• Home
  • Categories
    • Analysis
    • Visuals
    • News
    • Podcast
  • About
Islamic State in the Greater Sahara×
  • Analysis: Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb encourages its Sahelian wing to continue fighting the Islamic State

    Caleb Weiss

    Analysis
    Apr 20, 2023

    Abu Yasir al-Jaza’iri, an Algerian ideologue in al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, offers the group’s harshest rebuke of the Islamic State to date.

    Analysis: Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb encourages its Sahelian wing to continue fighting the Islamic State
  • Jihadist attacks flow into littoral West Africa

    Caleb Weiss

    News
    Dec 3, 2021

    As violence continues to spread across the Sahel, particularly in Burkina Faso, the violence is now seeping into the states of Ivory Coast, Togo, and Benin.

    Jihadist attacks flow into littoral West Africa
  • Analysis: Islamic State confirms Sahelian leader’s death, criticizes Al Qaeda

    Caleb Weiss

    Analysis
    Oct 18, 2021

    Coming roughly a month after France reported it had killed Abu Walid al Sahrawi, the Islamic State’s leader in the Sahel, the Islamic State itself has finally subtly confirmed the reports. The jihadist group has not publicly named a successor.

    Analysis: Islamic State confirms Sahelian leader’s death, criticizes Al Qaeda
  • France says drone strike killed leader of Islamic State in Sahara

    Thomas Joscelyn

    News
    Sep 16, 2021

    France says Abu Walid al Sahrawi, the leader of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, was killed in a drone strike in August. Al Sahrawi became a key figure in the global rivalry between the Islamic State and al Qaeda. His men were responsible for the Oct. 2017 ambush near Tongo Tongo, Niger that killed four U.S. soldiers.

    France says drone strike killed leader of Islamic State in Sahara
  • Islamic State documents implementation of Sharia law in northern Mali

    Caleb Weiss

    News
    May 23, 2021

    The photo offers a rare look into jihadist governance in the Sahel, in which jihadists loyal to both al Qaeda and the Islamic State wield both direct and indirect control over many rural areas.

    Islamic State documents implementation of Sharia law in northern Mali
  • Islamic State kills hundreds in massacres across the Sahel

    Caleb Weiss

    News
    Mar 22, 2021

    Almost 300 people have been killed in a series of mass killings in Niger and on a military position inside Mali. The Islamic State has officially claimed just one of the attacks, but it is believed to have carried out all of the massacres.

    Islamic State kills hundreds in massacres across the Sahel
  • Analysis: Islamic State official critiques Al Qaeda in the Sahel

    Caleb Weiss

    Analysis
    Nov 13, 2020

    In an interview with the Islamic State’s Al-Naba newsletter, Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, the leader of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, attempts to paint al Qaeda’s efforts in the region as rife with internal squabbles and disunity.

    Analysis: Islamic State official critiques Al Qaeda in the Sahel
  • Al Qaeda, Islamic State strike across the Sahel

    Caleb Weiss

    News
    Apr 19, 2020

    The two jihadist groups continue their rampage in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

    Al Qaeda, Islamic State strike across the Sahel
  • Analysis: JNIM addresses detractors, sends message of unity

    Caleb Weiss

    Analysis
    Feb 10, 2020

    Two recently released booklets by the al Qaeda group are likely meant to assuage tensions both within and outside its organization.

    Analysis: JNIM addresses detractors, sends message of unity
  • Islamic State releases photos from Malian assault, claims another

    Caleb Weiss

    Threat Matrix
    Nov 21, 2019

    The photos detail the In-Delimane assault earlier this month which left over 50 Malian soldiers dead.

    Islamic State releases photos from Malian assault, claims another
  • Dozens of Malian soldiers killed in Islamic State attack

    Caleb Weiss

    News
    Nov 3, 2019

    Friday’s assault marks the Islamic State’s deadliest attack in Mali to date.

    Dozens of Malian soldiers killed in Islamic State attack
  • Niger military base raided by the Islamic State

    Caleb Weiss

    News
    Jul 3, 2019

    The Islamic State’s men in the Sahel claims another large-scale attack on Nigerien troops near the borders with Mali.

    Niger military base raided by the Islamic State
  • Islamic State claims attacks on American, French forces in the Sahel

    Caleb Weiss

    News
    Jun 20, 2019

    The Islamic State’s men in the Sahel have claimed a recent IED on US troops in Niger, as well as downing a French helicopter and assassinating a Tuareg militia member in Mali.

    Islamic State claims attacks on American, French forces in the Sahel
  • JNIM claims ambush in Burkina Faso

    Caleb Weiss

    News
    Dec 28, 2018

    The ambush marks one of the deadliest attacks inside Burkina Faso, which is part of the growing jihadist violence inside the country.

    JNIM claims ambush in Burkina Faso
  • Islamic State-loyal militants claim attacks in Burkina Faso

    Caleb Weiss

    News
    Apr 18, 2018

    Today’s claims of responsibility are the first for the group in Burkina Faso since 2016.

    Islamic State-loyal militants claim attacks in Burkina Faso
  • Islamic State recognizes oath of allegiance from jihadists in Mali

    Thomas Joscelyn and Caleb Weiss

    News
    Oct 31, 2016

    The Islamic State has officially recognized a loyalty oath sworn by Abu Walid al Sahrawi, a jihadist based in West Africa. Sahrawi first swore his fealty to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi in May 2015. It is not clear why it took so long for the so-called caliphate to recognize him as one of its representatives.

    Islamic State recognizes oath of allegiance from jihadists in Mali
  • Islamic State in the Greater Sahara claims second attack in Burkina Faso

    Caleb Weiss

    Threat Matrix
    Oct 15, 2016

    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.

    Islamic State in the Greater Sahara claims second attack in Burkina Faso
View All Podcasts

  • Interactive visual: Profiles of 28 Iran-backed terrorist groups and branches in the West Bank

    Interactive visual: Profiles of 28 Iran-backed terrorist groups and branches in the West Bank

  • Profiles of 15 Iranian-backed Militias in the Middle East

    Profiles of 15 Iranian-backed Militias in the Middle East

  • Detailing Shabaab’s Leadership and Key Personnel

    Detailing Shabaab’s Leadership and Key Personnel

  • Al Qaeda leaders use Afghanistan as a safe haven

    Al Qaeda leaders use Afghanistan as a safe haven

View All Visuals
FDD's Long War Journal

FDD’s Long War Journal provides accurate reporting and analysis of ongoing efforts to address jihadism, conflicts between state and non-state actors, and warfare between states. This is accomplished through original reporting, including by embedded reporters, news aggregation, maps, podcasts, and other formats.

  • Instagram
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

© 2025 Long War Journal. All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy

Terms & Conditions

Cookies Policy