The information, data and findings from the below brief was collected by and sourced from TRAC: Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium, in partnership with the Mackenzie Institute. Please click here to visit TRAC.
Islamic State Drug Seizure and ISJK Conflict in Kashmir
$1.4M Terrorist Drug Cache Seized, Destroyed in Southern Syria (06/18/18, CJTF-OIR PAO)
“SOUTHWEST ASIA — Coalition-supported forces destroyed a large cache of Daesh’s narcotic drugs June 12.
The drugs, estimated to have a black-market value of $1.4M, were seized by the Coalition’s Maghawir al-Thowra partners during counter-Daesh operations within the 55km deconfliction zone near At Tanf, Syria May 31.
Despite Daesh’s façade of Islamic purity, its criminal terrorists are known drug users and traffickers. The cache included more than 300,000 pills of Captagon, an illegal drug frequently trafficked and used by Daesh members.
Captagon is a highly-addictive amphetamine-based drug that is banned in many countries. It is informally referred to as the ‘jihadists’ drug.’
MaT forces actively patrol the At Tanf de-confliction zone to disrupt and prevent Daesh operations there. The seizure and destruction of drugs, weapons and other contraband further reduces Daesh’s abilities to fund and conduct combat operations.
‘Our dedicated partner forces are committed to the defeat-Daesh mission,’ said Maj. Gen. James Jarrard, commander of the Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve. ‘This is another great example of their dedication and professionalism in the fight against Daesh and in the protection of the people of southern Syria.’
Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve’s mission is to defeat Daesh in designated parts of Iraqand Syria, and to set conditions for follow-on operations to increase regional stability.”
Islamic State Jammu & Kashmir (ISJK) Encounter with Indian Army in Nowshera Khiram, Srigufwara Area of Anantnag District (06/22/18)
In the early morning hours of 22 June, the Indian Army, acting on a tip from locals, apparently surprised a group of ISJK fighters holed up in a house in Nowshera Khiram, in the Srigufwara area of Anantnag district. A firefight ensued that lasted hours, and, according to the Indian Army, they have killed 6 of the ISJK cadre, including ISJK chief Dawood; one policeman was also killed in the encounter. Some reports have the civilians wounded as high as 20. Islamic State’s Amaq News Agency claimed the attack reporting that they had killed and wounded 7 Indian Army soldiers.
The Indian Army had cut all internet and cell services under the suspicion that one ISJK fighter was still at large. Given that Amaq News Agency claimed the “encounter,” someone had to have gotten word directly to them before the internet was cut for the area. This implied to the Indian Army that at least one person knew the right place to contact and a possible indication that at least one cadre is still at large.
If indeed the Indian Army’s claims that M. Dawood (aka Burhan Musab, aka Abu Ubaida al-Kashmiri) was killed in this encounter, it will be a big blow to future ISJK operations. Even though Dawood had only been with ISJK for three months, he is a seasoned jihadist who offered ISK experience they had lost due to leadership decapitation by the Indian Army.
Note: A day later, confirmation of Dawood’s death came in the form of a video of his funeral, where huge crowds gathered.
Claim:
“Deep agency: #URGENT An Indian army soldier was killed and seven wounded in confrontations with Islamic state fighters in the area of “Sri Ghfwara” in the Directorate of Antak in #Kashmir”
Photos:
Dawood (aka. Burhan Musab, aka. Abu Abaida Al-Kashmiri)
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The above has been compiled by Ryan J. Anderson, an MA student at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, specializing in Intelligence and International Affairs. He is a Junior Research Affiliate with the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security, and Society (TSAS), a research analyst at the International Counter-Terrorism Youth Network (ICTYN), and was previously a Research Fellow at the Centre for International and Defence Policy (CIDP), Queen’s University. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @ryanandrson.
