Islamic State (ISIS) Weekly Claims Islamic State Sahel Province Killed More Than 40 Al-Qaeda Affiliate GSIM members, Captured Spy Cell For Wagner Group, Killed Criminals Affiliated With Tuareg Rebel Group

The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here. 

On August 3, 2023, the Islamic State (ISIS) published issue 402 of its weekly newsletter Al-Naba'.[1] A page was devoted to the recent Islamic State Sahel Province operations in Mali, reporting several attacks for the first time.

ISIS Clashes With Al-Qaeda Affiliate GSIM, Killing More Than 40 Members

Al-Naba' reported that Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the African Sahel, Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimeen (the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims – GSIM), attacked Muslim markets in the Hourara region in Mali's Gao province, near the border with Niger, burning property and stealing their livestock.[2] In response, on July 26 ISIS operatives clashed with the "Al-Qaeda militias" in the village of I-n-Tillit in Gao province, causing them to flee while leaving the stolen livestock behind. The operatives returned the animals to their owners.

In another incident from the same day, ISIS operatives clashed with GSIM members in a village in Mali's Timbuktu region, in a fight that lasted for five consecutive battles. According to the report, more than 40 GSIM members were killed, and dozens wounded. In addition, a vehicle, dozens of motorcycles, a fuel reservoir of 600 barrels, and other reservoirs were burned. ISIS operatives seized a vehicle, 22 motorcycles, approximately 50 weapons, pistols, ammunition, communication devices, and other equipment. Fourteen ISIS operatives were killed in the battles. The magazine included two "exclusive" photos showing ISIS operatives pursuing the fleeing GSIM members, as well as the weapons and equipment captured in the fighting.

ISIS Eliminates A Spy Cell Working For The Wagner Group

On July 29, ISIS "security detachments" captured a spy cell consisting of three members working for the Russian Wagner Group. During their interrogation, the cell members admitted that they had been tasked with spying on the mujahideen in Aderamboukar in Mali's Menaka region. ISIS captured the spies early in their activity, and they were executed following their interrogation.

ISIS Kills Criminals Who Attacked A Muslim Family

In an additional incident, a group of criminals belonging to the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad, a Tuargec political movement and armed group in Azawad, Mali, attacked a Muslim family in a village in Mali's Talataye region, killing a child and stealing the family's belongings. In response, ISIS operatives clashed with the criminals, killing two, and returned the stolen belongings to its owners.

Prior to these operations, ISIS attacks included the killing of five soldiers belonging to Niger and Burkina Faso forces, three spies, several GSIM members, and a "sorcerer," and the capture of two Christians.[3] In addition, ISIS' Hisbah (religious police) and security apparatus launched a security campaign against crime, which resulted in the arrest of a network of criminals and highway robbers, who were indicted in an ISIS shari'a court.

The recent period has seen severe clashes between GSIM and ISIS, with dozens of deaths reported in each clash.[4]