The Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan says at least eight militants including a French national fighting in ISIS ranks have been killed in northern Jawzjan province of Afghanistan, like reported by khaama.com.

The source further added that the terrorists were killed in Darab district of Jawzjan during a clearance operation.

No further details have been regarding the identity of the militants killed during the operation but foreign nationals from Central Asian States and other countries are actively operating in ISIS ranks in this province.

This comes as the Afghan Intelligence, National Directorate of Security (NDS), said late in March at least five ISIS suspects including a French woman have been arrested during a Special Forces operation in the North.

The local security officials in Jawzjan had also confirmed the report and had said that the woman was arrested from the vicinity of Darzab district.

The district police chief Faqir Mohammad Jawzjani said the French woman was arrested during a joint operation of the Afghan Special Forces and the foreign forces based in Afghanistan.

Earlier, Darzab district administrative chief Mohammad Dawar has told the AFP that “A number” of Algerian and French nationals entered the largely IS-controlled district of Darzab in northern Jowzjan province in November.

He said at least two women were among the arrivals, who were travelling with a translator from Tajikistan as well as Chechens and Uzbeks, Dawar added.

Fifteen Taliban insurgents and two security personnel have been killed during an attack in the Chesht district of western Herat province, an official said on Tuesday, like reported by pajhwok.com.

Jilani Farhad, the governor’s spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News the militants attacked the Sar Chashma area of the district late Monday night. About 15 militants were killed and eight others wounded by the security forces.

He said two security men were also killed and four others injured in the ensuing gunfight. Enough security personnel were stationed around the Salam Dam and Chesht district, he said.

The Taliban were unable to attack the district or the dam, the gubernatorial spokesman claimed, saying the security forces were ready to deal with any eventuality.

The presence of the so-called Islamic State in the Philippines continues to be a significant threat in this region. After Marawi, IS fighters have been reported as still active in the southern part of the country. Jolo and Maguindanao are likely to be the next IS stronghold, like reported by eurasiareview.com.

On March 22,  2018, exactly five months after the Philippine government liberated Marawi, An-Naba, the self-proclaimed Islamic State’s (IS) mouthpiece, reported a clash between Abu Sayyaf (ASG) fighters and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the island of Jolo.

The constant update from IS Central through its publications, such as An-Naba, about incidents happening in the Philippines could suggest the trajectory of the group’s activities in the country. The latest are in Jolo and Maguindanao.

Shifting Grounds

Prior to the Marawi siege from March to October 2017, the pro-IS groups were mainly located in four key areas in the Philippines. They were also called IS Basilan, IS Ranao, IS Maguindanao and IS Cotabato – all in the Mindanao region of south Philippines.

Since the failure of the ‘Marawi project’, the pro-IS groups that escaped from Marawi City or were outside the operational zone, have been regrouping. This has led to a new development with fighters from the former four pro-IS areas being reorganised into two, now based in Jolo and Maguindanao.

While the An-Naba news report would indicate that there have been constant communication between pro-IS jihadists in the Philippines and IS Central, more significantly is the decision to zero in on Jolo and Maguindanao as the new IS strongholds in the Philippines.

The IS report also highlighted the importance of Muslims in Mindanao and Sulu in undertaking ‘jihad’. It advocated continuing the mentality of the war against the colonial power in the last 490 years, and replace the current political system in the Philippines with an Islamic ruler and governance.

Why Jolo and Maguindanao?

Maguindanao has been an old ASG stronghold that had pledged allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi long before the Marawi siege. Equally important is the fact that there is a major jihadi group based there, called Jamaatul Muhajireen Wal Ansar. It is led by Abu Turaifi and associated with the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a breakaway faction from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Similarly, Jolo has long been associated with the ASG. In the present political and military constellation, Jolo is also associated with Amin Baco, one of the leaders of the Marawi siege who succeeded in escaping from the AFP crackdown. Amin’s first father-in-law, Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, is a key ASG leader in Sulu and is from the town of Patikul in Jolo where many of the ASG fighters, including Amin, are believed to be in the inaccessible mountains off Patikul.

Turaifi and Amin are important magnets that have drawn local jihadists and apparently foreign ones too. Since the end of the Marawi siege, there has been a call to ‘hijrah’ (migrate) from Basilan and Cotabato to Jolo and Maguindanao, to rebuild the pro-IS jihadi strongholds. This effort has been greatly facilitated by the presence of another key pro-IS jihadi leader involved in the Marawi siege, Humam Abdul Najid also known as Abu Dar.

Together with Dr Mahmud Ahmad from Malaysia, Abu Dar was responsible for recruiting foreigners and obtaining international funding for the Marawi project. Abu Dar is also believed to be in control of the ‘war loot’ taken from Marawi City and hence, in a position to finance not just the ‘hijrah’ of local and foreign fighters but also in strengthening the declining military capability of the jihadists.

Two Other Factors

Apart from the significant leaders mentioned above, there are two other factors that could facilitate the rise of Jolo and Maguindano as new IS strongholds. First, historically these areas have developed a robust and resilient infrastructure to support jihadi operations and are regarded as a ‘no go zone’ for the AFP and Philippines Police, who fear being kidnapped for ransom.

Second, the failure of the Philippine Government to endorse the peace treaty, called Bangsamoro Basic Law, has created a toxic environment for Manila or any Muslim group keen on negotiating with the Philippines Government. This has the effect of strengthening the jihadist narrative that only a military solution would benefit them and hence, the support for jihadists in Jolo and Maguindanao.

Impact of Rise of Jolo and Maguindanao

The loss of Marawi and the death of Isnilon Hapilon, the leader of the Abu Sayyaf group, and Omarkhayam Maute, leader of the Maute group, do not signal the end of the pro-IS and pro-jihadi struggle in the Philippines. Efforts are being made to find a replacement for Hapilon with Amin Baco, Abu Turaifi and Abu Dar often named as possibilities.

There have been suggestions earlier that Amin Baco could be dead. Hence another possibility is Yassir Igasan, a Libya-trained ASG commander with extensive links with Middle Eastern jihadi groups. Regardless of whoever replaces Hapilon, the decades-old struggle will continue.

While it will only be a matter of time before a new consensual figure acceptable to all is elected to replace Hapilon, the Marawi Siege has totally changed the character of jihad in southern Philippines. The snail-paced reconstruction and rehabilitation of Marawi City will only benefit the jihadists with the government seen as the source of the people’s misery, providing additional recruits to the jihadists. This does not include families who lost their loved ones in the Marawi Siege.

In an endeavour to avenge the deaths of their comrades, leaders and the loss of Marawi City, these jihadists can be expected to target security personnel in revenge killings. For the past three months since January 2018, there have been reports of ASG and BIFF clashing with security personnel. In addition to attacking military targets, groups in the Philippines have also taken the advantage to target non-military targets to widen the war to both embarrass the Philippine Government as well as to spread the security forces thin.

New Phase?

The quest for revenge, the tasting of ‘power’ for five months over a Filipino city, the massive destruction and loss of lives, among others, would be critical in shaping the ‘jihadi’ struggle in southern Philippines in the coming years. The movement of local and foreign jihadists to the new pro-IS strongholds, confirmed by images in the social media, is an indication that a new phase of violence is likely to break out in southern Philippines.

Given the circumstances, the security apparatus in the Philippines and neighbouring countries should be more vigilant as violence is likely to escalate. Keeping track of the jihadists’ movements is imperative in curbing another Marawi. Particularly important to focus on is the extensive jihadi networks of Amin Baco and Abu Dar, both in the Philippines and in Malaysia and Indonesia.

The Taliban has closed at least 30 schools in an area under its control south of Kabul after a local militant commander was killed by government forces, Afghan officials say to rferl.org.

Salim Saleh, a spokesman for Logar Province’s governor, said on April 6 that the Taliban closed the schools in the province’s Charkh district after several militants and one of their commanders were killed in a night raid by government forces earlier this week.

Afghan media earlier reported that Mualvi Mohammad, a Taliban commander, was killed in the Afghan National Army operation in the area late on March 30.

Saleh said the Taliban move had left some 12,000 students out of school in Charkh, which is about 60 kilometers south of the Afghan capital.

Saleh said that the authorities were in contact with influential tribal elders and religious scholars in the area in an attempt to secure the schools’ reopening in the coming days.

Hasibullah Stanekzai, the head of the Logar Provincial Council, said that the militants had warned Charkh elders to avoid meeting government officials to discuss reopening schools.

The schools have been closed since March 31.

At least four militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group were killed during the operations in eastern Nangarhar province, like reported by khaama.com.

According to the local officials, the militants were killed during an airstrike conducted in support of the Afghan forces during the ground operations.

The provincial government media office in a statement said the operations were conducted in the vicinity of Haska Mina district.

The statement further added that four ISIS militants were killed after they came under airstrike in Payin area of the district at around 11 am local time on Tuesday.

According to the provincial government, the militants killed during the operation belonged to a ISIS group led by Abu Ali.

Several weapons and some ammunition belonging to the terror group were also destroyed during the airstrike, the provincial government added.

The anti-government armed militant and terrorist groups including ISIS group have not commented regarding the report so far.

This comes as counter-terrorism operations are underway against the Taliban, ISIS and other militants in some of the restive districts of Nangarhar.

The US forces based in Afghanistan also conduct airstrikes mainly using unmanned aerial vehicles to suppress the militants in this province.

The United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) updated list of people it has designated ‘terrorists’ features as many as 139 Pakistanis, many from the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), reported Dawn newspaper.

These 139 are identified as individuals who have lived in Pakistan or have operated from the country or have been associated with groups that used Pakistani territory for their operations.

Included in the list are fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and, of course, 26/11 Mumbai terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed + . The UN Dawood has held several Pakistani passports issued in Rawalpindi and Karachi. It also said that he owns a “palatial bungalow in the hilly area of Noorabad, Karachi”, reported dawn

Saeed, also a founder of LeT, is joined on the list by Haji Mohammed Yahya Mujahid, LeT’s ‘media contact’, and two people known as his deputies, Abdul Salaam and Zafar Iqbal. All three are also wanted by Interpol.

The UNSC has listed LeT as well as its various affiliates, including al-Mansoorian, Paasban-i-Kashmir, Paasban-i-Ahle Hadith, Jamaat-ud Dawa and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation. In fact, just yesterday the US put another Saeed organisation, his political arty Milli Muslim League, on its list of designated terror outfits.

Meanwhile, on top of the UN’s terrorists list is al Qaida’s Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden’s number two man. The UN said al-Zawahiri is still hiding somewhere “in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area”, reported Dawn.

Number two on the list is Ramzi Mohammad bin al-Sheibah, who’s identified as a Yemeni national, and who was arrested in Karachi and handed over to the US.

Other terrorist outfits the UN says are based in Pakistan or linked to Pakistanis include Al Rasheed Trust, Harkatul Mujahideen, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Wafa Humanitarian Organisation, JeM, Rabita Trust, Ummah Tameer-i-Nau, Afghan Support Committee, Revival of Islamic Heritage Society, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, Al-Harmain Foundation, Islamic Jihad Group, Al Akhtar Trust International, Harkatul Jihad Islami, Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, Jamaatul Ahrar and Khatiba Imam Al-Bukhari.

Militants affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group suffered heavy casualties during the airstrikes conducted by the Afghan Air Force in northern Jawzjan province, like reported by khaama.com.

The 209th Shaheen Corps of the Afghan Military in the North said the airstrikes were carried out in the vicinity of the restive Darzab district.

The source further added that the militants were targeted in Qazal Qeshlaq, Darya Khana, and Pesta Bazar areas of the district.

According to Shaheen Corps, at least ten militants were killed and five others were wounded during the airstrikes.

This comes as the local officials said Tuesday that ISIS militants launched a coordinated attack on security posts in Darzab district late on Monday night.

According to the local security officials, the attack was launched late on Monday night which continued for several hours.

District police chief Mohammad Ismail confirmed the attack but added that the militants of the terror group faced a strong resistance from the security and defense forces.

He did not disclose further information regarding the possible casualties during the clash but he said the authorities have requested air support to eliminate the terrorists.

The militant group Islamic State on Tuesday claimed responsibility for killing four members of a Christian family in southwestern Pakistan, like reported by reuters.com.

A statement issued by the group claimed that militants belonging to ISIS fired on the group of Christians as they were travelling in the city of Quetta, killing four on Monday.

Islamic State has affiliates in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, many drawn from existing Islamist militant groups, who support their vehement sectarian views against Shi’ite Muslims and non-Muslims.

The family was travelling in a rickshaw when armed men on a motorcycle intercepted them and opened fire in Quetta city, the capital of Baluchistan province.

The attack came a day after Pakistan’s Christian community celebrated Easter on Sunday. Around 2 percent of Pakistan’s population of 208 million are Christians.

Minority religious festivals are a security concern in the majority Sunni Muslim country where there have been a number of high casualty attacks on Christians and Shi’ite Muslims.

Baluchistan, a region bordering Iran as well as Afghanistan, is plagued by violence by Sunni Islamist groups linked to the Taliban, al Qaeda and Islamic State.

It also has an indigenous ethnic Baloch insurgency fighting against central government.

In December, a week before Christmas, two suicide bombers stormed a packed Christian church in southwestern Pakistan, killing at least 10 people and wounding up to 56, in an attack claimed by Islamic State.

The family had come to visit relatives in Quetta’s Shahzaman road area, where a large number of the city’s Christian community lives.

“It appears to have been a targeted attack,” provincial police official Moazzam Jah Ansari told Reuters. “It was an act of terrorism.”

The Boeing subsidiary Insitu was awarded a $47 million USD contract for the supply and operation of eight ScanEagle unmanned aerial systems for the Afghan Security Forces, a US Department of Defense press release said, as quoted by The Defense Post.

The press release issued on March 28 says the $47,037,076 USD firm-fixed-price delivery order “provides for the procurement of eight ScanEagle unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), spares, support equipment, one logistician field service representative (FSR); 16 FSR operators to provide ScanEagle UAS technical services; two site surveys and site activation teams; and program management to sustain and operate the ScanEagle UAS in support of the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan under a Building Partnership Capacity case”.

Work is expected to be completed in March 2019, the Defense Post report said.

Last July, Insitu was awarded a $19,611,424 USD contract for five ScanEagle systems and a similar support package for the Afghan Security Forces, the report said.

The system has been used by the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces since April 2016.

ScanEagle is a small, portable low-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle used for battlefield intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance since August 2004 in the Iraq War.

With a flight endurance of over 20 hours, the drone carries a stabilized electro-optical and/or infrared camera on a lightweight inertial stabilized turret system. It can also carry a miniature synthetic aperture radar.

The Defense Post report says the aircraft is launched from the “SuperWedge” pneumatic launcher and recovered using the “Skyhook” retrieval system, which uses a hook on the wingtip to catch a rope hanging from a pole.

A single ScanEagle system reportedly comprises four air vehicles, a ground control station, a remote video terminal and the launch and recovery systems, the report said.

Afghan Special Security Forces and U.S. Special Operators killed an ISIS-K commander and another terrorist fighter during a partnered nighttime raid in the isolated village of Mughul, Darzab district, Jowzjan province, Afghanistan, Mar. 26-27, 2018.

This tactical defeat of ISIS-K fighters in Jowzjan is the most recent in a series of Afghan and U.S. SOF counterterrorism successes targeting ISIS-K in northern Afghanistan this year.

On Mar. 22, ASSF and USSOF eliminated four ISIS-K fighters in Darzab district. Six days earlier on Mar. 16, a U.S. airstrike killed ISIS-K platoon commanders, Omair and Abu Samaya, as the duo met in Sar-e Pul province.

Later that evening, an ASSF nighttime raid on the ISIS-K headquarters in Jowzjan resulted in the removal of another 13 terrorists. Omair and Abu Samaya’s predecessor Khitab Aka, ISIS-K’s head facilitator of foreign fighters in Jowzjan, was captured by Afghan forces on Jan. 28.

ISIS-K is unable to take root in Afghanistan, relying on exploiting tribal rivalries for short-term allegiance and external support for fighters, equipment and financing.