Since its founding in May 2015, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) has neither created any media wing nor has the Islamic State (Central) media office issued any statements or reports via its newswire Amaq in order to claim responsibility for any military operations on behalf of ISGS. However, the group has claimed responsibility for its operations through other channels including the Mauritanian news agencies Al-Akhbar and ANI, the international news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP), and by a written letter posted on Whatsapp. Two videos have also been produced, namely ”Ghazwa* Tongo Tongo” and ”Ghazwa Ayorou”. We thought it may be useful to gather all claimed attacks for reference at one place, accompanied by an infographic that shows their geographic distribution.
* Ghazwa is a Quranic term for battle or military expedition
May 16, 2018: Unknown gunmen abducted Imouchag notable Hamada Ag Mohamed in the village of Tin Habou, worth noting that the concerned individual together with other local notables announced that they had left GATIA to join HCUA the day before. In a written statement attributed to ISGS, the group claimed that it had executed Ag Mohamed. (Claimed responsibility on May 23, 2018)
April 29, 2018: Unknown gunmen assassinated the subprefect of Ouinerden, Alhassane Ag Ibrahim also known as ”Toubeyssi” at his home in Gossi. ISGS claimed responsibility. Ag Ibrahim led the Malian army detachment that arrested MUJAO police chief Aliou Mahamar Touré in December 2013 near Gossi. (Claimed responsibility on May 23, 2018)
April 15, 2018: Unknown gunmen aboard a motorbike assassinated GATIA field commander Mohamed Yousef Ag Nouh also called ‘Akhalshosh’ at an auto repair workshop in Gossi (Gourma-Rharous), Tombouctou Region. ISGS claimed responsibility for the assassination. (Claimed responsibility on April 22, 2018)
April 12, 2018: Presumed Ansaroul Islam militants attacked the school in Bouro (Nassoumbou), Soum Province, one student was killed and a teacher abducted. ISGS claimed responsibility. (Claimed responsibility on April 18, 2018)
April 8, 2018: Presumed Ansaroul Islam militants assassinated the mayor of Koutougou outside his home just after he had left the local mosque, ISGS claimed responsibility. (Claimed responsibility on April 18, 2018)
January 11, 2018: An ISGS militant carried out a suicide attack by detonating a booby-trapped vehicle (covert pickup truck) against a convoy of French Operation Barkhane forces between Ménaka and Indelimane, wounding three soldiers. (Claimed responsibility on January 12, 2018)
October 21, 2017: ISGS militants raided the gendarmerie headquarters in Ayorou, Tillabéri Region, killing 13 and wounding 5 gendarmes, seizing three vehicles, arms, ammunition and other military materiel as ”spoils of war”. Three militants were killed in the attack. (Claimed responsibility on January 12, 2018)
October 4, 2017: ISGS militants ambushed a convoy of joint forces of the U.S. Green Berets and the Nigerien army in Tongo Tongo, Tillabéri Region, near the Malian border, killing four U.S. special forces (Green Berets) soldiers, four Nigerien soldiers and an interpreter, and wounding others, a headcam containing combat footage, arms and other military equipment were seized as ”spoils of war”. A DoD investigation estimated that 20-25 militants were killed in the battle. (Claimed responsibility on January 12, 2018)
July 9, 2017: Presumed militants ambushed a Malian army convoy in the area of I-n-Kadagotan, axis Menaka-Anderamboukane, three soldiers were killed in the attack and eight others were found on July 18, supposedly executed. ISGS claimed responsibility. (Claimed responsibility on January 12, 2018)
May 31, 2017: ISGS militants raided the gendarmerie camp in Abala, Tillabéri Region, killing at least four gendarmes and two national guards, and seizing four vehicles, arms and ammunition as ”spoils of war”. (Claimed responsibility on January 12, 2018)
March 6, 2017: ISGS militants raided a position of the Nigerien gendarmerie between the villages of Wanzarbe and Yatakala, in the area of Bankilare, Tillabéri Region, near the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, killing seven gendarmes, wounding four others, destroying a vehicle, and seizing arms and ammunition as ”spoils of war”. (Claimed responsibility on January 12, 2018)
February 22, 2017: ISGS militants ambushed a convoy of the Nigerien army near the village of Tirzawane near the Malian border, killing 16 soldiers and wounding 18 others, four vehicles were destroyed; and seven vehicles, arms, and ammunition seized as ”spoils of war”. (Claimed responsibility on January 12, 2018)
October 17, 2016: ISGS militants attacked the Koutoukale high-security prison, supposedly an attempt to free imprisoned militants, one attacker equipped with an explosive belt was killed during the attack and two guards wounded. (Claimed responsibility on October 18, 2016)
October 12, 2016: ISGS militants attacked a military outpost in Intangom, Oudalan province, killing four soldiers and a civilian, in response, security forces mistakenly killed two civilians, the attackers reportedly fled toward Mali after the attack. (Claimed responsibility on October 14, 2016)
September 2, 2016: ISGS militants attacked a customs office in Markoye, Oudalan province, killing a customs agent and civilian and wounding three other customs agents. (Claimed responsibility on September 3, 2016)
Note that the claimed attacks only account for a fractional part of the attacks and acts of ISGS
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