At least nine people have been killed after terrorists launched a ten-hour siege on a Shiite mosque near Muscat, Oman, which ended the next day.
Islamic State-affiliated Telegram accounts claimed responsibility for the assault.
Shiites celebrate Ashura, the death of Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussein. Sunni Muslims celebrate Ashura as a celebration of Noah and the ark and Moses dividing the Red Sea, not a mourning festival. The Islamic State, a Sunni terrorist group, has attacked Shiite Muslims and “infidels” for almost a decade.
Oman, surrounded by mountains from Yemen, seldom records Islamic terror acts and works with the US on counter-terrorism. The attack on July 15th implies Islamic State targets may be expanding and follows a rise in ISIS-related events in Iraq, Syria, and Russia.
Witnesses said three gunmen were on a neighboring rooftop, shooting worshipers and using bright lights to conceal themselves. After Omani police arrived, terrorists spent hours firing at them until all assailants were killed. At least nine fatalities and varied reports of injuries said the victims included several foreigners. The Royal Oman Police reported 28 deaths, but Pakistan’s envoy to Oman said 50 Pakistanis were wounded. Several worshipers were claimed to have been held prisoners. Witnesses said the assailants spoke Arabic and shouted Islamist chants.
Oman has experienced few such disruptions and no large-scale terrorist groups despite being in a jihadist heartland. The State Department said that Oman understands the need to strengthen its counterterrorism operations and the benefits of U.S. military and law enforcement assistance and training. However, the rough mountainous landscape at Oman’s Yemen border proved difficult.
In 2014, the Islamic State established a “caliphate” in Raqqa, Syria, and took over vast parts of that nation and Iraq. The “caliphate” crumbled in 2017, but ISIS has since spread to Afghanistan, Iran, Mozambique, Russia, and the Philippines.
A caliphate is a governmental position led by an Islamic steward called a caliph, a political-religious heir to Muhammad, and a leader of the Muslim world.