Central Asia
ISIS hand seen Kazakhstan attacks
A team of gunmen killed three security officers and two civilians in an attack on an office of the National Security Committee in Kazakhstan’s commercial capital Almaty.
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Greater Middle East
ISIS attacks Islamic holy city… WTF?
The ISIS attack on Medina, Islam's second holiest city, betrays the group's eschatological imperative and desire to bring about a final conflict that will purge the world of heresy.
South Asia
ISIS franchise in Bangladesh bakery siege
After a deadly ISIS siege of a Dhaka cafe, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made the absurd statement that the attackers "don't have any religion."
North America
Orlando massacre in propaganda wars
In the wake of the Orlando massacre, the left blames homophobia while the right blames Islam—both sides ignoring the obvious reality of homophobia rooted in political Islam.
Southeast Asia
Mindanao: deadly clash with ISIS forces
At least 18 Philippine soldiers and five militants were killed in a 10-hour fire-fight with the ISIS-loyal Abu Sayyaf group on the conflicted southern island of Mindanao.
Africa
Somalia: US air-strikes on Shabaab camp
US drones and warplanes killed more than 150 al-Shabab militants in Somalia, with the Pentagon citing an "imminent threat" to US and African Union forces.
Africa
AQIM claims Burkina Faso attack
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb issued a statement saying the Ouagadougou attack was carried out by "mujahideen brothers" of its West African franchise, al-Mourabitoun.
Southeast Asia
Jakarta: ISIS franchise exploited sectarian tensions
The ISIS-affiliated network that carried out the Jakarta attacks emerged from the sectarian conflict between Muslims and Christians in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province.
South Asia
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A suicide bomber killed at least 130 at a campaign rally in Pakistan's Balochistan province— the deadliest attack in the country since 2014. A local candidate with the Balochistan Awami Party was among the dead. The local franchise of the Islamic State took credit for the attack. Radio Free Europe portrays the BAP as part of the Pakistani military establishment’s plan to undermine Baluch ethno-nationalist groups. Balochistan province is part of the larger region of Baluchistan, homeland of the Baluch people, long divided between Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. There are movements for Baluch independence in each of these countries, but they have been unable to unite across the nation-state boundaries. The attack may point to an ISIS strategy to disrupt electoral ethno-nationalist initiatives, and co-opt the Baluch struggle across all three borders, wedding it to Sunni extremism. (Map via Atheer)
Southeast Asia
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The Indonesian Parliament unanimously approved a new anti-terrorism law that will allow the military to directly participate in operations against militant groups. The legislation comes following a slew of suicide bombings in Surabaya by individuals supposedly tied to the Islamic State. President Joko Widodo stated that involvement of the Indonesian National Army in counter-terrorism is necessary in addressing the crisis faced by the nation. A related measure also gives police the power to detain suspects for 21 days without charge. (Photo: Indonesian Navy Special Forces Kopaska)
Greater Middle East
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Egypt's chief prosecutor referred 555 individuals suspected of joining a local ISIS affiliate to military court. The charges against them arise out of a series of attacks carried out by dozens of small militant groups situated in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula. The suspects will faces charges for the planned and executed killings of security personnel, attacks on military checkpoints, and the destruction of a gas pipeline between Egypt and Jordan. The charges come amid growing concerns over torture, lengthy solitary confinement and other rights abuses in Egypt's prisons. (Photo: Egypt Daily News)