Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 27 June 2024

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters.

Evidence mounts Islamic State is looking to the US southern border

VOA reports:

U.S. intelligence and security officials are increasing their focus on the country’s southern border, worried the constant flow of migrants has attracted the attention of the Islamic State terror group. The heightened concern follows the arrests earlier this month of eight men from Tajikistan, all of whom entered the United States via its southern border with Mexico, some making the trip over a year ago. While the initial background checks came up clean, U.S. law enforcement subsequently turned up information indicating potential ties to the Islamic State group, also known as IS or ISIS.

• “It’s not lost on us that the people who killed over 150 Russians in that theater were from the same part of the world,” said Ken Wainstein, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s undersecretary for intelligence and analysis, referring to the March attack on a Moscow concert hall, claimed by the terror group’s Afghan affiliate.
• But he sought to downplay concerns stemming from intelligence suggesting that the IS-linked human smuggling network may have brought more than 400 migrants from Central Asia into the U.S., across the southern border. “There is not information which suggests those particular individuals are terrorist operatives,” Wainstein told lawmakers.

Related Article:

• ISKP’s Latest Campaign: Expanded Propaganda and External Operations (Islamic State Khurasan Province)
• DHS identifies over 400 migrants brought to the U.S. by an ISIS-affiliated human smuggling network (nbcnews.com)

Analyst Comments:

ISIS has shown that it is capable of carrying out Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attacks. Faith-Based Organizations should consider immediately increasing their security posture if there is a terrorist attack in their region. The attack may be just the start of a Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack, similar to the terrorists attacking churches, synagogues and police posts in Dagestan, Russia.

Resources:

• FEMA: Planning Considerations: Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attacks
• CISA: Complex Coordinated Attacks: Security Awareness for Soft Targets and Crowded Places

2023 Report on International Religious Freedom – United States Department of State

The US Department of State report describes the status of religious freedom throughout the world. The 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom website reports on countries individually.

From the State Department website:

“The Department of State submits this annual report to the Congress in compliance with section 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-292), as amended.  This report covers the period between January 1 and December 31, 2023.

U.S. embassies prepare the initial drafts of country chapters based on information from government officials, religious groups, nongovernmental organizations, journalists, human rights monitors, academics, media, and others.  The Office of International Religious Freedom, based in Washington, collaborates in collecting and analyzing additional information, drawing on its consultations with foreign government officials, domestic and foreign religious groups and nongovernmental organizations, multilateral and other international and regional organizations, journalists, academic experts, community leaders, and other relevant U.S. government institutions.”

Related Article:

• US criticizes China in international religious freedom report
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken 2023 International Religious Freedom Report Rollout

Analyst Comments:

For information on a particular county, go to the report website. To review an individual country, go to “Location” and the “Select a Location” drop down menu.

Each individual country report provides:

• Executive Summary
• Religious Demography
• Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom
• Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom
• S. Government Policy and Engagement

These individual country reports may assist Faith-Based Organizations in planning safety and security for current and future overseas operations and could inform mission preparedness activities.