Muslim Jihadists Killed Over Five Thousand People in One Month

Results of a study show that in the month of November alone, over five thousand people were killed worldwide by jihadist Islamist groups, with most of the victims being civilians and Muslims. This research was conducted by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and BBC, and its results were published in the Thursday, December 20 issue of the British newspaper The Guardian. According to this research, about 60% of the murders in November were carried out by two Islamist groups: the Islamic State and Boko Haram, with the Islamic State (ISIS) responsible for 2,206 killings, Boko Haram for 801, and the Taliban for 720. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Al-Shabaab, Al-Nusra Front, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar follow in the statistics. The exact number of murders by jihadist Islamist groups in November is 5,042, with 1,770 killed in Iraq, 786 in Nigeria, 782 in Afghanistan, and 693 in Syria. Of the jihadist victims in November 2014, 2,093 were civilians and 1,723 were military personnel. Additionally, 147 police officers and 84 officials were among the 5,042 total. The researchers concluded that jihadist Islamist groups are 'in the midst of a transformation,' shifting their strategy from 'terrorist operations' to 'gaining and holding new territories through battles with government armies.' In this context, a documentary about the field presence of Iranian military personnel in Syria has been released. ISIS has taken a 'defensive position' in some areas of Iraq. Reuters reports that the UN views the potential presence of Soleimani in Iraq as a violation of sanctions. Iraq has called for increased airstrikes from the coalition and the receipt of heavy weapons. Kerry has called for a new military authorization for operations against ISIS. The changing battlefield of 'proxy wars' continues; the war against the people in the streets of Iran raises questions about the responsibility of opponents and the potential radicalization of Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran comes amid the Iranian crisis.