Islamic State – Sahel Province

Islamic State affiliate

Islamic State – Sahel Province

Leaders| Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi †
Abu al-Bara' al-Sahrawi
Dates of operation| 13 May 2015–present
Headquarters| Near Ménaka, Gao Region, Mali
Active regions| Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso
Ideology| Islamic Statism
Fulani extremism[citation needed]
Size| 2,000–3,000[1]
Part of|  Islamic State
Opponents|

State Opponents

* Mali
Niger
Burkina Faso
France
United Kingdom
United States
Russia
Ukraine
Benin[2]
Algeria
Chad
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Ivory Coast
Libya
Mauritania
Nigeria[3]
Senegal
Togo

Non-State Opponents

* Movement for the Salvation of Azawad
GATIA
JNIM
Wagner Group

Designated as a terrorist group by| See below

The Islamic State – Sahel Province[a] (ISSP), formerly known as Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS), is an Islamist militant group adhering to the ideology of Salafi Jihadism. IS-GS was formed on 15 May 2015 as the result of a split within the militant group Al-Mourabitoun. The rift was a reaction to the adherence of one of its leaders, Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi,[4] to the Islamic State. From March 2019 to 2022, IS-GS was formally part of the Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP);[5] when it was also called "ISWAP-Greater Sahara".[6] In March 2022, IS declared the province autonomous, separating it from its West Africa Province[7] and naming it Islamic State – Sahel Province (ISSP).

## History

[edit]

Al-Mourabitoun was created on 22 August 2013 after the merging of MUJAO and Al-Mulathameen.[8] On 13 May 2015, elements of Al-Mourabitoun under the leadership of Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.[9][10][11][12] It operated independently until 30 October 2016, when it was formally recognized by the Islamic State.[13][14][15][16]

The group's ranks increased by dozens of Malian militants and sympathizers from the Gao Region[17] near Ménaka.[18]

On 1 November 2019, gunmen killed over 50 soldiers in the 2019 Indelimane attack in the Ménaka Region of Mali.[19] A week later in Burkina Faso, gunmen stormed a convoy of buses for the Boungou miners, killing 37, although some estimate the death toll to be much higher.[20][21]

On 28 November 2019, Spanish authorities issued a warning on the possibility of a terror attack in the region against Spanish citizens visiting or working in the Saharawi refugee camps in Western Sahara.[22] Spanish authorities feared the attacks would coincide with the Spanish Día de la Constitución (December 6) celebrations.[23] Secret services warned of the risk of a jihadist attack in the Sahara region at refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria.[24] The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic denied this threat.[25] No attack happened.

On 10 December 2019, a large group of fighters belonging to the IS-GS attacked a military post in Inates, Niger,[26] killing over seventy soldiers and kidnapping others.[27] On 9 January 2020, a large group of IS-GS militants assaulted a Nigerien military base at Chinagodrar, in Niger's Tillabéri Region, killing at least 89 Nigerien soldiers.[28]

During 2021, the group carried out massacres in Niger, mainly in the regions of Tillabéri and Tahoua, killing more than 600 people.[29] The killings included the Tchoma Bangou and Zaroumdareye massacres, the March 2021 Darey-Daye massacre, the Tillia massacres and the 2021 Adab-Dab attack.

In December 2021, the French Army announced that it had killed in Niger, one of the perpetrators of the assassination of six French humanitarian workers and their Nigerien companions in the Kouré reserve in August 2020. The man is presented as Soumana Boura. The staff had identified him as leading a group of several dozen EIGS fighters, in the Gober Gourou and Firo area, in western Niger. a member of the Islamic State in the Grand Sahara (EIGS).[30]

On 11 June 2022, the group attacked the town of Seytenga in Burkina Faso, killing at least 100 civilians in a massacre.[31]

On 15 June 2022, it was announced the French military force captured Oumeya Ould Albakaye, a senior ISGS leader in Mali overnight between 11-12 June.[32]

Between 2022 and 2023, the group saw major gains in the Mali War, occupying large swarths of territory in southeastern Mali. Tidermène was captured by the group on 12 April 2023.[33]

In early April 2023, the group killed at least 44 civilians in the towns of Kourakou and Tondobi in Burkina Faso.[34]

On 21 March 2024, the group ambushed Nigerien soldiers in Tillabéri Region, Niger, killing at least 23 soldiers.[35]

As reported in the BBC in 2025, the Sahel has become the global epicenter of terrorism, now accounting for over half of all terrorism-related deaths, according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI). In 2023, the region recorded 3,885 fatalities out of 7,555 worldwide, a nearly tenfold increase since 2019. The rise in extremist violence is driven by the expansion of groups like ISIS-Sahel and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), which compete for land and impose strict Sharia governance. Political instability, weak governance, and military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Niger have further fueled the insurgency. These groups finance operations through ransom kidnappings, illicit gold mining, and drug trafficking, with the Sahel now a major route for cocaine smuggling from South America to Europe. Meanwhile, regional governments have shifted from Western alliances to Russia and China, relying on paramilitary groups like the Africa Corps (formerly Wagner) for security assistance, though with little success. The violence is now spreading to neighboring countries like Togo and Benin, raising concerns about further regional destabilization.[36]

On March 22, 2025, Niger's Interior Ministry blamed an attack that left 44 Muslim worshippers dead while they were performing Friday prayers. The attackers also set fire to a market and houses before retreating, according to the ministry.[37]

## Organization, forces and location

[edit]

### Commanding officers

[edit]

The group was founded and headed by Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi until he was killed by a French drone strike in Mali in 2021.[38]

Al-Sahraoui may have been replaced towards the end of 2019 by a new wali, Abdoul Hakim Al-Sahraoui.[citation needed] Among his other commanders are Doundoun Chefou, Illiassou Djibo alias Petit Chafori (or Djafori) and Mohamed Ag Almouner, known as "Tinka", killed by the French Army on August 26, 2018.

In 2024, Heni Nsaibia reported that ISGS is operated by a majlis al-shura, or central leadership council, with a governor currently led by Abu al-Bara' al-Sahrawi.[39] Under the majlis al-shura are four offices: the Law and Sanctions Office, the Military and Operations Office, Logistics Office, and the Foreign Fighters Office. The Law and Sanctions Office (LSO) is operated by al-Sahrawi, Youssof Ould Chouaib, Talha al-Jazairi, and Dadi Ould Chouaib.[39] The Military and Operations Office (MOO) is commanded by Mohamed Ould Manaha, Youssof Ould Chouaib, Abdou Tchougel, Moussa Moumimi, Bolla ag Mohamed, and Joulde Pirodji, also known as Khatab.[39] The Logistics Office (LO) is operated by Idrissa Ould Chouaib and Muawiya.[39] The Foreign Fighters Office (FFO) is operated by Abu Hachim, Abu Umar al-Libi, and Abu Jafar.[39]

There is also a Media Office run by the Majlis al-Shura.[39] The media office propagates IS-Sahel and IS-Central propaganda.[39]

### Location and Structure

[edit]

IS-Sahel operates in five zones. Each zone is operated by an emir, a qadi (judge)

Zone 1, the Burkina Faso and Gourma zone, is located in Burkina Faso's Oudalan and Séno provinces, the Gourma region of Mali (encompassing Tessit commune and the surrounding area), and Niger's Bankilare and Téra departments.[39] The emir, or leader, of Zone 1 is Sadou Tongomayel also known as Sadou Ibrahim or Almoustapha Ould Zeidi.[39] Under Tongomayel's command are Moussa Moumini, Oumaya Ould Albakaye, Abu Houreira, Yero Belko, Moukailou Djibrilou, and Mamoudou Kouka.[39]

Zone 2, the Haoussa zone, encompasses the Gabero, Bara, Bourra, Ouatagouna, and Tin Hama communes near Ansongo and Gao in Mali on the left bank of the Niger river.[39] Baye Ag Adil is the emir of Zone 2, with Oubel Boureima and Moussa Djibo serving under him.[39]

Zone 3, encompasses from Amalaoulaou to Akabar and Tabankort in rural eastern Mali, with a base located near In Arab.[39] Bara' al-Sahrawi is the emir of this zone, with Abdou Tchoguel and Issa Barry serving under him.[39] Both Zone 2 and 3 are collectively known as the Muthalath zone, or Triangle, referring to the confluence of the Nigerien, Malian, and Burkinabe borders.[39]

Zone 4, also known as Anderamboukane, extends from Ménaka in Mali to Abala in Niger, with headquarters in Andéramboukane.[39] Zoubeirou is the emir of the region, and Mourtala Magadji is the military leader.[39]

Zone 5, also known as the Azawagh zone, extends from Tidermène in the north to the Ezza valley in the south.[39] Khatab is the emir, and Magadji serves as the military leader there too.[39]

### Forces

[edit]

In early 2017, Marc Mémier, a researcher at the  French Institute for International Relations (IFRI), estimated that the Islamic State in the Grand Sahara had a few dozen men – not counting sympathizers – mostly Malians in the region of Gao. At the end of 2015, RFI indicated that the group's workforce would total around one hundred.

The early composition of ISGS was predominantly Sahrawi, although many were killed during the French intervention in Mali.[39] Despite new leadership and a new demographic, much of ISGS' top brass are Sahrawi or Malian Arabs.[39]

According to a report from the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at West Point, the EIGS had 425 combatants in August 2018.

### Settlement area and ethnic base

[edit]

See also: Nomadic conflict and Fulani extremism

Map showing areas where the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara operated as of 2021

The group is based in the Ménaka region.

As with other armed groups in the Sahel, jihadists or not, the ISGS is part of a largely community-based dynamic. A large part of its combatants is thus Peuls. In Mali, the latter are for the most part Nigerien nationals whom the droughts in the Sahel and the demographic surge of Zarma and Hausa peasants, which is exerted from the south to the north, have pushed on the Malian side of the border. Adnan Abu Walid Al-Sahraoui won the support of many members of this community by promising to protect them against raids and theft of cattle carried out by the Tuaregs, starting with the Dahoussahak (Idaksahak).

However, ISGS would include members from the two communities. Thus, at present, the combatants of ISGS are divided into two katibas (combatant units), one composed mainly of Daoussahak and the other of Peuls.

## Analysis

[edit]

### Designation as a terrorist organization

[edit]

Country  | Date  | References

|
|

United States | 23 May 2018  | [40]
United Nations | 23 February 2020  | [41]
Argentina | 23 February 2020  | [42]
New Zealand | 23 February 2020  | [43]
Canada | 2 February 2021  | [44]
Iraq | ?  | [45]

## See also

[edit]

* Tongo Tongo ambush
* List of Islamist terrorist attacks
* List of terrorist incidents linked to the Islamic State
* Jihadist insurgency in Niger
* Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
* Islamist insurgency in the Sahel
* JNIM-ISGS war

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Arabic: الدولة الاسلامية – ولاية الساحل, romanized: al-Dawlah al-Islāmīyah – Wilāyat al-Sāḥil,
French: État islamique – Province du Sahel,
Berber languages: Tadunt Taslamt – Tadunt Sahel

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "S/2024/556". United Nations. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
2. ^ "IS Reveals Responsibility for Attacks in Benin, Marking Expansion of "Sahel Province" to Another Country". SITE. 15 September 2022.
3. ^ "IS Reveals Attacks in Sokoto (Nigeria) and Tillaberi (Niger) in Naba 205 "Exclusive"". SITE. 25 October 2019.
4. ^ "Rewards for ISIS-GS Leader Adnan Abu Walid". VOA. 10 October 2019. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
5. ^ Zenn (2020), p. 6.
6. ^ Bacon & Warner (2021), p. 80.
7. ^ Chesnutt, Kate; Zimmerman, Katherine (2022-09-08). "The State of al Qaeda and ISIS Around the World". Critical Threats.
8. ^ AFP (22 August 2013). "Afrique : fusion de 2 groupes djihadistes". Le Figaro (in French). Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
9. ^ "Le groupe El-Mourabitoune prête allégeance à l'Etat islamique". Alakhbar (in French). 13 May 2015. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
10. ^ "El-Mourabitoune appelle les autres groupes jihaidstes à prêter allégeance à l'Etat islamique (Audio)". Alakhbar (in French). 13 May 2015. Archived from the original on 26 November 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
11. ^ AFP (15 May 2015). "Sahel : un chef d'Al-Mourabitoune prête allégeance à l'organisation de l'État islamique". France 24 (in French). Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
12. ^ "Mali-Sahel: lutte de positionnement des groupes jihadistes". Radio France Internationale (in French). 6 December 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
13. ^ Olivier, Mathieu (13 October 2016). "Dix ans après sa création, où en est l'État islamique en Afrique et au Maghreb ?". Jeune Afrique (in French). Archived from the original on 16 October 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
14. ^ "Bel Mokhtar dément l'allégeance du groupe El-Mourabitoune à l'Etat Islamique". Alakhbar (in French). 15 May 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
15. ^ AFP (15 May 2015). "Mokhtar Belmokhtar récuse l'allégeance du groupe Al-Mourabitoune à l'EI". France 24 (in French). Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
16. ^ "Mali: le groupe Etat islamique officialise sa présence au Sahel". Radio France Internationale (in French). 31 October 2016. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
17. ^ Mémier, Marc (January 2017). AQMI et Al-Mourabitoun : le djihad sahélien réunifié? (PDF) (in French). Institut français des relations internationales. p. 54\. ISBN 978-2-36567-661-8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
18. ^ "Niger: 15 militaires tués lors d'une attaque près de la frontière malienne". Radio France Internationale (in French). 23 February 2017. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
19. ^ "Militants kill 54 in attack on Mali army post, ISIS claims responsibility". NBC News. 3 November 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
20. ^ "'So many dead': Survivors describe terrifying Burkina Faso ambush". Reuters. 2019-11-08. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
21. ^ "AFP.com". AFP.com. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
22. ^ "Spain Warns of Possible Sahara Camp Terror Attack". The New York Times. Associated Press. 28 November 2019. Archived from the original on 29 November 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
23. ^ González, Miguel (28 November 2019). "Los servicios secretos alertan del riesgo de atentado yihadista contra españoles en el Sáhara". El País (in Spanish). Madrid: Prisa. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
24. ^ Araluce, Gonzalo (28 November 2019). "Informes secretos alertan del riesgo de "atentado inminente" contra españoles en el Sáhara". El Español (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
25. ^ "Exteriores alerta del riesgo de atentado contra españoles en el Sáhara". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 28 November 2019. Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
26. ^ "Behind the Jihadist Attack in Inates". ReliefWeb. 13 December 2019.
27. ^ "At least 70 soldiers killed in attack on Niger military camp". France 24. 2019-12-11. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
28. ^ Aksar, Moussa; Lewis, David; Balima, Boureima; Ross, Aaron (2020-01-11). Elgood, Giles (ed.). "Niger army base attack death toll rises to at least 89: security sources". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
29. ^ "Gunmen kill up to 15 soldiers in southwest Niger, sources say". Reuters. 5 November 2021.
30. ^ "Attaque de Kouré au Niger: l'armée française annonce avoir tué un membre du commando". RFI. 22 December 2021.
31. ^ "Armed men kill at least 100 in Burkina Faso border zone - security source". Reuters. 2022-06-13. Archived from the original on 2022-06-16. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
32. ^ Tangi Salaun; Sudip Kar-Gupta (15 June 2022). "France announces capture of senior Islamic State figure in Mali". Reuters. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
33. ^ BBC Africa Today: Islamic State Sahel Province fighters seize commune in Mali, BBC, 2023
34. ^ Burkina Faso: At least 44 killed in attacks Archived 2023-04-09 at the Wayback Machine, Sky News
35. ^ "Several Nigerien soldiers killed in ambush near Burkina Faso, Mali border". France24. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
36. ^ "Africa's Sahel: The region with more 'terror deaths' than rest of world combined". www.bbc.com. 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
37. ^ "Niger: 'Islamic State' kills dozens in mosque attack – DW – 03/22/2025". dw.com. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
38. ^ Ataman, Joseph (16 September 2021). "French President claims targeted killing of ISIS chief in Sahara". CNN. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
39. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Nsaibia, Héni (2024-09-30). "Newly restructured, the Islamic State in the Sahel aims for regional expansion". ACLED. Retrieved 2025-04-30.
40. ^ "Foreign Terrorist Organizations". Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
41. ^ "ISIL (Da'esh) & Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee / Narrative Summaries of Reasons for Listing". United Nations Security Council. United Nations. n.d. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
42. ^ "Registro Público de Personas y Entidades vinculadas a actos de Terrorismo y su Financiamiento - RePET -". Ministero de Justicia y Derechos Humanos. Presidencia de la Nación. n.d. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
43. ^ "Designated individuals and organisations" (PDF). New Zealand Police. New Zealand Government. 7 September 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
44. ^ "Entités terroristes inscrites". Sécurité publique Canada. Gouvernement du Canada. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
45. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 May 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

### Works cited

[edit]

* Bacon, Tricia; Warner, Jason (2021). "Twenty Years After 9/11: The Threat in Africa—The New Epicenter of Global Jihadi Terror" (PDF). CTC Sentinel. 14 (7). West Point, New York: Combating Terrorism Center: 76–90\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
* Zenn, Jacob (20 March 2020). "Islamic State in West Africa Province and the Battle With Boko Haram" (PDF). Terrorism Monitor. 18 (6). Jamestown Foundation: 6–8.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Warner, Jason (2017). "Sub-Saharan Africa's Three "New" Islamic State Affiliates" (PDF). CTC Sentinel. 10 (1): 28–32\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-04-30. Retrieved 2017-02-11.

* v
* t
* e

Islamic State

Names of the Islamic State

Members
(List of leaders)|

| Current|

*   * Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
* Abu Hudhayfah Al-Ansari
* Abdul Qadir Mumin
* Abu Yasir
* Abu Yusaf
* Abu al-Baraa el-Azdi
* Abu Habib al-Libi
* Abu Jandal al-Masri
* Bajro Ikanović
* Faysal Ahmad Ali al-Zahrani
* Fatiha Mejjati
* Ahlam al-Nasr
* Issam Abuanza
* Musa Baluku
* Abu Fatima al-Jaheishi
* Zulfi Hoxha

|

† Former|

* Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
* Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
* Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
* Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi
* Abu Ahmad al-Alwani
* Haji Bakr
* Abu Usamah al-Maghrebi
* Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi
* Abu Muhannad al-Suwaydawi
* Abdul Rauf Aliza
* Abu Sayyaf
* Ali Awni al-Harzi
* Tariq al-Harzi
* Abu Khattab al-Tunisi
* Maher Meshaal
* Abu Muslim al-Turkmani
* Abu Saleh
* Mohammed Emwazi
* Abu Nabil al-Anbari
* Abu Ali al-Anbari
* Abu Waheeb
* Ali Aswad al-Jiburi
* Abu Omar al-Shishani
* El-Hassen Ould Khalill Jouleibib
* Abu Mohammad al-Adnani
* Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi
* Abu Muhammad al-Furqan
* Abu Jandal al-Kuwaiti
* Abu Bilal al-Harbi
* Ahmad Abousamra
* Turki al-Binali
* Tareq Kamleh
* Lavdrim Muhaxheri
* Abu Osama al-Masri
* Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir
* Abu Muhammad al-Shimali
* Gulmurod Khalimov
* Abdul Nasser Qardash (captured)
* Abu Yasser al-Issawi
* Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi
* Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi
* Yusuf al-Hindi
* Abu Omar al-Muhajir (captured)
* Othman al-Nazih
* Jamal Udeen Al-Harith
* Aine Davis (captured)
* Alexanda Kotey (captured)
* El Shafee Elsheikh (captured)
* Denis Cuspert
* Abdelhamid Abaaoud
* Boubaker El Hakim
* Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

History|

* Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (1999–2004)
* Al-Qaeda in Iraq (2004–2006)
* Mujahideen Shura Council (2006)
* Islamic State of Iraq (2006–2013)
* Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (2013–2014)
* Islamic State (2014–present)

Timeline of events|

* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Groups|

| International branches|

* Khorasan Province (Afghanistan and Pakistan)
* Libyan Provinces (Libya)
* Caucasus Province (North Caucasus, Russia)
* Sinai Province (Sinai, Egypt)
* Algeria Province (Algeria)
* Yemen Province (Yemen)
* Abnaa ul-Khilafah (Somalia and Somaliland)
* Bengal Province (Bangladesh)
* Boko Haram (Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Mali) (2015–2016)
* West Africa Province (Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger)
* Central Africa Province (DR Congo and Uganda)
* Sahil Province (Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso)
* Hind Province (India)
* Tunisia Province
* Pakistan Province (Pakistan)
* Turkey Province (Turkey)
* Azerbaijan Province (Azerbaijan)
* Islamic State – Philippines Province (Philippines)
* Mozambique Province (Mozambique)
* Khalid ibn al-Walid Army (Syria) (2016–2018)
* Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade (Gaza)
* Abu Sayyaf (Philippines) (2014–2024)
* Ansar Khalifa (Philippines) (2014–2021)
* Ansar al-Khilafah Brazil (Brazil) (2016–2018)
* East Indonesia Mujahideen (Indonesia) (2014–2022)

|

Unorganized cells|

* Jammu and Kashmir Province (Jammu and Kashmir)
* Kurdistan Province (Kurdistan)
* Haramayn Province (Saudi Arabia and Bahrain)
* Lebanon Province (Lebanon)
* Brussels Islamic State terror cell (Belgium)

Wars|

* War on terror
* Iraq War
* Insurgency (2003–2011)
* Iraqi civil war (2006–2008)
* Insurgency (2011–2013)
* War in Iraq (2013–2017)
* Insurgency (2017–present)
* Syrian civil war
* Spillover
* Spillover in Lebanon
* Opposition–Islamic State conflict
* Sinai insurgency
* Second Libyan Civil War
* Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
* Mozambique
* Islamist insurgency in the Sahel
* Mali War
* War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
* Conflict with Taliban
* Moro conflict (1968–2019)
* al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
* Yemeni civil war (2014–present)
* Boko Haram insurgency
* Military intervention against IS
* US intervention in Iraq
* US intervention in Syria
* Russian intervention in Syria
* Turkish operation
* Somalia

Battles|

| 2013|

* Akashat
* Hawija
* Raqqa
* Al-Shabah
* Ras al-Ayn
* Tell Abyad
* Latakia
* Menagh
* Sidi Ali Ben Aoun
* Sadad
* Qalamoun
* Aleppo
* Al-Yaarubiyah
* Tell Hamis and Tell Brak
* Anbar

|

2014|

* Fallujah
* N Aleppo
* Markada
* N Iraq (Jun)
* Mosul
* Salahuddin
* Baiji (Jun)
* Tikrit
* N Iraq (Aug)
* Kobanî
* Sinjar (Aug)
* Derna
* Ramadi
* Deir ez-Zor
* Baiji (14–15)
* Sinjar (Dec)
* Zumar
* Amirli

2015|

* Nofaliya
* W Africa
* Egyptian airstrikes in Libya
* Niger raid
* E al-Hasakah
* Tikrit
* Sirte
* Hama & Homs (Mar–Apr)
* Sarrin (Mar–Apr)
* Yarmouk
* Qalamoun
* Palmyra (May)
* W al-Hasakah
* Al-Hasakah city
* Tell Abyad
* Sarrin (Jun–Jul)
* Al-Hasakah
* Kobani
* Palmyra (Jul–Aug)
* Ramadi (15–16)
* Al-Qaryatayn
* Al-Hawl
* Homs (Nov–Dec)
* Sinjar
* E Aleppo (15–16)
* Niveneh Plains
* Tishrin Dam

2016|

* Deir ez-Zor (Jan)
* Fallujah (Feb–May)
* Nangarhar
* Ben Guerdane
* Ithriyah-Raqqa (Feb–Mar)
* Al-Shaddadi
* Khanasir
* Al-Qaryatayn (Mar–Apr)
* Palmyra (Mar)
* N Aleppo (Mar–Jun)
* Hīt
* Tipo-Tipo
* Sirte
* Ar-Rutbah
* N Raqqa
* Fallujah (May–Jun)
* Manbij
* Ithriyah-Raqqa (Jun)
* Abu Kamal
* al-Rai (Aug)
* N al-Bab (Sep)
* W al-Bab (Sep)
* Dabiq
* W al-Bab (Oct–Nov)
* Al-Bab
* Aleppo
* Palmyra

2017|

* Mosul (16–17)
* Raqqa (16–17)
* Palmyra
* Deir ez-Zor (Jan–Feb)
* E Aleppo (Jan–Apr)
* E Homs
* Hama
* W Nineveh
* Tabqa
* Syrian Desert (Dec 16–Apr 17)
* Syrian Desert (May–Jul)
* Maskanah
* Marawi
* Raqqa
* S Raqqa
* C Syria
* Tal Afar
* Deir ez-Zor (17–19)
* Hawija
* E Syria (Sep–Dec)
* NW Syria (Oct 17–Feb 18)
* Abu Kamal
* W Iraq

2018|

* As-Suwayda (Jun)
* S Syria
* As-Suwayda (Aug–Nov)

2019|

* Hajin
* Baghuz Fawqani
* Barisha raid

2020|

* Chinagodrar
* Danag
* Mocímboa da Praia
* Al Bayda

2021|

* Tessit
* Palma
* Sambisa
* Dangarous

2022|

* Al-Hasakah
* Atme raid
* Andéramboukane
* Talataye

2023|

* Falagountou
* Tin-Akoff

Attacks|

| 2014|

* Jewish Museum of Belgium shooting (May)
* Badush prison massacre (Jun)
* Camp Speicher massacre (Jun)
* Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu ramming (Oct)

|

2015|

* Hypercacher kosher supermarket siege (Jan)
* Corinthia Hotel (Jan)
* Baghdad bombings (Feb)
* Beheading of Copts in Libya (Feb)
* Al Qubbah bombings (Feb)
* Bardo National Museum (Mar)
* Sanaa bombings (Mar)
* Jalalabad bombing (Apr)
* Killing of Christian migrants in Libya (Apr)
* Curtis Culwell Center (May)
* Qatif & Dammam bombings (May)
* 26 June
* Kobanî massacre
* Saint-Quentin-Fallavier (Jun)
* Kuwait mosque bombing
* Sousse
* Khan Bani Saad bombing (Jul)
* Suruç bombing
* Baghdad bombing (Aug)
* Sanaa bombing (Sep)
* Ankara bombings
* Saihat shooting
* Metrojet Flight 9268
* Beirut bombings (Nov)
* Paris (Nov)
* Tunis bombing (Nov)
* San Bernardino (Dec)
* Qamishli bombings (Dec)

2016|

* Zliten truck bombing
* Hurghada (Jan)
* Baghdad–Miqdadiyah attacks (Jan)
* Istanbul bombing (Jan)
* Jakarta (Jan)
* Ramadi bombing (Jan)
* Mahasin mosque
* Sayyidah Zaynab (Jan)
* Mosul massacre
* Dikwa bombings (Feb)
* Homs bombings (Feb)
* Sayyidah Zaynab bombings (Feb)
* Baghdad bombings (Feb)
* Istanbul bombing (Mar)
* Brussels bombings
* Aden bombing
* Iskandariya bombing
* Baghdad bombing (Apr)
* Samawa bombing
* Gaziantep bombing (May)
* Baghdad bombings (11 May)
* Real Madrid fan club massacres
* Baghdad gas plant
* Yemen police bombings (15 May)
* Baghdad bombings (17 May)
* Jableh & Tartous bombings (May)
* Yemen bombings (23 May)
* Aktobe shootings
* Pulse nightclub shooting
* Magnanville stabbing
* Mukalla (Jun)
* Movida Bar
* Atatürk Airport
* Dhaka (Jul)
* Karrada bombing
* Muhammad ibn Ali al-Hadi Mausoleum
* Nice truck
* Würzburg train
* Kabul bombing (Jul)
* Ansbach bombing
* Normandy church
* Qamishli bombings (Jul)
* Charleroi stabbing
* Shchelkovo Highway police station
* Aden bombing (Aug)
* Syria bombings (5 Sep)
* Baghdad bombings (9 Sep)
* Baghdad bombings (Oct)
* Quetta police college
* Hamam al-Alil massacre
* Khuzdar bombing
* Samarinda bombing
* Hillah bombing (Nov)
* Aden bombings (Dec)
* Botroseya bombing
* Al-Karak
* Berlin truck
* Murders of Sefter Taş and Fethi Şahin
* Baghdad bombings (Dec)

2017|

* Istanbul nightclub shooting
* Baghdad bombings (2 Jan)
* Azaz bombing (Jan)
* Sehwan bombing
* Kabul (Mar)
* Westminster
* St Petersburg Metro bombing
* Egypt church bombings
* Mastung bombing
* Manchester Arena bombing
* Jakarta bombings
* Minya
* Al-Faqma bombing
* London Bridge
* Brighton siege
* Tehran
* Pakistan attacks (Jun)
* Hurghada
* Quetta bombing (Aug)
* Barcelona
* Brussels (Aug)
* Nasiriyah
* Afghanistan (20 Oct)
* New York City truck
* Sinai mosque
* Kabul bombing (28 Dec)
* Saint Menas church

2018|

* Baghdad bombings
* Save The Children Jalalabad
* Kizlyar church shooting
* Kabul bombing (Mar)
* Carcasonne & Trèbes
* Kabul bombing (22 Apr)
* Kabul bombings (30 Apr)
* Tripoli
* Mako Brimob standoff
* Paris knife
* Surabaya bombings
* Liège
* Jalalabad bombing (Jul)
* Mastung & Bannu bombings
* Quetta bombing
* As-Suwayda
* Tajikistan attack
* Kabul (Sep)
* Ahvaz military parade
* Minya bus
* Melbourne stabbing
* Murders of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland

2019|

* Jolo Cathedral bombings
* Sri Lanka Easter bombings
* Sainthamaruthu shootout
* Kabul bombing (17 Aug)

2020|

* Kabul shooting (6 Mar)
* Kabul gurdwara
* Xitaxi
* Afghanistan (May)
* Jalalabad prison
* Jolo bombings
* Kabul University
* Vienna
* Afghanistan (Dec)

2021|

* Machh
* January Baghdad bombings
* Kabul school bombing
* Kabul airport
* Kunduz bombing
* Kandahar bombing
* Kampala bombings
* Kabul hospital

2022|

* Diyala massacre
* Peshawar mosque
* Hadera shooting
* Mazar-i-Sharif mosque bombing
* Mazar-i-Sharif minivan bombings
* Bourasso and Namissiguima
* Kuje prison break
* 5 August Kabul bombing
* August Kabul mosque bombing
* Bombing of the Russian embassy in Kabul
* Shah Cheragh
* Kabul hotel

2023|

* Kabul airport bombing
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan bombing
* Al-Sukhnah
* Hama
* Khar bombing
* Arras school stabbing
* Pul-i-Khumri bombing
* Brussels shooting
* Kabul bombing (Nov)
* Paris
* Mindanao State University bombing

2024|

* Kerman bombings
* Istanbul church shooting
* Balochistan bombings
* Sibi bombing
* Mucojo attack
* Karabulak clash
* Kandahar New Kabul Bank bombing
* Tillabéri attack
* Crocus City Hall attack
* 2024 Guzara Attack
* 2024 Bamyan shooting
* 2024 Beirut US embassy shooting
* Rostov-on-Don pre-trial detention center hostage crisis
* 2024 Dagestan attacks
* 2024 attack on the Israeli embassy in Belgrade
* 2024 Muscat mosque shooting
* 2024 Kabul bus bombing
* Surovikino penal colony hostage crisis
* 2024 Solingen stabbing
* 2024 Qala Bakhtiar bombing
* 2024 Afghanistan bus shooting

2025|

* 2025 New Orleans truck attack
* Malam-Fatori Suicide Bombing
* Kasanga massacre
* 2025 Villach stabbing attack
* 2025 Darul Uloom Haqqania bombing
* Fambita mosque attack

Politics and organization|

* Finances
* Education
* Ideology
* Medicare
* Military
* Armoured warfare
* Human rights
* Genocide of Christians
* Persecution of Shias
* Genocide of Yazidis
* Genocide of Turkmen
* Persecution of gay and bisexual men
* Killing of captives
* Beheading incidents
* Destruction of cultural heritage
* Occupation of Mosul
* Executions in Mosul

Relations|

* Iran and the Islamic State
* Philippines and the Islamic State
* United Kingdom and the Islamic State
* Trinidad and Tobago and the Islamic State
* Foreign fighters
* Name changes due to the Islamic State
* Portrayal of the Islamic State in American media
* Connection with Saddam Regime and Baath Party

Society|

* Members
* Terrorist cell in Brussels
* Territorial claims
* al-Barakah district
* Collaboration

Media|

* A Second Message to America
* Al-Bayan
* Al-Fatihin
* Al-Furat Media Center
* Al-Hayat Media Center
* Al-I'tisam Media Foundation
* Al-Naba
* Al-Raud
* Amaq News Agency
* Dar al-Islam
* Dabiq
* Dawlat al-Islam Qamat
* Flames of War: The Fighting Has Just Begun
* Huroof
* I'lam foundation
* Istok
* Konstantiniyye
* Rumiyah
* Salil al-Sawarim
* The End of Sykes-Picot
* Turkey and the Fire of Racism
* Voice of Khorasan

Related topics|

* Defeating ISIS
* The Islamic State (documentary)
* ISIS-chan
* Islamism
* Millenarianism
* Sexual violence in the Iraqi insurgency
* Shia–Sunni relations
* Slavery in 21st-century jihadism
* Theocracy

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