ISIS Update – First Half of January 2015

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Main developments in Syria and Lebanon

• Fighting between the forces of the Syrian regime and ISIS operatives in the area of the Deir al-Zor airfield continues. Syrian security forces and members of the Al-Shueitat tribe, who live in East Syria, reportedly joined forces in fighting off ISIS and managed to kill dozens of ISIS operatives. At the same time, the Syrian Air Force attacked ISIS positions and caused losses (Al-Watan, January 7, 2015).
• On the other hand, it was reported that ISIS had permitted some members of the Al-Shueitat tribe, who cooperate with the Syrian regime, to return to their homes. This was after they promised to refrain from fighting against ISIS and to recognize the authority of the Islamic Caliphate. As part of this promise, ISIS ordered them to hand over their weapons (YouTube, January 11, 2015).

Aleppo

• Battles took place in the towns of Nabal and Al-Zahra in the province of Aleppo.  Rebel forces took control of them. Several Al-Nusra Front commanders were killed in the battles.
• On January 10, 2015, a Twitter account affiliated with Al-Qaeda claimed that dozens of operatives from the Al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham in the Aleppo area had pledged allegiance to ISIS. A video posted on YouTube showed a local commander (Emir) codenamed Ibn Al-Khattab, who announced that he had left the Al-Nusra Front because the organization does not conduct its daily life in accordance with Islamic law. In the video, he also calls on his former friends in the Al-Nusra Front to join ISIS (Abu Abdullah al-Jazrawi’s Twitter account; YouTube, January 10, 2015).  ISIS customarily exploits the defection of local commanders from other rebel groups into its ranks for propaganda purposes, even when it is of no great significance.

Damascus

• According to media reports, ISIS has established its control in the Al-Hajr al-Aswad neighborhood (south of Damascus) and has expanded its control eastward. It was reported that ISIS appointed an operative known as Abu al-Huda al-Suri as the “Emir” of the Damascus and Al-Qalamoun area (Al-Nashra, January 9, 2015).

Idlib (northwest Syria)

• On January 10, 2015, a website affiliated with the Al-Nusra Front posted photos of its camp in the province of Idlib, where the organization has recently made headway. The photos show dozens of the organization’s operatives and give the clear impression that they are well equipped and are operating in an organized manner (Sada al-Sham al-Islami, January 2015).

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Hama

• On January 9, 2015, a website affiliated with the Islamic State reported that the Hama area was declared a new province of the Islamic State. According to the announcement, the names of the cities included in the province will be published at a later date (Al-Platform Media, January 9, 2015). Despite the announcement, the province of Hama is not under the control of the Islamic State, but the pressure on it by jihadi organizations is expected to increase after their recent achievements in the province of Idlib.

Double suicide bombing attack in Tripoli, Lebanon

• On the evening of January 10, 2015, a double suicide bombing attack was carried out at acafé in Jabal Mohsen, an Alawi neighborhood in Tripoli, northern Lebanon. As a result of the attack, nine people were killed and 30 injured.First, a grenade was thrown at the café, and then a suicide bomber went inside and blew himself up. A second suicide bomber blew himself up outside the café.
• The Al-Nusra Front, which carried out attacks in Lebanon in the past, claimed responsibility for the attack. According to the organization, it carried out the attack because the café is affiliated with the Alawi Assad regime. The two suicide bombers were identified by the Al-Nusra Front as Abu Hussein al-Tarabulsi and Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Tarabulsi. They were apparently Lebanese jihadi operatives from the city of Tripoli (Daily Star, January 10, 2015).

Main developments in Iraq

The Mosul region

• On January 9-10, 2015, ISIS carried out a surprise attack in the area of Gwer, near Mosul, which is controlled by the Kurds. During the attack, some 160 ISIS operatives crossed the Tigris River in boats. According to the reports, ISIS managed to take control of the region within an hour. Kurdish forces subsequently carried out a counterattack and regained control of the area of Gwer. According to Kurdish sources, 60 ISIS operatives were killed in the fighting.
• On January 10, 2015, ISIS operatives attacked several villages in the area south of Mosul. It was reported that 30 ISIS operatives were killed in the clashes. The next day, Kurdish forces regained control of the villages.

The Kirkuk region

• On January 11, 2015, ISIS operatives attacked Kurdish forces southwest of Kirkuk. After severe clashes, the attack was repulsed. ISIS apparently intends to take over the road leading from (Kurdish-controlled) Kirkuk to Baghdad, possibly with a view to cutting off Kirkuk from the capital.

Written by: The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center