Palm Beach, United States:

The United States military on Saturday conducted air strikes on Islamic State group targets in Somalia, President Donald Trump announced.

“This morning I ordered precision Military air strikes on the Senior ISIS Attack Planner and other terrorists he recruited and led in Somalia,” Trump said on Truth Social.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes targeted IS-Somalia operatives in the Golis mountains in the semi-autonomous Puntland region. “Our initial assessment is that multiple operatives were killed in the airstrikes and no civilians were harmed,” Hegseth said in a statement.

Local commanders confirmed the strikes to AFP.

“We don’t know so far the number of the casualties, but we believe the missiles precisely hit the targets,” Mohamed Ali, a military commander in Bossaso area, told AFP by phone.

“We believe there are casualties of the terrorist leaders, including the foreigners who the Puntland forces were chasing in the last few days,” he said. 

Abdirahman Adan, another member of the army in a nearby area, said they heard “five loud explosions” and saw smoke over the targeted area. 

Puntland has not commented officially about the airstrike so far.

Hegseth said the strikes further degrade “ISIS’s ability to plot and conduct terrorist attacks threatening US citizens, our partners, and innocent civilians and sends a clear signal that the United States always stands ready to find and eliminate terrorists who threaten the United States and our allies.”

Islamic State has a relatively small presence in Somalia compared to the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab, but experts have warned of growing activity.

“The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that ‘WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU!'” Trump said in his post.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

US said Islamic State is hoping to stage a comeback in Syria following fall of Assad regime.

Washington:

A U.S. Army veteran who flew a black Islamic State flag on a truck that he rammed into New Year’s revelers in New Orleans shows how the extremist group still retains the ability to inspire violence despite suffering years of losses to a U.S.-led military coalition.

At the height of its power from 2014-2017, the Islamic State “caliphate” imposed death and torture on communities in vast swathes of Iraq and Syria and enjoyed franchises across the Middle East.

Its then-leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, killed in 2019 by U.S. special forces in northwestern Syria, rose from obscurity to lead the ultra-hardline group and declare himself “caliph” of all Muslims.

The caliphate collapsed in 2017 in Iraq, where it once had a base just a 30-minute drive from Baghdad, and in Syria in 2019, after a sustained military campaign by a U.S.-led coalition.

Islamic State responded by scattering in autonomous cells, its leadership is clandestine and its overall size is hard to quantify. The U.N. estimates it at 10,000 in its heartlands.

The U.S.-led coalition, including some 4,000 U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq, has continued hammering the militants with airstrikes and raids that the U.S. military says have seen hundreds of fighters and leaders killed and captured.

Yet Islamic State has managed some major operations while striving to rebuild and it continues to inspire lone wolf attacks such as the one in New Orleans which killed 14 people.

Those assaults include one by gunmen on a Russian music hall in March 2024 that killed at least 143 people, and two explosions targeting an official ceremony in the Iranian city of Kerman in January 2024 that killed nearly 100.

Despite the counterterrorism pressure, ISIS has regrouped, “repaired its media operations, and restarted external plotting,” Acting U.S. Director for the National Counterterrorism Center Brett Holmgren warned in October.

Geopolitical factors have aided Islamic State. Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has caused widespread anger that jihadists use for recruitment. The risks to Syrian Kurds who are holding thousands of Islamic State prisoners could also create an opening for the group.

Islamic State has not claimed responsibility for the New Orleans attack or praised it on its social media sites, although its supporters have, U.S. law enforcement agencies said.

A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there had been growing concern about Islamic State increasing its recruiting efforts and resurging in Syria.

Those worries were heightened after the fall in December of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the potential for the militant group to fill the vacuum.

‘MOMENTS OF PROMISE’

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that Islamic State will try to use this period of uncertainty to re-establish capabilities in Syria, but said the United States is determined not to let that happen.

“History shows how quickly moments of promise can descend into conflict and violence,” he said.

A U.N. team that monitors Islamic State activities reported to the U.N. Security Council in July a “risk of resurgence” of the group in the Middle East and increased concerns about the ability of its Afghanistan-based affiliate, ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), to mount attacks outside the country.

European governments viewed ISIS-K as “the greatest external terrorist threat to Europe,” it said.

“In addition to the executed attacks, the number of plots disrupted or being tracked through the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Levant, Asia, Europe, and potentially as far as North America is striking,” the team said.

Jim Jeffrey, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and Turkey, and Special Envoy to the Global Coalition To Defeat Islamic State, said the group has long sought to motivate lone wolf attacks like the one in New Orleans.

Its threat, however, remains efforts by ISIS-K to launch major mass casualty attacks like those seen in Moscow and Iran, and in Europe in 2015 and 2016, he said.

ISIS also has continued to focus on Africa.

This week, it said 12 Islamic State militants using booby-trapped vehicles attacked a military base on Tuesday in Somalia’s northeastern region of Puntland, killing around 22 soldiers and wounding dozens more.

It called the assault “the blow of the year. A complex attack that is first of its kind.”

Security analysts say Islamic State in Somalia has grown in strength because of an influx of foreign fighters and more revenue from extorting local businesses, becoming the group’s “nerve centre” in Africa.

‘PATH TO RADICALIZATION’

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Texas native and U.S. Army veteran who once served in Afghanistan, acted alone in the New Orleans attack, the FBI said on Thursday.

Jabbar appeared to have made recordings in which he condemned music, drugs and alcohol, restrictions that echo Islamic State’s playbook.

Investigators were looking into Jabbar’s “path to radicalization,” uncertain how he transformed from military veteran, real-estate agent and one-time employee of the major tax and consulting firm Deloitte into someone who was “100 percent inspired by ISIS,” an acronym for Islamic State.

U.S. intelligence and homeland security officials in recent months have warned local law enforcement about the potential for foreign extremist groups, such as ISIS, to target large public gatherings, specifically with vehicle-ramming attacks, according to intelligence bulletins reviewed by Reuters.

U.S. Central Command said in a public statement in June that Islamic State was attempting to “reconstitute following several years of decreased capability.”

CENTCOM said it based its assessment on Islamic State claims of mounting 153 attacks in Iraq and Syria in the first half of 2024, a rate which would put the group “on pace to more than double the number of attacks” claimed the year before.

H.A. Hellyer, an expert in Middle East studies and senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, said it was unlikely Islamic State would gain considerable territory again.

He said ISIS and other non-state actors continue to pose a danger, but more due to their ability to unleash “random acts of violence” than by being a territorial entity.

“Not in Syria or Iraq, but there are other places in Africa that a limited amount of territorial control might be possible for a time,” Hellyer said, “but I don’t see that as likely, not as the precursor to a serious comeback.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

Following the terrorist attack in New Orleans where an ISIS supporter rammed a car into a crowd during New Year’s celebrations, President Joe Biden on Thursday (local time) reassured that US will relentlessly pursue ISIS and other terrorist organisation.

“We are going to relentlessly pursue ISIS and other terrorist organisations where they are and they will find no safe harbor here,” Biden said.

Biden informed that 15 people, including the attacker, had been killed in the attack. He then assured that no one else was involved in the attack.

“The number of people killed in New Orleans has risen to 15, including the attacker, 35 people were injured. Today the FBI briefed me that as of now, we have no information that anyone else is involved in the attack. They’ve established that the attacker was the same person who planted the explosives in those ice coolers in two nearby locations in the French Quarter just a few hours before he rammed into the crowd with his vehicle,” Biden said.

Biden further reiterated that the attacker Shamsud Din Jabbar from whom vehicle an ISIS flag was found, has indicated his support for the terrorist organisations in the videos he made.

“As I said yesterday, the attacker posted several videos just several hours before the attack indicating his strong support for ISIS. Federal law enforcement and the intelligence community are actively investigating any foreign or domestic contacts and connections that could possibly be relevant to the attack,”

Moreover, speaking about the possible connection between the New Orleans attack and the Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion, Biden said that the investigation is still going on, however, no evidence of such a connection has been found thus far.

A Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas killing one person and injuring seven others. The vehicles used in both incidents were rented from a car rental site, ‘Turo’, prompting authorities to look for links between the two events, CNN reported.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Picture this: the current interim government in Syria, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), gives way to an elected government. Under this fledgling democratic setup, a phoenix-like Syria rises from the ashes of its long, bloody civil war. Millions of Syrian refugees and internally displaced people are returning home joyously; investors are trickling in; broken infrastructure is being rebuilt; signs of productivity and employment are breathing life into an economy that had been on life support for years under the misrule of former dictator-President Bashar al-Assad.

Not ideal. But certainly a dream start in a collective effort to rebuild Syria. This could be the best case scenario for Syria in the near future.

Now, consider the flip side: the HTS-led rebels, having accomplished their main mission of ousting the Assad regime, begin to implode. Factions within HTS are suddenly in a cutthroat race to outdo each other in chaos and infighting. Meanwhile, the Syrian National Army (SNA) (the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army), and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) (the US-backed Kurdish-led alliance), aren’t just holding ground, they are flexing their muscles and making power grabs for Damascus. Russian military bases remain firmly planted along the coast, Israeli forces patrol the southern fringes, US troops stick to their northeast corner and Turkey remains a strong influence and a key player. Not to be outdone, Iran is busy trying to rebuild its covert web of influence.

This, I am afraid, could possibly be Syria’s worst-case scenario in the coming months and years. 

A Game Of Chess

As 2024 draws to a close, a year that has been nothing short of seismic for West Asia, Syria stands at a crossroads—a precarious, nail-biting threshold where the future is frustratingly unpredictable.

The collapse of the Assad dynasty’s 54-year authoritarian rule has sparked a glimmer of hope for millions of long-suffering Syrians. But it’s also thrown them headfirst into uncharted waters.

If you look closely, Syria appears to be a giant geopolitical chessboard, with too many players hovering over the pieces, waiting to see who dares make the first move. For now, it’s all guesswork and a high-stakes game of wait-and-watch.

But amid Syria’s turmoil, HTS, once the al-Nusra Front, has swapped its militant garb for Western-style suits as its leader, Abu al-Jolani—who now prefers to call himself by his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa—attempts a political makeover. Western powers, while still labelling HTS a terrorist group, are taking a wait and see approach. They have laid down the terms: protect minorities, ensure a peaceful transition and maybe earn relief from sanctions. But skepticism lingers.

Turkey continues its game of geopolitical chess, backing the Syrian National Army (SNA) against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which it accuses of being a PKK front. Ankara insists the PKK, a long-time thorn in its side, be disarmed. Meanwhile, the US and UK champion the SDF cause for its role in thrashing the Islamic State terrorists. — while all the while trying to mollify Turkey’s security concerns. HTS, for its part, plays the diplomat, subtly supporting “freedom” for SDF areas while trying to keep the PKK card out of play.

The fall of Assad is a hard punch to Iran’s “axis of resistance,” slicing through its supply line to Hezbollah in Lebanon and unravelling a carefully knit network of proxies. Israel, never one to miss an opportunity, has stepped up its airstrikes—nearly 500 so far—on Syrian targets while expressing its intention to expand settlements in the Golan Heights. If anyone thought Assad’s departure would calm the waters, Israel’s actions suggest otherwise.

As for the Islamic State, rumours of its demise were premature. The Americans, who once boasted of defeating it forever, now acknowledge that the group is making a comeback, with attacks in Syria doubling in 2024. 

The US, with its 900 boots on Syrian ground, is keeping a wary eye while managing detention camps teeming with Islamic State fighters and their families—a breeding ground for trouble.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council’s 2015 resolution to work on a new Syrian constitution and elections remains unfinished business. So, watch out, as in this theatre of chaos, the script is still being written—an act that will continue even after we enter 2025—with far too many authors vying to write its final chapter.

High-Stakes Drama

West Asia has long been synonymous with power plays, ideological tussles and resource-driven strategies. The region remains a playground for US military might, still calling the shots. In 2024, brinkmanship hit new heights, with the Israel-Iran face-off narrowly avoiding a full-scale regional war.

The year also witnessed relentless violence between Israel and Hamas, with Hezbollah adding fuel to the fire. Over 45,000 Palestinians have been killed, and nearly 90% of Gaza’s population has been left homeless. On November 21, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes during the Israel-Hamas war—an unprecedented move against the leader of a major Western ally.

Many analysts believe Prime Minister Netanyahu’s expansionist policies and hardline stance have sparked global outrage, yet Arab support for Palestine remains inconsistent, limited to fiery rhetoric rather than meaningful action. The conflict continues to derail efforts to normalise relations between Israel and Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia under the Abraham Accords which was initiated by Donald Trump in his first term.

Fragile Peace, Lingering Rivalries

The much-lauded 2023 China-brokered rapprochement between arch-rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia is already showing cracks. In 2024, their simmering rivalries have resurfaced, with Syria at the heart of the dispute. Iran is pressuring Syria’s interim government to honour a reported $30 billion bilateral assistance deal—not so much for the cash, but to keep its foothold in a post-Assad Syria. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s attention remains divided between Yemen’s quagmire and its ‘Vision 2030’ ambitions. This fragile peace risks unravelling under unresolved tensions. Proxy conflicts in Yemen and Iraq could continue to simmer or boil over, potentially reigniting destabilising confrontations or paving the way for genuine regional integration.

US Retreat And Regional Power Shifts

Many Western analysts believe that the Biden administration’s pivot to checkmating China has left West Asia playing a game of geopolitical musical chairs. Turkey is flexing its muscles as a mediator and powerbroker, while the UAE expands its influence through savvy economic deals and security initiatives. Russia, despite internal struggles, clings on to its strategic edge with military bases in Syria. A diminished US presence creates opportunities for regional powers to step up but also risks heightening competition. As Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia vie for dominance, West Asia’s future looks more unpredictable.

Beyond Oil

OPEC production cuts in 2024 reinforced the region’s dependence on crude, even as some member nations look to diversify. Saudi Arabia’s NEOM megacity and green energy projects symbolise ambitions for a post-oil future. Success in diversification could stabilise the region, but failure would leave many nations vulnerable to socio-economic upheaval in a world moving beyond oil.

A Powerbroker In Waiting

Turkey seems to be in pole position to spearhead Syria’s reconstruction and play a significant role in stabilising West Asia. With its embassy in Damascus reopening after 12 years, Ankara is signalling its intent to play a pivotal role in Syria’s recovery from civil war and economic devastation. In the long run, Turkey’s influence is likely to grow as it navigates this complex rebuilding effort.

For Turkey and the European Union, the stakes are high. The promise of a stable Syria isn’t just about altruism; it’s a strategic necessity. During her visit to Ankara on December 17, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an additional $1 billion in funding to Turkey for refugee support—a timely acknowledgement of Turkey’s heavy lifting. Hosting around 3.5 million Syrian refugees, Turkey has shouldered the brunt of the crisis, while the EU has absorbed over 1.5 million refugees since the conflict began in 2011.

If Turkey can balance its role as both a regional power and a bridge to the West, it could turn this moment into a diplomatic and humanitarian win. This will also have a stabilising influence in the entire West Asian countries. 

Trump Factor 

West Asia in 2024 stands at a crossroads. While the region faces numerous challenges—from political instability to economic dependence on oil —there are also opportunities for transformation. Whether 2025 becomes a year of renewal or regression depends on the choices made by regional and global actors alike. The Trump factor is going to have a significant say in how the new year and beyond will pan out for West Asia. So far, very mixed signals have come from the incoming Trump administration about the extent of its plans to be actively involved in the region. Until that is clear I believe no regional player will be willing to take any decisive step just yet.

But as the curtain falls on 2024, one thing is clear, West Asia will remain a region whose dynamics will continue to shape the world for years to come.

(Syed Zubair Ahmed is a London-based senior Indian journalist with three decades of experience with the Western media)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

Washington:

The United States provided intelligence to Austria that helped disrupt an alleged Islamic State plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert, the White House confirmed Friday.

“We work closely with partners all over the world to monitor and disrupt threats,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters

“As part of that work, the United States did share information with Austrian partners to enable the disruption of a threat to Taylor Swift’s concert in Vienna,” he said.

Three alleged Islamic State sympathizers have been arrested on charges of plotting a suicide attack at the megastar’s concert in Vienna.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Vienna:

The Vienna leg of a tour by American mega-star Taylor Swift has been cancelled after Austria arrested a man in connection with an Islamist attack plot, the organisers said Wednesday.

Authorities had earlier confirmed the arrest of a 19-year-old Islamic State (IS) group sympathiser for allegedly planning an Islamist attack in the Vienna region, warning he had a “focus” on Swift’s three upcoming shows. 

“With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” Barracuda Music said on Instagram.

The organisers added that all would-be concert-goers would have their tickets refunded. About 65,000 spectators were expected at each show scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The man, who had pledged his allegiance to IS “in recent weeks”, was detained in Lower Austria about an hour from the capital early on Wednesday, Austria’s top security chief Franz Ruf told a press conference.

“We have established corresponding preparatory acts and also that there is a focus of the 19-year-old perpetrator on the Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna,” Ruf said.

He said that chemical substances had been seized at the suspect’s home.

A second person believed to have been in contact with the suspect was arrested in Vienna.

According to initial investigation findings, both suspects radicalised themselves on the internet.

In November 2020, a convicted IS sympathiser went on a shooting rampage in downtown Vienna, killing four and wounding 23 others before police shot him dead.

It marked the Alpine nation’s first deadly jihadist attack.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

A senior ISIS official was killed in a US airstrike in Syria on Sunday, the US Central Command said in a statement on Wednesday (local time). The senior ISIS official and facilitator have been identified as Usamah Jamal Muhammad Ibrahim al-Janabi.

The US Central Command said that his death would disrupt ISIS’s ability to conduct terror attacks.

In a statement shared on X, US Central Command stated, “US Central Command Airstrike in Syria Kills Senior ISIS Official On June 16, US Central Command conducted an airstrike in Syria, killing Usamah Jamal Muhammad Ibrahim al-Janabi, a senior ISIS official and facilitator.”

“His death will disrupt ISIS’s ability to resource and conduct terror attacks. CENTCOM, alongside allies and partners in the region, will continue to execute operations to degrade ISIS’s operational capabilities and ensure its enduring defeat. There is no indication any civilians were harmed in this strike,” it added.

The US military continues to target ISIS officials in Africa and the Middle East, CNN reported. Nearly three weeks back, an airstrike conducted in a remote area near Dhaardaar in Somalia was assessed to have killed three ISIS terrorists, CNN reported, citing US Africa Command.

From January to March, CENTCOM and its partners killed seven ISIS operatives and detained 27 others in Syria. During the same time period, 11 operatives were killed and 36 people were detained in Iraq, the report said.

Earlier in April, CENTCOM commander General Erik Kurilla said, “We are committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS because of the threat they pose both regionally and globally,” CNN reported.

General Kurilla further said, “We continue to focus our efforts on specifically targeting those members of ISIS who are seeking to conduct external operations outside of Iraq and Syria and those ISIS members attempting to break out ISIS members in detention in an attempt to reconstitute their forces.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Moscow:

Two prison guards at a jail in southern Russia have been freed without harm after they were taken hostage by Islamic State inmates, with the assailants “liquidated”, the country’s prison service said Sunday.

“During a special operation… the criminals were liquidated and the employees taken hostage were freed and were not wounded,” the service said in a statement.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Four ISIS terrorists were arrested in Ahmedabad yesterday, days after the city airport received a bomb threat. The terrorists – believed to be Sri Lankan nationals – were arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad after a tip-off.

Giving details of the operation to arrest the four ISIS terrorists, police said multiple teams were formed after the officials received the information that the suspects were planning to travel to Ahmedabad to carry out terror attacks in India.

Vikash Sahay, Director General of Police, Gujarat, said these four terrorists had boarded an IndiGo flight bound for Ahmedabad from Chennai yesterday. “The arrests were made after checking the list of passengers coming from the Southern region and getting their identities confirmed by officials in Colombo,” he said.

Police said the four men “had been in touch with a man named Abu in Pakistan through social media”.

“Abu encouraged them to carry out a terror attack in India. They were so radicalised that they also agreed to suicide bombing. Pakistani resident Abu also gave them 4 lakh rupees in Sri Lankan currency,” Mr Sahay said.

They were also communicating with the ISIS leaders through Proton Mail, an end-to-end encrypted email service, officials said.

Officials said the suspects – Mohammad Nusrat (33), Mohammad Farish (35), Mohammad Nafran (27) and Mohammad Rashdeen (43) – wanted to “teach a lesson” to Jews, Christians and the members of the BJP and RSS.

“Evidence showing their commitment to join ISIS and follow the path shown by former ISIS Chief Abu Bakr Baghdadi,” they said.

The Ahmedabad airport on May 12 received a bomb threat email which turned out to be a hoax after security personnel searched the airport complex, but nothing suspicious was found.