2015 Ramadan attacks

"2015 Ramadan attacks"
Location	Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, France Kuwait City, Kuwait Sousse, Tunisia Kobanî, Syria Al-Hasakah, Syria Leego, Somalia
Date	25–29 June 2015
Deaths	403+ (not including attackers)
Injured	336+
Perpetrator	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

On 26 June 2015, attacks occurred in France, Kuwait, Syria, Somalia, and Tunisia, one day following a deadly massacre in Syria. The day of attacks has been dubbed "Bloody Friday" by international media and "Black Friday" (French: Vendredi Noir) among Francophone media in Europe and North Africa.

One attack at a Tunisian beach resort killed 39; a bombing at a Shia mosque in Kuwait City killed 27 and injured several; while in Kobanî a large-scale massacre by ISIL resulted in more than 223 civilians murdered, in line with over 79 assailants (including 13 suicide bombers) and 23 Kurdish militiamen, dubbed the second largest massacre by ISIL since summer 2014; a suicide bombing by ISIL in Al-Hasakeh, also in Syria, resulted in 20 fatalities; Al-Shabaab militants brutally killed 70 African Union soldiers from Burundi in Leego in Somalia; finally, one man was decapitated, while several were injured during the Saint-Quentin-Fallavier attack in France.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant senior leader Abu Mohammad al-Adnani had released an audio message three days earlier encouraging militants everywhere to attack during the month of Ramadan. ISIL also claimed responsibility for the attacks in Tunisia, Syria and Kuwait.

According to The Guardian, there is no evidence that the attacks were coordinated among the perpetrators, but their timing on a single day has received significant focused coverage. One security analyst said the attacks added up to "an unprecedented day for terrorism." In total, more than 403 people have died and 336 injured (not including attackers), with the final numbers not yet determined.

Background

Three days before the attack, ISIL's Abu Mohammad al-Adnani called on jihadists to “make the month of Ramadan a calamity on the apostates” by initiating attacks and seeking “martyrdom.” The three attacks in France, Kuwait and Tunisia were launched early on Friday morning.

Question of coordination of the attacks

The attacks took place three days before the one-year anniversary of ISIL declaring itself a caliphate on 29 June 2014. Writing for The Guardian, journalist Kareem Shaheen wrote that, "There was no evidence that the near-simultaneous attacks were coordinated, but they highlighted the growing threat of attacks by jihadists, some of them inspired by Isis rhetoric, across Europe, Africa and the Middle East." British professor Sajjan Gohel, the international security director for the Asia-Pacific Foundation think tank, said the attacks added up to "an unprecedented day for terrorism," and that while details of the planning were still unclear, it involved individuals "buying into the ... doctrine that groups like ISIS articulate." They also occurred on Friday, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, following an ISIL leader’s call to make the month of Ramadan a time of "calamity for the infidels."

Journalist Vivienne Walt wrote for Time that the attacks in France, Kuwait and Syria left "an impression that the group had adopted a new tactic of launching punitive external attacks rather than just focusing on state-building and territorial acquisition." The three attacks plus the killings in Kobanî "do not appear to have any military purpose and may suggest that ISIS has decided to pursue its war for territory in tandem with its war against the world of unbelievers, which includes almost everyone," Walt wrote.

Long-term impact

On 27 June, Politico reported that U.S. intelligence agencies were reassessing their previous characterization of ISIL as a “regional threat.” In a February 2015 report, Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper classified ISIL as a "regional threat" and wrote: “In an attempt to strengthen its self-declared caliphate, ISIL probably plans to conduct operations against regional allies, Western facilities, and personnel in the Middle East.” U.S. Congressman Ed Royce, the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, told Politico, “These attacks show that the [ISIL] threat is spreading well beyond Iraq and Syria. A continued safe-haven there means more attacks across the region, Europe and even here at home.... We also must destroy the online messaging that attracts so many young people with the counter message that [ISIL] offers no peace, no community, and no future.”

Attacks

Kobanî

Main article: Kobanî massacre

On 25 June, ISIL fighters launched an attack on the Kurdish-held town of Kobanî, Syria, infiltrating the city en-masse and killing scores of civilians with guns and a series of suicide bombs. The attacks resulted in over 230 civilians dead, as well as 79 ISIL assailants and 23 YPG militia men. It was named the second largest civilian massacre by ISIL since it declared itself a caliphate on 29 June 2014.

Saint-Quentin-Fallavier

Main article: Saint-Quentin-Fallavier attack

On 26 June 2015, Islamist delivery driver Yassine Salhi decapitated a man and rammed a company van into gas cylinders at a gas factory near Lyon, causing an explosion and injuring two others. Three other people, including Salhi's wife and sister, were later arrested.

Kuwait City

Main article: 2015 Kuwait mosque bombing

A suicide bombing took place on 26 June 2015 in Kuwait at a Shia mosque. The attack was claimed by ISIL. The Emir of Kuwait visited the location of the incident minutes after it happened.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has claimed responsibility for the attack, and called the perpetrator "Abu Sulaiman al-Muwahhid."

Sousse

Main article: 2015 Sousse attacks

The Sousse attacks occurred on 26 June 2015 in the Tunisian town of Sousse. At least 39 people, mostly European tourists, were killed when an armed gunman attacked two hotels on the beach. ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack. Reports have since surfaced of alleged involvement and co-operation between the gunmen Seifeddine Rezgui and Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia.

Hasakeh

An ISIL suicide bomber killed at least 20 people in the city of Hasakeh.

Leego

Although not directly linked to the above attacks, Al Shabaab militants attack an African Union base in the Leego district of Somalia and kills more than 70 African Union soldiers and seizes control of their military base.

See also

• January 2015 Île-de-France attacks
• Charlie Hebdo shooting
• November 2015 Paris attacks