The terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) has called on its supporters to use the time of the Ukraine war for attacks in Europe.
(dpa) Europe is “going through a hot phase” and IS supporters should seize this opportunity, a spokesman for the group said in an audio message. The terrorist militia wants to avenge the death of their former leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Kuraishi.
Al-Qurayshi was killed in a US military operation in north-west Syria in early February. According to Washington, he blew himself up to avoid being held accountable for his actions. Al-Kuraishi is said to have been one of those primarily responsible for the genocide of the Yazidi religious minority in north-west Iraq.
Observers warn of an upswing for jihadists
The IS hopes that the war in Ukraine will not end before it has destroyed the people in the west and torn up the areas there, the audio message said. Their authenticity could not initially be verified. However, it was spread through the extremists’ usual social media channels.
For years, the IS controlled large areas in Iraq and in the neighboring civil war country Syria. In the meantime, the extremists have lost their dominion again. However, IS cells are still active in both countries. Observers warn that the jihadists are experiencing an upswing again.