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On 23 April 2023, Islamic State (IS) supporters in Mauritius organized a motor rally from Cap Malureux to Souillac, from one end of the small country to the other, approximately a one-hour journey. This caravan took place all while the IS supporters chanted about the potential for Muslim unification solely under a black banner. The rally was overseen by the police.
Just two days prior, Islamic State Indonesian insiders shared a video of the cell's supporters celebrating Eid al-Fitr in the republic of Mauritius. It wasn't entirely impossible to tell the exact number in attendance for the Eid al-Fitr prayers, which took place in broad daylight with a bold display the IS Flag, but TRAC estimates at least 100 were present based on the footage taken in the last 20 seconds of the video.
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The video features a famous Islamic State Nasheed (Nashid) "What, so it was possible or what?" while a small child, known as "cubs of the Caliphate" in IS circles looks on.
The Imam leading the Eid al-Fitr prayers is Javed Meetoo aka Abu Junaya, who last made headlines for openly wearing a Islamic State (IS) headband during anti-LGBTQ+ protests in Mauritius in June 2018.
Meetoo is a radical preacher and the leader of a religious organization named Abu Faaris. He reportedly completed his education in Pakistan before teaching students under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. In 2015, he was arrested together with his family on the Turkey-Syria border, purportedly on his way to Mecca.
Meetoo, originally a businessman from Vallée-Pitot, Port Louis, has been at the center of several investigations related to previous incidents in Mauritius, including the firing of gunshots at the French embassy in 2016. Monitored by both Interpol and local authorities, he is suspected of radicalizing youth to join IS and of facilitating their routes to Syria.
English is the national language of this small country, but the food and culture are a mixture between Creole, Indian and African cuisines, indicating a high level of inclusion.
Mauritius is an agriculture-based society, where farmers can earn a middle-class living. Though it is not unheard of for the non-impoverished to be attracted to Islamic State’s ideology, it is atypical. Further, it is worth noting that there is a huge black market for hard drugs flowing between South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Mauritius. It is possible that Islamic State supporters are using the smuggling network to also recruit within ranks.
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TRAC Insight:
Islamic State Global Operations for Ramadan 2023
March/April 2023
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This year's season of Ramadan witnessed a 64% decrease in claimed Islamic State (IS) operations in comparison to the last season. While IS carried out 273 claimed attacks in April 2022, the central command only claimed 98 operations this year.
After Eid was declared, a vast number of intelligence analysts were drawn to social media to declare that Islamic State had no Ramadan Offensive for the first time since the old days when they were Islamic State in ash Sham (ISIS). TRAC begs to differ on this assessment because of the sheer number of unclaimed attacks (200) combined with the claimed (98) during Ramadan. The 200 unclaimed operations that took place during Ramadan have been attributed to the Islamic State by identifying targets, tactics, and ideologies associated with Islamic State areas of operations. When combined, the total number of attacks reaches up to 298 attacks, which is a 9.1% increase over last year (see infographic above).
There could be two, equally plausible, possible explanations for the number of unclaimed attacks. First, the value of the promised land is far too high to merely release operations completely to IS' African strategy, thereby the unclaimed attacks are a way to stay operationally under the radar while they regroup, repair, and resupply. Secondly, there have been rumors as recently as last August, that IS is quietly moving certain sections of key leadership in Syria and Iraq to the African theatre. As such, many of the franchises are having trouble contacting Central Command to alert Nashir and Amaq that the IS cell is responsible for 'X' assault, bombing, assassination etc.
Operations by Islamic State in Iraq and Syria overshadowed all other affiliates with 159 attacks, more than half of the total number. The claimed attacks are still significantly low if compared to the last season, however, TRAC reiterates that this does not signify the group’s capability in the region.
After a period of silence in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Islamic State Khurasan (ISK) and its affiliate in Pakistan started a wave of attacks targeting the Taliban (IEA), religious minorities, political officials, etc. in their respective regions during the Ramadan season. However, these operations again decreased as Ramadan reaches its end.
Lastly, low-activity areas like Caucasus and Jammu & Kashmir also witnessed some activity. TRAC cannot definitively attribute the IED attack in Kashmir to ISJK, however, the incessant attacks in Ingushetia during Ramadan were certainly IS, as in one incident they left behind one of their dead fighters wrapped in IS flag in Kantyshevo, Russia.
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TRAC Incident Report:
Suspected Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Double Tap Suicide Bomber & Armed Assault Targeted the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Police Station, in the Kabal Area of
Swat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
(Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP) Claims Credit)
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Claim of Credit issued by Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP) | |
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On 24 April 2023, a suspected Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) double tap suicide bomber and armed assault targeted the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Police Station, in the Kabal area of Swat District, Pakistan. At least 12 persons have been killed and 53 injured. After the suicide bomber detonated, militants opened fire on the police station.
Tehreek-e Pakistan Taliban (TTP) has been actively spreading security forces across the Pakistan thin since 13 September 2022. TTP official media outlet has issued attack claims on a daily basis and in recent weeks, the attacks have shifted from minor assassination attacks to large-scale bombings with many casualties.
The continuous attacks by the militants are putting a strain on the Pakistani security forces, as well as the civilians, who are getting increasingly desperate in their fight against the TTP. This would be the seventh TTP suicide bomber attack in about 65 days.
It is worth noting that a new group Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP) has in fact claimed credit, something TRAC considers highly suspect. The last TJP claimed suicide bombing was also claimed by Islamic State Khurasan (ISK), leaving TRAC to contend that TJP is piggy-backing off this TTP attack.
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TRAC Incident Report:
Deadly Car Ramming, Wounding Five Israeli Settlers,
Assailant Reportedly Neutralized by Police,
Davidka Square, Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine
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Jerusalem Car Ramming Aftermath, 24 April 2023 | |
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On 24 April 2023, in an Israeli Remembrance Day assault, a man drove a mini van into pedestrian traffic in Davidka Square, just a block away from Machaneh Yehuda Market.
The assailant wounded five in the car ramming: a man in his 70s, a man in his 50s, a woman in her 30s, and two 25 year-olds. The assailant was reportedly shot and killed by a civilian bystander. Police, off-duty officers, security forces, and civilians all crowded the scene moments after.
There is little information at this time as to the motivations of this attack but TRAC will continue to monitor the situation. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at a Remembrance Day ceremony shortly after the attack, saying that it "reminds us that the State of Israel was bought with great suffering."
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TRAC Incident Report: Police Arrest a Man Found in Possession of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and a 'Ghost Gun', Summerville, South Carolina, United States | |
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TRAC Incident Report:
State Security Service of Georgia (SSG) Has Detained a Suspected Islamic State (IS) Commander, Malkhaz Paksashvili on Charges of Being a Foreign Fighter for IS, Tsinubani, Pankisi, Eastern Kakheti Region, Georgia
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TRAC Incident Report: People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) Armed Assault and Grenade Attack on the Indian Army's Vehicle, Killing 5 Soldiers in Tota Gali, Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir, India and Pakistan | | | | |
