NORTH AMERICA
Twenty-one year old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa was arrested by the police for a shooting incident in Boulder, Colorado in the United States of America (USA). The suspect had attacked the King Soopers supermarket during lunch time with a pistol that was modified to resemble the AR-15 rifle. Ten people were killed during the attack, and two of them were identified as the store manager and a police officer.
SOUTHEAST ASIA
Five members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) had surrendered to the Philippines security forces in Ampatuan in Southern Mindanao. All of them were part of the Imam Minimbang @ Karialan cluster. They also surrendered their weapons, including three rifles, an M16, an M14 and an M79 rocket launcher.
NORTH AMERICA
Eight women were killed during a shooting incident in Woodstock, Georgia in the United States (US). The 21-year old suspect, Robert Aaron Long, was arrested by the police for the shooting. long had attacked three beauty spas in three separate locations in Atlanta with a 9mm which he had purchased with licence at a local gun shop. Six of the victims killed were Asian.
SOUTH ASIA
Four Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan members were killed during security operations initiated by the Pakistani security forces. The operations were launched separately in Datakhel, North Waziristan and Zoida, South Waziristan. Three of them were identified as Abdul Adam Zeb @ Dung, Molvi Mehboob @ Molvi and Mir Salam @ Anas.
MIDDLE EAST
Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (ICTS) captured six Daesh militant members in two Iraqi provinces and Sulaimani province in Kurdistan region. Two of them who were wanted by the authorities were arrested in Sulaimani province, while another was arrested in Mansour district in Baghdad. The remaining three were detained in Anbar.
SOUTHEAST ASIA
This week, Densus 88 arrested 12 terrorist suspects with links to Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) during a raid in Surabaya, Sidoarja, Mojokerto and Malang in East Java, Indonesia. The police also seized several arrows and self-defence equipment including a samurai sword and boxing equipment. A few days later, Densus 88 successfully arrested a man identified only as N on the suspicion of being involved in terrorist activities.
Meanwhile, four members of the Bangsamoro Islam Freedom Fighters (BIFF) had clashed with the Philippines security forces in Maguindanao in the Southern Mindanao. Four BIFF members were killed while two others were injured during this incident.
SOUTH ASIA
A Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander, Nooristan @ Hasan Baba, were killed during a security operation in Waziristan, Pakistan. Two other TTP members identified as Wilayat Zaib and Shah Mahmood were also killed in the operation.
SOUTHEAST ASIA
Nine women believed to be part of Abu Sayyaf Group’s (ASG) network were captured by the Philippine police and security forces in Sulu in the Southern Philippines. Three of these suspects, identified as 36-year old Isara Jalmaani Abduhajan, Jedah Abduhajan Amin (28) and Elena Tasum Sawadjaan Abun (40), are daughters of ASG leader, Hatib Hadjan Sawadjaan. During the raid, the security forces found several improvised explosive device (IED) components along with battery, pipe, nails, blasting caps and ammonium nitrate. The women were arrested on the suspicion of plotting suicide bomb attacks. They were believed to have undergone orientation and learned to make explosives.
MIDDLE EAST
A clash between Iraqi special forces with Daesh network took place in Tarmiyah in the north of Baghdad, Iraq. Five Daesh members and two members of the special forces were killed during the skirmish.
EUROPE
Two terrorist suspects were arrested in Ankara, Turkey. One of the suspects was allegedly a member of Al-Shabaab with dual German-Italian citizenship and was believed to have operated in Kenya.
SOUTH ASIA
Afghanistan media revealed that 65-year old Taliban leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, was actually killed in April last year. Akhundzada was allegedly killed along with Taliban’s spy chief, Mullah Matiullah, and Taliban’s moneyman, Hafiz Abdul Majeed, in an explosion at a Taliban safe house owned by Majeed in Quetta, Pakistan. Several other senior Taliban members were also killed in the explosion. However, Taliban’s senior member, Ahmadullah Wasiq, denied the report and insisted that Akhudzada is still alive.
SOUTH ASIA
Pakistani security agency successfully detained a Daesh member in Karachi and foiled his militant activities. The man, identified as Zakirullah @Shafiullah, was captured in a joint operation between the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and the para-military force, Sindh Rangers, based on information obtained in Karachi. The security forces also found a grenade and a pistol amongst his possessions. Previously, Zakirullah was a member of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) but he later defected to join Daesh. Zakirullah, who came from the Bajaur tribal district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province had received his training in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, two people died in Kabul when a series of explosive attacks targeting Kabul police resulted in the death of the district police chief, Mohammadzai Kochi and his close protective officer. An hour before Kochi was killed, two other explosions occurred, injuring four people followed by another explosion in another part of Kabul. The Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) had claimed responsibility for the attacks.
MIDDLE EAST
Twenty-six Syrian regime fighters including seven military officers were killed in an ambush by Daesh in Deir ez-Zor province. Eleven Daesh members were also killed during the clash. The attack had targeted a convoy that was transporting the regime fighters and military members for a counter-terrorism operation following a series of terrorist attacks in the area. Meanwhile, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic forces had announced their success in capturing two Daesh members this week. The capture was part of an ongoing effort by the US-led anti-Daesh coalition to combat a human-trafficking network at the Al-Hol refugee camp in Syria.
This week, it was revealed that the Indonesian authorities had detained a British woman who is on the terror watch list last year. Meanwhile, US-led air strike had killed a top Daesh leader in Kirkuk, Iraq. Separately, Daesh had attacked and killed government fighters along with their allied militia forces in Syria. Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab had attacked a hotel in Somalia and killed nine people.
SOUTHEAST ASIA
Indonesian media revealed that the authorities had detained a 47-year old British woman identified as Tazneen Miriam Sailar (aka Aisyah Humaira, Ummu Yasmin) along with her 10-year old son for visa violations last year. The Manchester-born convert was also listed on the terrorism watch list, although she had not been charged with terrorism offences. Her late husband, Acep Ahmad Setiawan (aka Abu Ahmad al-Indunisy), was an Indonesian militant who perished in Syria. Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, the Jemaah Islamiyah’s (JI) spiritual leader, had officiated the couple’s marriage in 2010. Sailar had been involved in organising charities to raise funds for women and children in Syria. Sailar is currently being held in the immigration detention centre while waiting to be deported back to England.
MIDDLE EAST
A US-led air strike killed a Daesh senior leader, 43-year old Jabbar Salman Ali Farhan al-Issawi (aka Abu Yasser) in Kirkuk, Iraq. The operation, which was a joint military cooperation between the US and the Iraqi forces, also killed 10 other Daesh members. Iraqi officials described Al-Issawi, who hailed from Fallujah, as the deputy caliph for the Daesh network in Iraq. Experts believed that Al-Issawi’s death could be a significant blow to the group’s efforts to regroup. Al-Issawi was responsible for coordinating the group’s operations in Iraq. He also played a pivotal role in expanding the group’s presence in Iraq. He had developed and provided guidance to Daesh fighters.
Meanwhile, 19 Syrian regime personnel were killed, including 11 members of the Baqir Brigade, in a Daesh attack in Hama, Syria. Daesh militants had targeted the regime positions in the Fasidah area in Tuwaynan province in eastern Hama, an area known for frequent clashes between regime forces and jihadists. Russian forces are known to guard the checkpoints on occasions. The small Tuwaynan town is often targeted by Daesh for attacks.
EAST AFRICA
The Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab orchestrated an attack on the Hotel Afrik in Mogadishu, Somalia. A suicide bomber struck the hotel’s main entrance with a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED). Gunmen then stormed the hotel, exchanging fire with the hotel security personnel. The attack saw nine people dead and ten others injured. Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a brief statement on Andalus, the pro-Al-Shabaab radio station.
Philippines security forces continue to sustain pressure on militants in the Southern Philippines, while the Indonesian authorities enforce their preventive laws and made a series of arrests on suspected terrorists. The Turkish authorities also demonstrate their commitment targeting Daesh in the countries through ongoing counterterrorism operations.
SOUTHEAST ASIA
Four Dawlah Islamiyah (DI) members were killed in the Barangay Basag area in South Cotabato, Mindanao in the Philippines. They were killed during a raid carried out by the Philippines security forces with the Philippines police. The joint security operation was organised to target DI’s senior member Russel Mamo who is still at large.
Meanwhile, in Indonesia, five terrorist suspects with links to the Jamaah Anshorut Daulah (JAD) were arrested by Densus 88 in separate locations in Kota Banda Aceh, Kota Langsa and Kabupaten Aceh Besar in Indonesia. They were arrested on the suspicion of plotting a terrorist bomb attack in Aceh. The police also confiscated chemicals for bomb-building, an arrow, a book on Hijrah, a notebook containing threats against the Indonesian National Army (TNI), the governor of Aceh and the government, a book on Daesh and a CD. All five men were also involved with the 2019 suicide attack at Kepolisian Resor Kota Besar (Polrestabes) in Medan, North Sumatra. They were also connected with the terror network in Riau.
EUROPE
Turkish authorities arrested six Daesh militant members during a counterterrorism operation targeting Daesh in Kastamonu, Turkey. The operation was launched since early January this year. Thirty-seven suspects were arrested in the previous week for providing financial support to Daesh in operations that were carried out simultaneously across southeast Gazientep. A couple of days later, 29 more people with suspected links to Daesh were also apprehended. Most of them were foreigners. The Turkish police’s greatest success up to this point was the arrest of the Emir of Turkey’s Daesh, Mahmut Özden last August.
This week saw a shocking twin suicide bombing attacks in central Baghdad, Iraq, which may signal the potential return of Daesh. Meanwhile, Malaysia saw a drop in terrorism-related activities due to the nationwide Covid-19 Controlled Movement Order (MCO). An arrested terrorist suspect in the Philippines claimed that she was pressured by her parents to commit violence. The Maute Group continued to target security forces out in the Southern Mindanao.
SOUTHEAST ASIA
The Counterterrorism Division of the Royal Malaysian Police’s Special Branch revealed that they made a total of seven arrests in 2020 on individuals suspected to have links with terrorism activities, including Daesh. This was a drastic reduction in arrests when compared to the previous years, where 83 and 72 arrests were made in 2018 and 2019 respectively. The drop in arrests was largely due to the Movement Control Order (MCO) that was introduced last March as a national lockdown response to manage the Covid-19 pandemic. The MCO had limited people’s movements, which led to a decline in terrorism-related activities.
Meanwhile, in Washington DC, the United States military prosecutors finally filed charges in a military tribunal against members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), Riduan ISamuddin (aka Hambali) along with two other Malaysians who aided him, Mohammed Nazir Lep and Mohammed Farik Amin. The three men are faced with various serious charges, including conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, terrorism, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, destruction of property, and accessory after the fact, all in violation of the law of war. They were captured in Thailand in 2003, and are currently being held in the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. At present, it is estimated that there are 40 Malaysian prisoners in Guantanamo.
In the Philippines, Rezky Fantasya Rullie (aka Cici and Nini Isaran) admitted that her involvement in terrorism activities was due to parental pressure. Her parents, Rullie Rian Zeke and Umi (aka Ulfah Andayani Saleh) were suicide bombers who were responsible for the 2019 attack on the Our Lady of Mont Carment Church in Jolo. Cici was also the wife to the Indonesian terrorist and facilitator, Andi Baso, who played a key role in transporting her along with her family to Jolo. Cici was arrested in October 2020 for plotting a suicide attack in Jolo. Cici’s case highlighted a worrying trend of family pressure in committing acts of terror.
Meanwhile, three members of the Philippine security forces were killed by the Maute group in Poona Piagapo, Lanao del Norte in the Southern Mindanao. The three men were on their way to the market in Baloi on motorcycles when they were ambushed by the Maute. This incident highlighted the group’s potential threat in the Lanao del Norte area, despite being reduced to less than 50 members.
MIDDLE EAST
Two Daesh members launched a twin suicide bombing attack in a busy commercial district in central Baghdad, Iraq. The attack killed 32 people and injured 110 others. The attack targeted a market in the central Tayanan Square, Baghdad. The first attack occurred when the attacker entered the market and feigned a stomach pain to draw in the crowd before detonating his explosives. Following this, the second attacker pretended he was injured from the explosion and triggered his explosives when a concerned crowd of people clustered around him. Daesh released a statement to claim both attacks. This was the worst Daesh-related attack in Baghdad since the group’s 2017 territorial defeat in Iraq. The incident demonstrated the group’s operational capabilities in regrouping to launch attacks in a major city once again. Prior to this, Daesh was only capable of provoking pockets of violence around the city edges, checkpoint areas and remote infrastructures in the desert and mountain areas, particularly in Northern Iraq.