Amn al-Kharji: An Analysis of External Operations Wing of the Islamic State

Abstract

This article provides an analysis of the external operations wing of IS –the so-called Amn al-Kharji – focusing on its activities in the West. Apart from describing the organisation’s leadership, internal hierarchy, strategy and means of communication and attack coordination, the author asserts there is a link between recent deadly cells-based attacks and generally unsuccessful lone actor attacks; this connection between the two is not accidental but a result of a grand strategy, designed to hide the planning of larger plots by overloading security services with numerous smaller attacks.