A relatively new group known as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara has stepped up terrorist attacks in the swath of north Africa known as the Sahel. The Islamic State suffered setbacks in Libya, where it had controlled key parts of the largely ungoverned state. Warner said ISIS-GS appears better organized than two other new ISIS affiliates in Africa: the Islamic State in Somalia, in northern Somalia, and the southern Islamic State of Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. "Indeed, over the past year-plus, three new Islamic State affiliates have gained prominence in sub-Saharan Africa." The Islamic State conducted similar prison attacks in Iraq prior to taking over large portions of Iraq and Syria in 2014.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 15, 2017 09:11 UTC