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On 24 May 2024, suspected Islamic State West Africa (ISWA/Wilayat Wasat Afriqiyah) militants detonated IEDs targeting electrical transmission towers along the A4 between Biu and Damboa, Borno State, Nigeria. Reportedly, a total of three towers were brought down in this attack.
The ISWA A4 cell, likely responsible for this attack, has been highly active in the weeks leading up to this incident, leaving TRAC confident that this was not only the work of ISWA but this cell specifically. This stretch of the A4 is of particular interest due to it being one of the few gateway roads into the rest of Borno State. Control over this road allows ISWA militants to significantly throttle traffic, whether security forces or otherwise, into Borno, where they are conducting further operations.
Islamic State's strategic control of the A4 highway enables ISWA to carry out attacks on security forces and exert significant control over the electrical grid. By targeting electrical infrastructure and those attempting to repair it, the group not only creates darkness in which ISWA thrives but also hampers the response of security forces. Due to the general insecurity of the national grid, any destruction is likely to overwhelm the system and shut it down, regularly plunging the Northeast into darkness.
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These deliberate attacks on electrical facilities underscore ISWA’s commitment to the economic warfare strategy outlined by the Islamic State Central Command since at least 2019. While the destruction of infrastructure is a common tactic among various militant groups, ISWA's explicit emphasis on targeting electrical infrastructure is particularly notable.
The destruction of electrical towers serves a dual purpose for ISWA. Firstly, it aligns with their broader objective of economic warfare, disrupting vital infrastructure that sustains economic activities. Secondly, it effectively paralyzes the local population by severing crucial communication lines. The intentional targeting of electrical infrastructure becomes a strategic tool for ISWA to exert control over both security forces and the civilian population within their spheres of influence. As electrical towers crumble, the loss of communication further complicates the reporting and response mechanisms, intensifying the challenges in addressing ISWA’s activities effectively.
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(Poster) American Futurist (NSRF) Creates Artificial Intelligence (AI) Recruitment Posters With Armed “TAF” Figures | |
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These posters are a marked departure from normal American Futurist propaganda pieces in the sense of the violent direction it has taken. While the skull mask is a regular adornment in Nazi circles, and thus their propaganda, American Futurist, while maybe accelerationist, prefer to appear more as the intelligentsia of the movement, making this a departure from their usual material.
The departure is not alone, but is rather part of what appears to be a trend, as there has been a recent spate of American Futurist posters depicting armed figures in Nazi affiliated regalia. This may be due to a recent tightening of ties between Injekt Division, as the groups both recently put a large focus on “The Satanic Front” as Injekt division often uses these kinds of depictions.
It should also be noted the use of what appears to be a AI generated image in the first poster. While American Futurist regularly produces high quality propaganda in terms of imagery, advancements with AI gives them a quicker and easier way to produce this material. The use of AI is noticeable in areas of inconsistency like the scarf, cabling from what would be a radio, and the misshapen fasteners seen on the rifle.
The American Futurist, the mouthpiece and official propagandist for the white nationalist National Socialist Resistance Front (NSRF formerly National Socialist Order / NSO), is an accelerationist right-wing extremist group that is pushing for the collapse of the United States Government, as they do not believe in a political solution.
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TRAC Incident Report: Suspected Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) Militants Storm Various Villages, Killing Over 70 Civilians, in the Area of Séguénéga, Yatenga Province, Burkina Faso | |
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On 22 May 2024, approximately 150 militants allegedly belonging to the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) group stormed several villages surrounding Séguénéga, including Sima to the north, Kossouka to the southeast, and Goubré to the southwest, reportedly killing over 70 civilians in Yatenga Province.
Yatenga Province is frequently the scene of clashes between Burkinabe forces and JNIM militants. Notably, this attack resulted in the significant loss of civilian lives. Consequently, JNIM is unlikely to release an official claim of responsibility, as the group often attributes such atrocities to the Burkinabe forces, accusing them of abuses against the population.
The jihadists carried out the attacks in large numbers and were likely heavily armed, overwhelming the local security forces, who most probably fled in fear for their lives, abandoning the residents. This incident involved simultaneous incursions into three different villages, though in close proximity to each other. This indicates a high level of organizational skill among the assailants, as well as the significant pressure the group exerts in the Séguénéga area and along the N15 Road, which connects Ouahigouya to Kongoussi.
The strategic execution of these attacks demonstrates JNIM’s capability to coordinate complex operations and highlights the persistent instability and security challenges in the region.
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TRAC Incident Report: Suspected PMC Wagner/Russian Africa Corps and FAMA Soldiers Reportedly Behead, Gutted, and Emasculated Islamic State Greater Sahara (ISGS) Militants in Mali | |
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On 26 May 2024, suspected PMC Wagner and FAMA forces reportedly beheaded, gutted, and emasculated ISGS militants in Mali. It is not clear where exactly the location is or the number of deceased but there are at least 26 bodies depicted in the photo and videos.
Wagner is bleeding the fine line between PMC and terrorist organization as they without a doubt are aiming to terrorize the local Malian population. In an incredible act of violence, Wagner has, for the fourth time, and arguably in the worst case so far, beheaded militants.
While this is the third time TRAC has recorded Wagner beheading Malians, it should also be noted that this is likely, not exhaustive, as this is a war crime and as a behavior, is likely being intentionally hidden. While the group is using it as a tactic to drive fear, evidence, like videos, could be used against the soldiers. It is also evident that this could likely be the purpose as well. Similar to gangs, Wagner has initiation practices as well, and could likely be using footage of a soldier coerced into committing these acts by superiors, for the express intent of forming a mutually assured destruction.
As this practice becomes more commonplace, this will likely begin to backfire, as the crime, and this incident in particular, was excessively gratuitous. Not only did the security forces behead, an act that is most often committed by jihadists, but they also gutted and emasculated (the removal of the penis and testicles) the deceased. It cannot be understated how extreme of an act this was for being committed by state-based forces.
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TRAC Incident Report: Syrian Arab Army (SAA) Sends Reinforcement from 25th Division to Fight Islamic State (IS) in Palmyra, Homs Governorate, Syria | |
(Right Wing Extremism / Posters) Eco-Fascists Share Several Stochastic Posters: ‘Save the Bees – Not Refugees/Shoot Refugees’ | |
TRAC Incident Report: Christian Man Lynched, Houses Raided & Targeted with Arson Attacks by Angry Mobs After Rumors of the Alleged Desecration of the Quran in Mujahid Colony, Punjab, Pakistan
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