Where ISIS Has Directed and Inspired Attacks Around the World

New York Times
By: Karen Yourish, Derek Watkins and Tom Giratikanon

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The arrest on Saturday of a Queens college student on charges of conspiring with the Islamic State is just the most recent example of the group’s global strategy, which began about one year ago and has resulted in attacks or arrests in more than a dozen countries.

Late last June, the group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, declared a caliphate, or Islamic State, on the territory it controlled — and started to focus on three parallel tracks…

“Al Qaeda always wanted to do spectacular attacks, but ISIS has reversed it,” said Patrick M. Skinner, a former C.I.A. operations officer now with The Soufan Group. “They don’t do spectacular attacks. They do attacks that generate spectacular reaction…

It is an “open question” to what extent the core leadership of ISIS is communicating with its affiliates, Mr. Skinner said. While ISIS is providing support to some groups, there is no hard evidence that it is able to direct the activities of a regional wilayat as part of a cohesive campaign…

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