Islamic State

Salafi jihadist militant Islamist group

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February 17 2025 A video surfaced where the Islamic State claims they arrived in Uruguay to expand to America and carry out attacks. The video's author pledged allegiance to Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.
October 2024 S. B. de P., the author of a video claiming Islamic State's expansion to America, was arrested in Uruguay.
July 15 2024 Islamic State conducted a terrorist attack at the Muscat Mosque during Ashura, killing six Shias and injuring between 30 to 50 people.
June 13 2024 Robert F. Kennedy Jr., independent presidential candidate, claimed 'We created ISIS' during a foreign policy program speech.
October 2023 During the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu continues to assert 'Hamas is ISIS' in public addresses in the United States, stating 'Hamas is ISIS, and just as ISIS was crushed, so too will Hamas be crushed'.
October 13 2023 A suicide bombing at Imam Zaman Mosque in Pul-i-Khumri killed over seven people and wounded 17, continuing the pattern of attacks on Shia religious sites.
June 2023 ISWAP significantly increases small-scale raids in Cameroon's Far North Region, targeting multiple locations and causing severe economic disruption
2022 Nigeria announced plans to redesign its currency to combat terrorism financing. In response, ISWAP declared that taxes should be paid in CFA franc.
2022 ISWAP acknowledged five sub-divisions or governorates: Lake Chad, Sambisa, Al Farouq, Kerenoa, and Banki. A 'Central Nigeria' cell became active, operating as a guerrilla force.
2022 ISWAP continued internal reorganization, granting considerable autonomy to its sub-units (governorates), allowing them to separately pledge allegiance to the new IS caliph, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi.
December 2022 ISWAP pledges allegiance to the new IS caliph, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi
October 26 2022 Islamic State (IS) launched an attack on Shia pilgrims at the Shah Cheragh Shrine in Shiraz, Iran, killing 15 people, including two children. The terrorist group claimed responsibility for the deadly assault on the Shia religious site.
September 30 2022 A suicide bombing in an educational facility in a Shiite area of Kabul killed 53 students and injured 110, targeting teenage boys and girls.
May 2022 Bako Gorgore and Abu Ibrahim serve as co-commanders of ISWAP
April 21 2022 Four bombings occurred across Afghanistan, with IS claiming responsibility for a bombing at a Shia mosque north of Mazar-e-Sharif, killing 33 and wounding 43.
March 2022 ISWAP ceased acting as an umbrella organization for all IS factions in West Africa, including the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS), despite previously having limited ties.
March 4 2022 Islamic State bombed a Shia mosque in Peshawar during Friday prayer, resulting in 61 Shias killed and 196 injured.
February 2022 The Islamic State Security Forces (ISF) prevented an IS attack targeting multiple Shia populated areas in Lebanon.
January 24 2022 ISWAP captures the town of Gudumbali, declaring it their new capital, before being quickly counter-attacked and driven out by Nigerian troops
2021 The leadership of ISWAP changed rapidly, with the position of wali or leader reportedly passing through multiple individuals including Ba Lawan, Abu-Dawud, Abu Musab al-Barnawi, Malam Bako, Sani Shuwaram, Bako Gorgore, and Abu Ibrahim.
2021 Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau killed himself during a battle with ISWAP, marking a significant turning point in the militant group's leadership and internal conflicts.
2021 ISWAP created four governorates centered at Lake Chad, Sambisa Forest, Timbuktu, and Tumbuma, each headed by a wali with their own governing structures.
October 2021 Malam Bako is allegedly killed while serving as defense minister and acting leader
October 27 2021 In Al-Rashad, Diyala, an IS gunman shot nine men in a majority Shia-populated village, leading to sectarian conflict.
October 8 2021 Shia Muslims were attacked at Sayed Abad Mosque in Kunduz, resulting in 72 deaths and 140 injuries.
September 2021 Huozaifah Ibn Sadiq becomes Ameer Fiya of Timbuktu
September 2021 Abou Aseyia becomes Ameer Fiya of Sambisa Forest after Abou Abdulrahman is killed
August 2021 'Abu Dawud' / 'Aba Ibrahim' becomes leader of ISWAP from August
August 2021 Abu Musab al-Barnawi reportedly killed, either in battle with Nigerian Army or during internal ISWAP clashes
July 2021 Lawan Abubakar 'Ba Lawan' serves as Wali of ISWAP and Wali of Tumbuma
July 2021 ISWAP reformed its internal system: the shura was restored, and the regional central command now consists of the Amirul Jaish (military leader) and the shura. 'Sa'ad' became the new Amirul Jaish, and Abu Musab al-Barnawi became head of the shura.
July 20 2021 IS executed a bombing in a Shia neighborhood on the east side of Baghdad, killing 30 people and wounding 50.
May 2021 The ISWAP shura was temporarily dissolved, and Abu Musab al-Barnawi was appointed as the 'caretaker' leader.
May 2021 ISWAP attacks and overruns Boko Haram's bases in Sambisa Forest, leading to Abubakar Shekau's suicide and mass defections to ISWAP
May 8 2021 An attack near the Shia Sayeed-ul-Shuhada Girls School in Dasht-e-Barachi district killed 50 and wounded over 100, targeting young students.
April 2021 ISWAP overruns a Nigerian Army base near Mainok, capturing armoured fighting vehicles and military equipment
January 3 2021 An Islamic State fighter shot and killed 11 Shia coal miners in Pakistan.
2020 Muhammad Malumma becomes Chief Judge of ISWAP
2020 Falloja, the Chief Mechanic expert in building VBIEDs, is executed by Lake Chad governor Baba Kaka on drug-related charges
2020 Baba Kaka, Wali of Lake Chad, is executed on charges of corruption, misgovernment, and insubordination
2020 The United States Department of Defense publicly estimated ISWAP's fighter strength at 3,500 to 5,000.
2020 Indonesian government reveals and bans Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) due to its previous allegiance to ISIL.
May 12 2020 A bombing at Dasht-e-Barchi hospital killed 24 Shia Hazaras, highlighting attacks on vulnerable locations.
January 2020 Khalifa Umar, the third-highest ranking commander in ISWAP, is killed in a MJTF airstrike
2019 ISWAP experienced a significant surge in power, with researchers estimating its fighter count between 5,000 and 18,000.
2019 Abu Abdullahi Umar Al Barnawi 'Ba Idrisa' becomes Wali of ISWAP, subsequently purged and reportedly killed after some followers opposed his deposition
2019 By this year, approximately 100 Indian nationals had joined the Islamic State in Syria and Afghanistan, with 155 individuals arrested for IS-related connections.
August 18 2019 A bombing at a Shia wedding killed 63 and wounded 180, demonstrating the vulnerability of Shia community gatherings.
March 2019 IS's core group formally placed the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS) under ISWAP's command.
March 2019 Ba Idrisa replaced Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the ISWAP leader and was later purged and executed in 2020.

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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Islamic State – West Africa Province, Collaboration with the Islamic State & Persecution of Shias by the Islamic State, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.