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Between 01-26 February 2023, at least 107 people were reportedly killed in 15 attacks in Burkina Faso. While Islamic State in Greater Sahara (ISGS) and Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) are suspected for a bulk of the attacks, there were a couple attacks that were not claimed by nor could be exclusively attributed to either JNIM or ISGS.
It should be noted that the actual number of dead is likely much higher than the 107 reported. The poor telecommunications infrastructure is likely causing difficulty in getting information out of the country combined with the fact that whole communities are often slaughtered in the sporadic armed assaults plaguing the country, meaning that there is no one left to report the incidents.
The most alarming attack was one that took place on 01 February 2023 in Piega, Sakoani and Kankangou, Est Region by the Burkinabe Army, in which 25 civilians were killed. Rumors persist of Russia's PMC Wagner group operating in the country after Ghana accused Burkina of giving Wagner a mine as payment for their services back in December 2022.
Wagner is known to commit war crimes targeting civilians in neighboring Mali. They purportedly work with the government in CTOs, but they are actively involved in the kidnapping and killing of innocent civilians. The locals in Mali have a hatred of Wagner, which is why they often support JNIM and ISGS killing Wagner forces. Wagner forces are also known for in-fighting with Malian forces over the smallest infractions, the latest being the deaths of soldiers over a cell phone dispute.
Despite a current love and admiration for Russia from Russian propaganda in the region, TRAC posits the same situation will eventually unfold in Burkina Faso, particularly due to the cultural and historical differences between Russian and Burkinabe soldiers, as well as the drastic wage differences causing local soldiers to resent Wagner fighters in Africa for making a reported $10k USD monthly, while Burkinabe soldiers earn roughly $460 USD.
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TRAC Incident Report:
Competing Claims Both Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP) and
Islamic State Khurasan Pakistan (ISKP) Claim the Suicide Bomber on IED Laced Motorcycle Targets Pakistani Forces, near Kambri Bridge, Bolan Area, Near Sibi City, Balochistan, Pakistan
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(Left) Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP) claim;
(Center) Wilayah Pakistan (ISKP) claim from Amaq; (Right) Wilayah Pakistan (ISKP) claim from Nashir
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On 06 March 2023, a suicide bomber on IED-laced motorcycle targeted a van carrying Pakistani Security Forces at the Kambri Bridge in Bolan area, near Sibi City, Balochistan. The bombing killed nine officers and wounded sixteen others.
Mere hours after the bombing, the newly formed group in the region, Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP), claimed the attack. It should be noted that it is extraordinarily rare that a newly formed group would emerge with a suicide bombing as its first attack, although they did claim to have 'hundreds of suicide bombers ready,' when they announced their formation a few weeks ago. In their claim, they identified the suicide bomber as Salem Raisani and also noted that the implementation of Islamic System in Pakistan is the group's one and only goal.
In an interesting turn of events, just a few hours later, Islamic State Khurasan Pakistan (ISKP) also released two claims of credit for the suicide bomber in Sibi through official Islamic State media houses, Nashir and Amaq. Both Nashir and Amaq claims of credit were published along with a photo of the suicide bomber Abdul Rahman Pakistani, which lends credence to Islamic State claims over Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP).
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TRAC Incident Report:
Suspected Knife-Wielding Lone Wolf Jihadist Stabs a
10-Year-Old Girl, Brunnsparken, Gothenburg, Sweden
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The attacker, identified as Milad Salari, 36, from Iran | |
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On 03 March 2023, Milad Salari, 36, originally from Iran, stabbed a 10-year-old girl in the neck and the stomach in an unprovoked attack. At the moment of the incident, the little girl, visiting from Amsterdam, was with her grandmother, 65, who was also injured in the arm by the assailant.
Media sources revealed that Salari is a Muslim refugee who arrived in Sweden with his mother, father, and two other siblings in 1989. Originally from the Iranian city of Shiraz, the suspect, known to law enforcement for committing 52 crimes in Sweden since 2002, started his criminal career at the age of 15. The motive of the stabbing remains unknown, however, it is important to note that the Stochastic Islamic State propaganda advocating knife attacks in urban areas is in constant circulation. It should also be noted that this is the sixth knife attack since January 2023 in Europe.
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TRAC Incident Report:
Islamic State (IS) Insiders Report a Mutiny Inside a Main Prison, Four Inmates Escaped, in Nouakchott, Mauritania
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On 05 March 2023, Islamic State insiders reported a mutiny by terrorists inside a main prison in Nouakchott, Mauritania. It was further reported that the mutiny resulted in the killing of two guards and the injury of two others, and at least four prisoners managed to escape; all jailed under terrorism offenses.
Of concern are the eyewitness accounts that a shootout began inside the prison in the late hours of the day, which begs the question, "how did the inmates obtain the weapon?"
Last month, Islamic State Greater Sahara (ISGS) possibly expanded to Mauritania with an IED attack in the capital. Considering the fact that the news was reported by IS insiders, TRAC speculates the escapees might belong to the Islamic State group. Mauritania has shared an unwritten protection from jihadi attacks in the past because they have allowed various groups over the years to train on Mauritanian soil; their internationally recognized Muslim scholars are known to recruit and bring new extremist to Mauritania to be further indoctrinated.
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TRAC Incident Report: Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) IED Attack Destroyed Coastal Highway and Military Convoy Killed 08 on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Highway in Gwadar, Balochistan, Pakistan | |
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Video Report:
Islamic State Insiders
Share How Surveillance Drones Can Be Modified to Drop Grenades, Ukraine
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TRAC Incident Report: About 150 Antifa Members & Far Left Extremists Storm Construction Site & Targeted Police Officers with Stones, Bricks, Molotov Cocktails, & Fireworks, Weelaunee Forest, DeKalb County, Atlanta, Georgia, United States | | | | |
