IS warns European countries of more 'marked horses' attacks

CAIRO - 19 August 2017: The Islamic State (IS) terrorist group organization warned in a statement on Friday citizens of European countries and the United States (US), of more hit and run attacks due to their collusion against the caliphate state, Iraqi media reported.

In the statement, IS declared the formation of a group dubbed as ‘marked horse’ to target citizens of these countries through public stabbings and using vehicles to run over people. The naming of the group indicated that every horse will target a specific enemy.

Members of IS have distributed publications over the people of Hawija, a district southwest of Kirkuk that has been under the control of the armed group, including their warnings to the European citizens, who it described as unbelievers.

IS’ statement also took credit for many of the recent attacks in Europe involving trucks and other vehicles.

Iraqi media reports further revealed that an armed group has recruited foreign militants to join the new group to target important commercial centers in those countries.

On Thursday, at least 13 people were killed and more than 100 were injured when a van ploughed into crowds of people on the renowned Las Ramblas boulevard in Barcelona.

Few hours after the release of the statement, another incident when eight people were injured in a knife attack in the Siberian city of Surgut, Russian media agencies reported, explaining “a man was running along the main streets stabbing people".

The jihadist group has added a new level of brutality to the phenomenon of radical Islam, having become notorious for its beheadings, abductions and mass killings in the name of religion.