Thread by @caleb_weiss7

1. Pleased to finally share Team Bridgeway’s latest article @CTCWP on the ADF, this time looking at how last year, 2021, was the most transformative year for the Islamic State’s Central Africa Province. #Congo #Uganda ctc.westpoint.edu/the-rising-thr…

2. Namely, 2021 saw the group transform in 7 major ways: surging in propaganda, producing beheading videos, beginning suicide operations, public outreach and da’wah, deepening foreign recruitment, exporting its terror abroad, and more frequent clashes with rival armed groups.

3. Meanwhile on the ground in eastern #Congo, the group’s areas of operation expanded exponentially, with it leaving almost 1300 civilians dead. This is almost three times the death toll of 2019 and more than a 50% increase over 2020’s total.

4. In all of these facets, these changes were all explained and enabled to varying degrees by the group’s deepening linkages to the Islamic State’s transnational network. In essence, it is *because* of the Islamic State the ADF is undertaking these transformations.

5. Either by diktats from the Islamic State's central leadership and media apparatus or through the ADF itself adopting the traditional norms of the IS brand, the ADF's relationship with the Islamic State can account for how the group sees itself and thus how it operates.

6. This article is based on our fieldwork across five countries - DRC, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Somaliland - over the last two years. We also drew upon open-source research in English, French, Arabic, and Swahili, making for a comprehensive look into these changes.

7. We are profoundly thankful to @CruickshankPaul and @warnjason, as both of them worked tirelessly (and patiently) to help us get this article into tip-top shape. We also thank @KristinaKHummel, who continues to work her editing magic.

8. Lastly, @ryanmofarrell and I are looking forward to hearing y'all's thoughts, comments, concerns, or any general feedback on our article and our overall arguments. We look forward to engaging in thoughtful discussion and of course are available for any questions!