JNIM confirms deaths of co-founder, senior leaders in French raids
The death of Hasan al Ansari and five other senior leaders of JNIM was used as justification for JNIM’s terrorist attacks in Burkina Faso on Friday.
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JNIM releases proof-of-life video for French hostage
The video of Sophie Petronin is similar to January’s proof-of-life video for another JNIM hostage, Gloria Cecilia Narvaez.
State Department designates Burkinabe jihadist group Ansaroul Islam
The State Department has designated Ansaroul Islam, a Burkinabe jihadist group affiliated with al Qaeda’s network in Mali, as a terrorist organization. FDD’s Long War Journal has tracked the rise of the group since its founding in late 2016.
Jihadists strike across West Africa
Suspected jihadists laid siege to a popular restaurant with Westerners in the capital of Burkina Faso. Two UN bases were also attacked by jihadists in Mali.
JNIM claims mortar barrage on UN forces in Timbuktu
Yesterday’s mortar barrage comes just a week after a similar incident left one UN peacekeeper dead. Al Qaeda’s forces in Mali continue to retain the ability to strike foreign forces across the country’s north.
Jihadists launch coordinated assault in Burkina Faso
The coordinated assault blamed on jihadists has left nearly a dozen Burkinabe soldiers dead.
Niger thwarts jihadist prison break attempt
Today’s attempted prison break is just the most recent in a spate of attacks in Niger from suspected Malian-based jihadists.
Islamic State in the Greater Sahara claims second attack in Burkina Faso
The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) has claimed its second attack in two months. Both reportedly occurred in the same area of northern Burkina Faso near the border with Mali.
American aid worker reportedly kidnapped in Niger
No group has to yet to claim this, but al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has been behind several kidnappings of Westerners in Niger in the past.
Tuareg leader honored in eulogy attributed to Mokhtar Belmokhtar
On Oct. 9, a statement attributed to Mokhtar Belmokhtar was circulated online. The message eulogizes Sheikh Ag Aoussa, a prominent Tuareg leader who was reportedly killed in an explosion after attending a meeting at a UN camp in Mali. The statement’s author, presumably Belmokhtar, blames France for Aoussa’s death and calls on tribes to turn against the French.
Islamic State’s Sahara branch claims first attack in Burkina Faso
The claim, if it is confirmed, marks the first Islamic State attack in the Sahel.
AQIM targets beach resort in Ivory Coast
Al Qaeda continues to prioritize targeting hotels, which are considered soft targets, across the African continent. AQIM has launched assaults on several hotels in West Africa in recent months, while Shabaab regularly targets hotels in Somalia.
US airstrike targets Islamic State operative, training camp in Libya
The US launched an airstrike earlier today targeting a senior Islamic State facilitator who is suspected of being involved in two attacks on tourists in Tunisia. He may have also been plotting attacks against Western interests in the region.
AQIM confirms death of former MUJAO spokesman
Despite having initially denied his death, AQIM finally confirms the death of one of its former spokesmen two years after his reported death.
Islamic State Sinai ‘province’ commander killed in Cairo, Egyptian government says
Egyptian officials say that Ashraf Ali Hassanein al Gharabli, a commander in the Islamic State’s so-called Sinai ‘province,’ was killed during a shootout in Cairo. He once belonged to Ansar Bayt al Maqdis, which split into separate factions. Whereas Al Gharabli joined the Islamic State, some of his comrades remained loyal to al Qaeda.
The Islamic State’s supporters want Mokhtar Belmokhtar dead
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.
The Islamic State’s ‘wanted dead’ list in Libya
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.
Jihadists praise Paris attacks
Various jihadist groups around the world have commented on the terrorist attacks in Paris and have lauded the terrorists as “heroes.”
German terrorists pass through Yemen, meet Awlaki, before joining IMU in Pakistan
Abu Ibrahim al Almani and his brother Abu Adam fought in Yemen for a year before moving to Pakistan on the advice of Anwar al Awlaki. Their move to Pakistan was “very professionally organized.”
American, French hostages freed in the Sahel
Jeff Woodke, who spent over six years captive in the Sahel, and Olivier Dubois, who spent almost two years as a hostage, were finally freed from the clutches of al-Qaeda’s men in the Sahel. The United States has denied paying a ransom.
Suspected jihadists attack Nigerien refugee camp
The attack was reportedly perpetrated by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, but no group has yet to claim the assault.
Islamic State fighters retreat from bases outside Derna, Libya
The Islamic State’s fighters have withdrawn from their positions on the outskirts of Derna, Libya. The so-called “caliphate” faced stiff opposition from pro-al Qaeda jihadist groups in the city.
MUJAO spokesman reported killed in French airstrike
Malian officials claimed that Oumar Ould Hamaha, whom the US has offered a $3 million reward, was killed. The report is unconfirmed.
United States
The US added three of Mokhtar Belmokhtar’s West African brigades to its lists of terrorist organizations: the al-Mulathameen Brigade, the al Mua’qi’oon Biddam [the Those Who Sign in Blood Brigade], and the al-Murabitoon Brigade. The US also added added Usamah Amin al Shihabi, the head of the Al Nusrah Front in Lebanon, to the list […]
US adds Belmokhtar’s brigades to terrorist lists
Mokhtar Belmokhtar’s al-Mulathameen Brigade is behind terror attacks in Niger, Algeria, and Mali. Its “aliases,” the al-Murabitoon Brigade and al Mua’qi’oon Biddam, have also been added to the US’s lists of terror groups.