The suicide bombers swore allegiance to Islamic State emir Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before carrying out their heinous attacks. For today’s hearing, you ask us to examine the landscape of global terrorism. In many of these countries, al-Qaeda maintains an active insurgency, and in some, al-Qaeda’s branches or allies control a significant amount of land. The Islamic State demands allegiance to its caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and ruthlessly targets those who refuse to submit. The SDF is currently holding more than 3,200 Islamic State fighters, and several thousand family members are detained in camps.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 30, 2019 17:26 UTC