Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, the leader of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara militant group (ISGS) and thought to be responsible for attacks on U.S. troops, was killed in a drone strike last month in southern Mali, French authorities said Thursday. The French-led operation involved backup from U.S., EU , Malian and Nigerian military forces, and hit al-Sahrawi on a motorcycle last month, though his death was not confirmed until now. The French government did not disclose how his identity was verified. Al-Sahrawi has been accused of ordering or overseeing attacks on U.S. troops, French aid workers and around 2,000 to 3,000 mostly Muslim African civilians. He was described as "enemy No. 1" in the region by the French government, and President Emmanuel Macron called it a "major victory." For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below. Experts called the announcement big and welcome news for governments struggling against violent extremists—but warned that ISGS …
Mustafa Alowemer admits to plotting bomb attack on Pittsburgh church, aiding ISIS in 2019
A Pennsylvania man admitted in federal court Thursday to aiding the Islamic State militant group ( ISIS ) as he plotted to attack a church. Mustafa Alowemer, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide material support to the organization in relation to his plan to bomb a church on Pittsburgh's North Side in 2019. "The guilty plea today by Mustafa Alowemer leaves no question about his intention to commit an act of terrorism against a place of worship," FBI Special Agent in Charge Mike Nordwall said in a statement. "Mr. Alowemer will now face the consequences of his elaborate plan to inflict harm on innocent people." Alowemer faces up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. He also faces a lifetime term of supervised release. A court date has been set for January 26, 2022, for his sentencing. Alowemer was born in Daraa, Syria, and was admitted to the United States as a refugee in August 2016, according to prosecutors. He resettled with his family in …
ISIS Affiliate Claims October Attack on U.S. Troops in Niger
A group in northwestern Africa that is loyal to the Islamic State issued a statement on Friday claiming responsibility for the October attack in Niger that killed four American soldiers who were on patrol with Nigerien forces. The statement offered no explanation for the delay in claiming responsibility for the Oct. 4 attack, which American officials had said was probably carried out by the group. “We declare our responsibility for the attack on the U.S. commandos last October in the Tongo Tongo region of Niger,” said the statement, attributed to Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahraoui, who was a member of Al Qaeda’s regional branch before pledging allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, nearly two years ago. The statement was issued to reporters at the Nouakchott News Agency , a website in Mauritania to which fighters from Mr. Sahraoui’s group have previously sent missives. The assault last fall was one of the most deadly recent attacks on American soldiers in Africa. …
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Syrian Refugee Pleads Guilty to Supporting ISIS with Plot to Bomb Church
A Syrian refugee has pleaded guilty to providing material support to the Islamic State (ISIS), a terrorist organization, in relation to his plot to bomb a Christian church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On Thursday, 23-year-old Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, who came to the United States in August 2016 as a refugee from Syria, pleaded guilty to one count of providing material support to ISIS when he sought to bomb the Legacy International Worship Center in Pittsburgh sometime in 2019. “The defendant, motivated by ISIS’s call to violence and hate, plotted a terrorist attack targeting a church in Pittsburgh,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark Lesko said in a statement. According to federal prosecutors, Alowemer was motivated to bomb the Christian church to garner support from other ISIS members within the U.S. Alowemer had hoped that his terrorist attack would rally other ISIS members to commit similar acts of terrorism against American citizens. In 2019, Breitbart News …
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FBI: Syrian Refugee Who Pledged Allegiance to ISIS Arrested for Pittsburgh Church Bomb Plot
U.S. authorities announced Wednesday the arrest of a 21-year-old Syrian man on terror charges in relation to an alleged plot to bomb a church in Pittsburgh. Mustafa Mousab Alowemer was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with one count of “attempting to provide material support ISIS, and two counts of distributing information relating to an explosive, destructive device, or weapon of mass destruction in relation to his plan to attack a church,” according to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh The affidavit states the FBI’s Pittsburgh branch undercovered a plot by Alowemer to bomb the Legacy International Worship Center on the North Side. “Our top priority is protecting the citizens of western Pennsylvania,” said U.S. Attorney Brady in a statement. “Every day investigators and prosecutors work tirelessly behind the scenes to disrupt terrorist activity and keep our community safe. While the public does not always see the results of the hard work of …
French Forces Kill an ISIS Leader in Sahara, Macron Says
President Emmanuel Macron of France announced Wednesday that French military forces had killed the leader of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. “It’s another major success in our fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel,” Mr. Macron said in a tweet . The militant leader, Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahraoui, oversaw a group that claimed responsibility for an attack in 2017 that killed four American soldiers who were on patrol with Nigerien forces. And in August 2020, Mr. Al-Sahraoui personally ordered the killing of six French charity workers and their Nigerien driver, a statement from Mr. Macron’s office said, according to Reuters. The 2017 assault was one of the deadliest recent attacks on American soldiers in Africa. In addition to the four Americans, including two members of the Green Berets, five Nigerien soldiers who were with them on a joint mission were killed. Mr. Al-Sahraoui was a member of Al Qaeda’s regional branch before pledging allegiance to the …
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In Niger, Where U.S. Troops Died, a Lawless and Shifting Landscape
DAKAR, Senegal — When United States forces set out on what was ultimately a deadly joint patrol with Nigerien soldiers this month, they were entering terrain crisscrossed by criminal elements and terrorist organizations in a dangerous, yet often forgotten, corner of the world. The area in Niger, near the border with Mali, is known to host groups loyal to both Al Qaeda and the Islamic State and has long been used as a smuggling route for arms, drugs and people. Just over a week ago, gunmen killed 13 Nigerien soldiers in an attack on their base, not far from where the joint patrol was ambushed, the latest in dozens of assaults unleashed in the past two years. The chief suspect in the Oct. 4 ambush is a group affiliated with the Islamic State operating in a desolate area that has long suffered from poverty and government inattention. “They are presenting an alternative to a state that villagers associate with corruption and neglect,” said Corinne Dufka, a regional director for …
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Struggle for Control of Afghanistan Comes to K Street
WASHINGTON — A leading figure in the Afghan resistance has retained a Washington lobbyist to seek military and financial support in the United States for a fight against the Taliban, according to a lobbying contract and a representative of the resistance leader. Ahmad Massoud , the leader of one of the most prominent groups of fighters seeking to oust the Taliban from power, signed the contract this week with Robert Stryk, who built a lobbying practice during the Trump administration working with clients that others on K Street were wary of representing. The contract, which was filed with the Justice Department on Wednesday evening and indicates that the work will be pro bono, comes as an array of Afghan constituencies are seeking lobbying help as they jockey for recognition in Washington and the international community. While Afghan opposition groups have support from some Republicans in Washington, the Biden administration has made clear that it has no interest in playing any …
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French Forces Kill Leader of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara
French forces have killed the leader of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, according to the French government. “Adnan Abou Walid al Sahraoui, leader of the terrorist group Islamic State in the Greater Sahara was neutralized by French forces,” French president Emmanuel Macron announced on social media. “This is another major success in our fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel,” he continued. “The Nation is thinking this evening of all its heroes who died for France in the Sahel in the Serval and Barkhane operations, of the bereaved families, of all of its wounded. Their sacrifice is not in vain. With our African, European, and American partners, we will continue this fight,” he vowed. The French premier did not disclose any precise details of the operation, perhaps due to operational sensitivity, but Africa and in particular the Islamic regions of the Maghreb, comprising much of North Africa, and the Sahel , which spans Africa from the shores of the Atlantic …
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Democrat Sen. Murphy Keeps Heat on Biden’s Drone Strike: ‘So Worrying’
Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) kept up the heat on President Joe Biden for killing Afghan civilians by drone strikes during the deadly evacuation from Kabul. “The faith experts and pundits have in our nation’s covert military drone program is so worrying. The strike in Kabul wasn’t an anomaly,” Murphy said about Biden’s drone strike that killed ten individuals from one family. The faith experts and pundits have in our nation’s covert military drone program is so worrying. The strike in Kabul wasn’t an anomaly. The only leaked data set on drone efficiency suggests we hit the wrong target over 80% of the time. I won’t stop speaking out about this. — Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) September 16, 2021 “The only leaked data set on drone efficiency suggests we hit the wrong target over 80% of the time,” Murphy continued. “I won’t stop speaking out about this.” Days after the strike, the Associated Press (AP) excused the attack for weakening Islamic “extremists.” …
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