The Week in Terrorism: February 19-25, 2024 - Borealis Threat & Risk Consulting

This blog is an attempt to track terrorist attacks worldwide on a weekly basis. While recognising the challenges in defining ‘terrorism’, the incidents listed here will be limited to attacks committed – or claimed – by known terrorist groups (Al Qaeda, Islamic State, FARC, etc.) or those where there is a clear underlying ideological, religious or political motive. Only actual attacks carried out, and not those thwarted through arrests, will be listed (for unsuccessful plots check out Borealis’ X feed @borealissaves). This list makes no claim to be exhaustive as it is limited by time and resources available to scan open source intelligence (OSINT).

Events where information is still being gathered may be included with a caveat that they may not turn out in the end to be terrorist in nature. Crimes motivated solely by hate will NOT appear here. Borealis realises that this too is problematic but believes that a distinction between terrorism and hate crimes is worth maintaining.

After the listing of individual incidents analysis of the visible trendlines will be briefly discussed. Multiple, independent sources (OSINT) will be listed wherever possible.

Date	Location	Method	Responsibility	Casualties	Type
Feb 19	Red Sea	missiles	Houthis	0	Islamist
	Mogadishu, Somalia	landmine	Al Shabaab?	5 d dozens w	Islamist
	Eastern DRC	machetes, guns	ADF	13 d	Islamist
	Southern Philippines	guns	Daulah Islamiyah	6 d 4 w	Islamist
Feb 20	Eastern DRC	machetes, guns	ADF	11 d	Islamist
	Red Sea	missiles	Houthis	0	Islamist
Feb 21	Northern Israel	missiles	Hizballah	0	Islamist
Feb 22	Red Sea	missiles	Houthis	0	Islamist
	West Bank	guns		1 d 8 w	Islamist
Feb 23	Northern Israel	suicide drones	Hizballah	0	Islamist
	Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan	explosives		3 w	Islamist
	Yobe State, Nigeria		Boko Haram	0	Islamist
Feb 24	Eastern Syria	guns	PKK	2 d 5 w	Etho-nationalist
Feb 25	Chhattisgarh, India	IED		1 d	Maoist
	Raqqa Province, Syria	landmine	ISIS	13 d	Islamist
	Burkina Faso	guns		15 d 2 w	Islamist
	Burkina Faso	guns		dozens d	Islamist

Analysis

As many thinktanks and agencies have said of late, the Sahel area of Africa (comprising northern Senegal, southern Mauritania, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, northeastern Nigeria, south-central Chad and parts of Sudan) has become terrorism central, with jihadism dominant. Groups linked to Al Qaeda (AQ) and Islamic State (ISIS) as well as other independent ones are now responsible for the lion’s share of attacks and casualties on Earth. The massacres this week in Burkina Faso, one on a Catholic Church and another on a mosque, are typical of jihadist MO. They see religions other than Islam as apostate and even Muslims who do not follow their non-normative interpretation of the faith as viable targets. This region will not get better any time soon and bears watching.

Sources

Yemen’s Houthis Attack Cargo Ship (voanews.com) ; An attack on a cargo ship in the Red Sea has caused a miles-long oil slick. Things could get worse | Euronews

Five passengers killed as bus hits landmine in Mogadishu (hiiraan.com)

Philippine troops clash with Muslim militants in a gunbattle that has left at least eight dead | AP News

DRC: at least 24 dead in 2 ADF attacks | Africanews

Houthis Fire at Ship Carrying Humanitarian Aid to Yemen, US Says – Bloomberg

Hezbollah increases attacks on northern Israel | FDD’s Long War Journal

Suspected Houthi rebel missile sets cargo ship ablaze. Israel intercepts separate attack near Eilat | AP News

Israel Hamas war: Three gunmen open fire in West Bank, new attempts at ceasefire deal | Euronews; At least one killed, several wounded in gun attack near West Bank settlement (france24.com); Terror Shooting Attack Near Jerusalem: 8 Wounded, 3 Critical, 2 Terrorists Neutralized – I24NEWS; One killed, 11 wounded in terrorist shooting attack near Jerusalem checkpoint | The Times of Israel

Hezbollah attacks Israeli regional council after 3 killed in Blida — Naharnet; Hezbollah Strikes Israeli Regional Council After Blida Deaths – THE DAILY STAR

At least 3 injured in blast in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan – Pakistan – DAWN.COM

Again, Boko Haram Destroys Two TCN Towers in Yobe – THISDAYLIVE