On 26 June 2015, attacks occurred in France, Kuwait, and Tunisia, one day following a deadly massacre in Syria. The day of the attacks was dubbed "Bloody Friday" by Anglophone media and "Black Friday" () 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 Kobani, also Kobane, officially Ayn al-Arab, is a Kurdish-majority city in the Ayn al-Arab District in northern Syria, lying immediately south of the Syria–Turkey border. As a consequence of the Syrian civil war, the city came under the co ...

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 killed 70 African Union soldiers from

Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...

in Leego,

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

; finally, one man was decapitated, while several were injured during the Saint-Quentin-Fallavier attack in France.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...

senior leader Abu Mohammad al-Adnani had released an audio message three days earlier encouraging militants everywhere to attack during the month of

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

. ISIL also claimed responsibility for the attacks in Tunisia, Syria and Kuwait. According to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', there is no evidence that the attacks were coordinated among the perpetrators, but their timing on a single day received significant coverage. One security analyst said the attacks added up to "an unprecedented day for terrorism." In total, more than 403 people died and 336 were injured, not including any attackers involved.

Background

On 7 June, the

Institute for the Study of War The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is an American nonprofit research group and advocacy think tank founded in 2007 by military historian Kimberly Kagan and headquartered in Washington, D.C. ISW provides research and analysis of modern arm ...

released a statement predicting that simultaneous terror attacks would take place at around 29 June, marking the one-year anniversary of the terrorist group

ISIL The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signif ...

declaring itself to be a state. The statement noted that the ISIL's precursor organization

Al-Qaeda in Iraq Al-Qaeda in Iraq (; AQI), was a Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization affiliated with al-Qaeda. It was founded on 17 October 2004, and was led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi until its disbandment on 15 October 2006 after he was killed in a targ ...

(AQI) had a history of elevating violence during Ramadan. The paper said that ISIL was "likely preparing a surge of operations" during Ramadan to stoke regional sectarian and religious war, and to create military momentum. The paper argued that AQI had a history of promoting sectarian violence though the 2006 al-Askari mosque bombing, and that ISIL would use the movement of religious pilgrims during Ramadan to infiltrate soldiers into Shi'a areas, and also "likely target Shi’a populations outside of Iraq and Syria, particularly in Yemen and Saudi Arabia and possibly further abroad." 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 ''

'', 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 A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

, 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 Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' 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 ''Politico'' (stylized in all caps), known originally as ''The Politico'', is an American political digital newspaper company founded by American banker and media executive Robert Allbritton in 2007. It covers politics and policy in the Unit ...

'' 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 James Robert Clapper Jr. (born March 14, 1941) is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Air Force and former Director of National Intelligence. Clapper has held several key positions within the United States Intelligence Community. ...

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 The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affairs ...

, told ''Politico'', “These attacks show that the SILthreat 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 SILoffers no peace, no community, and no future.”

Attacks

Kobanî

On 25 June, ISIL fighters launched an attack on the Kurdish-held town of

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, 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

On 26 June, Islamist delivery driver Yassine Salhi decapitated a man and rammed a company van into gas cylinders at a gas factory near

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, causing an explosion and injuring two others. Three other people, including Salhi's wife and sister, were later arrested.

Kuwait City

A suicide bombing took place on 26 June in

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

at a

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

mosque killing 27 people. The attack was claimed by ISIL. The

Emir of Kuwait The Emir of the State of Kuwait () is the monarch and head of state of Kuwait, and is the country's most powerful office. The emirs of Kuwait are members of the Al Sabah dynasty. Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah became the emir of Kuwa ...

visited the location of the incident minutes after it happened. The

(ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attack, and identified the perpetrator as "Abu Sulaiman al-Muwahhid". On 14 September, the court ruled that 15 out of 29 suspects had been found guilty, with seven receiving death sentences (five

in absentia ''In Absentia'' is the seventh studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released on 24 September 2002. The album marked several changes for the band, with it being the first with new drummer Gavin Harrison and the f ...

Sousse

The Sousse attacks occurred on 26 June in the Tunisian town of

Sousse Sousse, Sūsah , or Soussa (, ), is a city in Tunisia, capital of the Sousse Governorate. Located south of the capital Tunis, the city has 271,428 inhabitants (2014). Sousse is in the central-east of the country, on the Gulf of Hammamet, which ...

. 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.

Leego

On 26 June, al-Shabaab militants attacked an

African Union Mission to Somalia The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was a Multinational force formed by the African Union. The operation deployed to Somalia soon after the Islamic Courts Union was deposed by troops from Ethiopia during a large scale invasion in l ...

(AMISOM) base in the Leego district of

and killed more than 70

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The b ...

soldiers. The militants seized control of the military base. Somali and AMISOM troops reportedly retook the base and town on 28 June while withdrew and offered no resistance to them, but not before beheading the local deputy district commissioner among the captives they took.

References