{"id":1195,"date":"2024-11-27T15:18:15","date_gmt":"2024-11-27T15:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/terrorleaks.com\/?p=1195"},"modified":"2024-11-27T15:18:16","modified_gmt":"2024-11-27T15:18:16","slug":"the-end-of-islamic-state-west-africa-provinces-hearts-and-minds-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/terrorleaks.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/27\/the-end-of-islamic-state-west-africa-provinces-hearts-and-minds-campaign\/","title":{"rendered":"The end of Islamic State West Africa Province\u2019s \u2018hearts and minds\u2019 campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Islamic State West Africa Province\u2019s \u2018hearts and minds\u2019 campaign is over with recent attacks such as 1 September 2024 in Yobe State demonstrating that the group have given up the pretense of caring about civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following its split from its rival Boko Haram faction Jama\u2019atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda\u2019Awati Wal-Jihad (JAS) in 2016 ISWAP capitalised on the fact that millions had been displaced due to years of Boko Haram conflict. The group secured trade routes and promised protection to civilians who came to live and work in areas under its control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A former ISWAP cleric and judge is attributed to have claimed: \u201cWe met with fishermen and asked them to carry the message to Maiduguri and other places, that they should feel free to come here and do their business.\u201di<\/sup><\/a> Fishermen, farmers, herders, traders, transporters and others from Boko Haram-affected areas flocked to the Lake Chad Basin in response to these promises of stability. Unlike JAS, ISWAP fighters were prohibited from carrying out raids against civilian communities. Fighters could not harass civilians in these areas with strict punishments for those found to be flouting this decree. As a result, ISWAP\u2019s influence and revenues surged as the group\u2019s hearts and minds strategy paid dividends. The exploitation of disillusioned and desperate people is a well-known trait of terrorists worldwide. However, the true colors of the group are now coming to the fore as civilians under the group\u2019s control are increasingly being attacked and persecuted by ISWAP fighters. ISWAP are also increasingly targeting civilians in communities outside of its control. The Institute for Security Studies\u2019 monitoring of ISWAP propaganda materials shows there were at least three abductions between March and April and nine executions between April and June this year.ii<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 1 September 24 ISWAP conducted a brutal massacre which resulted in the death of 81 villagers in Yobe State.iii<\/sup><\/a> The raid targeted worshippers as they completed their Asr prayers (mid-afternoon) at a local mosque. Witnesses reported that the attackers separated the elderly and herders before opening fire.iv<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ISWAP cited \u201crevenge for alleged grievances\u201d as their motive behind the massacre. In a letter written in Arabic, ISWAP claimed responsibility for this assault in Mafa village of Tarmuwa Local Government Area of Yobe. The letter claimed the village was targeted for allegedly providing information to the military, which led to the death of its members.v<\/sup><\/a> The Daily Trust published translations from this letter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a message from the soldiers of the Caliphate in the West Africa Province to the leaders, mukhtars, and the rest of the residents and farmers in the town of Mafa and the villages around it.\u201d \u201cYou have been tempted to remain in your countries in safety. The soldiers of the Caliphate will not harm you, nor threaten you with your money, nor hinder you from any activity of yours, whether agriculture, trade, etc., until you have arrogantly raised yourselves to a position in which you believe that your hands will reach our brothers with harm and remain uninterrupted.\u201dvi<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May, ISWAP attacked the popular fishing town of Baga in Kukawa, killing at least 15 people, giving residents two weeks to vacate \u2013 a threat aimed at stopping locals from collaborating with security forces. Civilians in nearby Tumbum Rogo, an island under ISWAP\u2019s control, were also ordered to leave within a week. The group understands that forcing residents to vacate communities increases their vulnerability.vii<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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https:\/\/issafrica.org\/<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

As operation Lake Sanity 2 progresses, the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) addressed the propaganda spread by ISWAP terrorists urging Kukawa and neighboring communities to flee or face attack claiming \u201cThis reprehensible propaganda is a blatant act of intimidation, a desperate move by a group on the verge of defeat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The worsening relationship between civilians and ISWAP is unlikely to come as a surprise to those who follow IS. The group has a proven history of becoming increasingly hard-line in its implementation of \u201cIslamic\u201d law when it comes under pressure from security forces. The hypocrisies of giving fighters \u2018temporary permission\u2019 to rob civilians in government-controlled areas is clear for all to see. Stealing food would be met with harsh punishments were it undertaken by civilians in ISWAP controlled areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is clear is that the government and security forces in the region have the opportunity to exploit the deteriorating relationship between civilians and ISWAP. This will need to be achieved by providing a viable alternative to the group through the provision of security and essential services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

i<\/a> https:\/\/issafrica.orh\/iss-today\/the-end-of-iswap-s-hearts-and-minds-strategy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ii<\/a> https:\/\/issafrica.orh\/iss-today\/the-end-of-iswap-s-hearts-and-minds-strategy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

iii<\/a> https:\/\/countervirtex.org\/blog\/isis-franchise-claims-nigeria-massacre\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

iv<\/a> https:\/\/nigerianbulletin.com\/ams\/yobe-massacre-nigerians-react -as-37-bodies-of-boko-haram-victims-await-burial.8424\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

v<\/a> https:\/\/saharareporters.com\/2024\/09\/03\/iswap-claims-responsibility-yobe-massacre-says-village-punished-aiding-nigerian-military<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

vi<\/a> https:\/\/dailytrust.com\/breaking-iswap-claims-responsibility-for -yobe-mass-killing-gives-reason\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

vii<\/a> https:\/\/issafrica.orh\/iss-today\/the-end-of-iswap-s-hearts-and-minds-strategy<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Islamic State West Africa Province\u2019s \u2018hearts and minds\u2019 campaign is over with recent attacks such as 1 September 2024 in Yobe State demonstrating that the group have given up the pretense of caring about civilians. Following its split from its rival Boko Haram faction Jama\u2019atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda\u2019Awati Wal-Jihad (JAS) in 2016 ISWAP capitalised on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,29],"tags":[22,69,7,30,70,18],"class_list":["post-1195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daesh","category-isis","tag-africa-2","tag-boko-haram","tag-daesh","tag-isis","tag-iswap","tag-nigeria"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/terrorleaks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/terrorleaks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/terrorleaks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terrorleaks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terrorleaks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1195"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/terrorleaks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1198,"href":"https:\/\/terrorleaks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1195\/revisions\/1198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terrorleaks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/terrorleaks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terrorleaks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terrorleaks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}