Taliban and Islamic State to ‘end their dispute’

Bill Roggio | July 14, 2015

The spokesman for the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar faction of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan said it “will avenge” the death of Shahidullah Shahid “from the Americans and its allies.” He also claimed a peace council was formed to mediate the dispute between the Islamic State and the Afghan Taliban.

Islamic State says emir for Khorasan province is alive

Bill Roggio | July 13, 2015

Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost said that Hafiz Saeed Khan is alive, but did confirm that Khorasan province’s deputy emir and spokesman were killed last week in US airstrikes.

Islamic State detonates car bomb outside Italian consulate in Cairo

Caleb Weiss | July 12, 2015

The attack, which comes after coordinated assaults in the Sinai earlier this month, was claimed by the “Islamic State in Egypt” and not its “Sinai Province.” The Islamic State warned Muslims to avoid similar locations as they are “legitimate targets.”

Afghan intelligence claims US killed Islamic State’s emir for Khorasan province

Bill Roggio | July 11, 2015

The National Directorate of Security (NDS) claimed that the US killed Hafiz Saeed Khan, the Islamic State’s leader for its Khorasan province in an airstrike in Nangarhar. The US has killed top leaders of jihadist organizations in the past, only to watch these groups expand.

Chechen commander in Syria pledges to Islamic Caucasus Emirate

Bill Roggio | July 10, 2015

Salahuddin Shishani, the former emir of the Jaish al Muhajireen wal Ansar who now leads a group of jihadists from the Caucasus in Syria, swore allegiance to the new leader of the Islamic Caucasus Emirate, giving a small boost to a group that has been plagued by defections.

Islamic State’s spokesman for Khorasan province thought killed in US airstrike

Bill Roggio | July 9, 2015

Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security claimed that the US killed Shahidullah Shahid, the Islamic State’s spokesman for its Khorasan province, in a recent airstrike in eastern Afghanistan. The death of Shahid, the former spokesman for the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, has not been confirmed.

Islamic State in West Africa claims Chad suicide attacks

Caleb Weiss | July 8, 2015

The claim of responsibility for last month’s suicide attacks in Chad comes after the jihadist group killed more than 200 people in Nigeria last week.

Deputy emir of Islamic State’s Khorasan province reported killed in US drone strike

Bill Roggio | July 8, 2015

Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Intelligence said that “Gull Zaman,” his deputy, and five fighters were killed in a US drone strike in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan.

Amid defections, Islamic Caucasus Emirate publicly recognizes new leader

Thomas Joscelyn | July 6, 2015

The Islamic Caucasus Emirate (ICE) publicly recognized Muhammad Abu Usman as its new emir earlier this month. The ICE, which is affiliated with al Qaeda, has suffered a string of defections to the Islamic State since last year.

Islamic State executes Syrian regime soldiers at Palmyra ruins

Caleb Weiss | July 5, 2015

The Islamic State has released a new video showing the execution of 25 Syrian soldiers in the ancient city of Palmyra. The executioners appear to be teenagers, or even younger. Days earlier, the jihadist group released images of statues from the city being destroyed.