Chilling map of ISIS’ worldwide network proves fanatics AREN’T finished amid fresh attacks in India and Burkina Faso
BRAINWASHED ISIS jihadis continue to execute horror attacks around the world - despite the destruction of their so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq.
At the weekend, a 30-strong death squad stormed a Catholic church and slaughtered at least six people in Burkina Faso.
A priest was among the victims killed during Sunday morning Mass in the town of Dablo in the north of the West African country.
Meanwhile, the ruthless terror group claimed to have seized a province in India after a shootout with troops in the disputed region of Kashmir.
This all comes amid reports that ISIS are re-grouping in Syria while also trying to recreate the caliphate within troubled refugee camps.
With martyrdom a key factor of ideology many members still expect to die for the cause - and not just on the battlefield.
This is why so many have gone underground and formed "sleeper cells" in their countries of origin or other safe havens.
Now they lie in wait ready to stage attacks on locations around the world.
Let’s take a look at the countries which could still harbour the ruthless extremist killers.
Iraq
Despite the Iraqi government declaring victory over the death cult in December 2017, ISIS fighters have already "substantially evolved into a covert network", UN Secretary General António Guterres said.
Warped militant fighters are still active in rural areas hiding in rugged terrain which enables them to plan attacks, reports the .
These areas include the deserts of Anbar and Nineveh provinces and mountain regions of Kirkuk, Salah al-Din and Diyala.
According to Guterres the terror cells "appear to be planning activities that undermine government authority, create an atmosphere of lawlessness, sabotage societal reconciliation and increase the cost of reconstruction and counter-terrorism.”
Syria
In April, it was reported that the terror group has been re-grouping in Syria.
US-backed Syrian fighters were still battling ISIS jihadis in eastern Syria 10 days after declaring complete victory over the extremists, officials said.
And the terror group has released a number of vile propaganda videos since the fall of the last stronghold in Baghouz calling for jihadis across the world to carry out attacks.
Tens of thousands of ISIS militants and their families are now locked up in sprawling camps and prisons across northern Syria.
The SDF declared military victory over ISIS on March 23 after liberating what it said was the last pocket of territory held by the militants.
The victory marked the end of the brutal self-styled caliphate the group carved out in large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014.
But Mustafa Bali, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, said they are still rooting out groups of militants who were hiding in caves in and near the village of Baghouz.
He added that SDF experts are still removing mines and booby-traps in areas liberated in recent weeks.
In an article for , Syrian writer Sarah Hunaidi wrote that ISIS extremists are also re-grouping in Suwayda, southern Syria.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said senior ISIS commanders and prisoners held by the extremists are believed to be in the caves on the east bank of the Euphrates River.
The Observatory, which closely monitors the Syrian war through contacts on the ground, says scores of ISIS fighters and commanders who refused to surrender are still in the area.
On the eve of the last stand in Baghouz, ISIS released a sick video saying the terror group will not disappear – it will “expand and grow”.
Sri Lanka
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the sickening bombings in Sri Lanka which killed 321 people on Easter Sunday, 2019.
The brainwashed death cult's Amaq news agency has claimed that the terrorists involved in the attacks were "fighters of the Islamic State."
Local terror group National Thowheeth Jama'ath has been named by the Sri Lankan government as being responsible for carrying out the horrific bombings.
Cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said yesterday that the sick extremists were helped by an "international network" of terrorists to plan the coordinated assaults.
"We do not believe these attacks were carried out by a group of people who were confined to this country," Senaratne said.
"There was an international network without which these attacks could not have succeeded."
In recent years, Sri Lanka has seen at least 32 depraved ISIS soldiers returning to their country following the collapse of their so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq.
Burkina Faso
A 30-strong death squad stormed a Catholic church and slaughtered at least six people in Burkina Faso on Sunday.
The government declared a state of emergency in several northern provinces bordering Mali in December because of deadly Islamist attacks by groups with links to ISIS and al Qaeda.
Two French soldiers were also killed in an operation to rescue four people taken hostage in Burkina Faso early in May.
Roughly 60 per cent of Burkina Faso's population is Muslim, with up to a quarter Christian.
India
In March, it was reported that the Indian government approved funding to open research on ISIS terror cells in the country.
One hundred new jobs have been created in India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) which will attempt to combat the warped network.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh said: "Terror funding is a big factor in promoting terrorism. The way NIA performed its role, the result is that there has been a decline in terror funding compared to earlier."
Islamic State now claims to have established a “province” in India for the first time, declaring a foothold in the disputed region of Kashmir.
The terror group’s Amaq news agency said that Isis had killed Indian troops and named the new province the “Wilayah of Hind”.
Turkey
After the fall of the former ISIS strongholds of Raqqa and Mosul, thousands of jihadis fled the areas in fear of their lives.
Many are believed to now be in hiding out in Turkey - waiting for the green light to carry out more atrocities.
The problem was highlighted when a lone gunman killed 39 clubbers in Istanbul on New Year's Eve 2016.
State cops later arrested 75 ISIS fighters over fears of carbon copy attack.
Tunisia
ISIS launched a bloody attack on a Sousse beach in 2015 killing 38 people - including 30 British tourists.
Ever since then country had been dogged by regular gun and bomb attacks inspired by the group.
In November 2017, a suspected Islamist terrorist stabbed two cops near Tunisia's parliament.
Yemen
ISIS is still active in central and southern Yemen - launching regular attacks on the authorities.
While the civil war makes it easier for ISIS to grow, the fighters also clash with the strong al-Qaeda presence in the troubled country.
The US has carried out numerous attacks on ISIS targets in Yemen because of the threat posed by the terror group there.
Jordan
In the first week of January 2018, Jordan's authorities arrested 17 ISIS members who were planning numerous attacks on "sensitive" locations.
Jordanian border guards are now on a constant state of alert over fears of ISIS jihadis entering from Syria.
In June 2017, a suicide attack left seven security forces dead. It was the first attack of its kind targeting Jordan's borders.
Libya
Even though ISIS lost the battle in Libya it still has secret cells located outside the country’s main cities.
But, some estimates suggest its fighting force in Libya has dropped from thousands to just hundreds of men.
Libya is still seen as crucial to the group as they see it as a launchpad to attack Europe.
Egypt
Egypt, and particularly the northern Sinai region, has been an ISIS stronghold in North Africa.
Terrorists were carrying the ISIS flag when they killed 305 people during an attack on a Sinai mosque in November 2017.
And during Christmas that year, a gunman shot dead nine worshippers at a Christian church in Cairo.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan is a key stronghold for ISIS. Its fighters there don’t face the same restrictions as those in Syria and Iraq.
In 2018, ISIS had around 10,000 fighters in Afghanistan. They’re fighting against both Taliban and governmental forces.
ISIS’ main presence is in eastern Afghanistan in the Nangarhar and Kunar provinces.
Algeria
ISIS-AP is a branch of ISIS that is active in Algeria. The group was formerly known as Jund al-Khilafah fi Ard al-Jazair.
It's was thought the group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may have been hiding out in Algeria still coordinating terror attacks across the globe.
A suicide attack on a police station in western Algeria killed in August 2017 two policeman after one officer jumped on the attacker to protect his colleagues from the blast.
Pakistan
As with the Taliban around the time of 9/11, it’s hard to say whether ISIS fighters are located in Pakistan or Afghanistan because of the porousness of the border.
It’s possible that ISIS will spread beyond these two countries and conduct attacks in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in central Asia as well.
ISIS is especially active in the north of the country and was behind the abduction and killing of two Chinese nationals in 2017
Nigeria and Niger
Boko Haram represents ISIS in Nigeria. The group continually carries out attacks against government forces.
The militant group's reign of terror has spread across Africa.
In 2018, human rights groups have even claimed the group has started using babies as suicide bombers.
In March last year, ISIS released a horrific video appearing to show the final moments of four US soldiers who were ambushed in Niger.
Russia
There have been growing reports of ISIS activity in Russia and the group claimed responsibility for a terror attack in St. Petersburg at the end of 2017.
In October 2015 a bomb downed a Russian plane flying over the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, killing 224 people.
An ISIS affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack saying it was in retaliation for airstrikes in Syria.
Chad and Mali
These countries have faced a strong ISIS presence because of their own instability.
It is rumoured that five countries in West Africa - Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Mauritania - are joining forces to fight ISIS.
In 2017, a “large cache of different types of weapons” including machine guns intercepted by Chadian authorities on its way to Boko Haram.
Indonesia
The threat from Islamist extremism remains high, although the Indonesian authorities are working 24/7 to combat attacks.
On 14 May 2018 there was a huge explosion at a security post of police headquarters in Surabaya, causing a number of deaths and casualties.
Just 24 hours earlier there were explosions at three churches in Surabaya in East Java causing a number of deaths and casualties.
On 14 January 2016 a terrorist attack took place near the Sari Pan Pacific Hotel and Sarinah Plaza on Jalan M.H. Thamrin in central Jakarta.
The country is now seen as a major recruiting ground for ISIS.
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Philippines
ISIS had a strong presence in Mindanao in the south in 2017, even managing to control the city of Marawi for a period of time.
Reports in 2018 indicate ISIS’ power has diminished after local organisations cooperated with government to rout them out.
However, it’s estimated ISIS still has hundreds of fighters in the country.
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