Many observers in the jihadism analysis community were probably anticipating that the Islamic State would say something in its official media about the current wave of protests in the U.S. that have garnered worldwide attention. As it happens, the matter is the focus of the editorial in this week's edition of its al-Naba' newsletter released today. It is this kind of attention that should be subject to more scrutiny, rather than what some fans of the group might say online on a daily basis.

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The recent protests in the U.S. have triggered a wave of media coverage and punditry. Some of the commentary has satirised how Western media would cover the events if they occurred in another country. This got me thinking: Why bother to satirise? Why not actually bring in a Syrian perspective on the protests in the U.S.? After all, Western media have featured countless opinion pieces and quotations from outsiders regarding the situation in Syria. Why not turn the tables and feature some real commentary on the U.S. protests on my site?

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Every once in a while, a think piece emerges in the realm of commentary on current trends in global jihadism that speculates on the possibility of the Islamic State and al Qaeda joining forces in some way. A recent example was a piece that raised the idea of "sustained cooperation" between the two groups, highlighting reports from late February that suggested the two groups were working together in the Sahel region in West Africa. A merger or lasting unification of efforts between the two groups would of course have negative implications for policymakers, particularly as they face an overall deteriorating security situation in West Africa. It is therefore somewhat of a relief that the notion of sustained cooperation or any lasting alliance between the two groups can definitively be laid to rest.

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On May 28, the Islamic State released a new speech by its official spokesman Abu Hamza al-Qurashi under the title: 'And the disbelievers will know to whom the final abode belongs' (a quotation taken from Qur'an 13:42). In summary, the speech touches on the following themes:

. The coronavirus epidemic as the punishment of God against the Tawagheet (idol tyrants) and the disbelievers. Abu Hamza compares this punishment to the punishments God sent as signs against the Pharaoh and his followers in the time of Moses

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The locality of al-Baghuz Fawqani in Deir az-Zor province in eastern Syria became famous in international media for being the last locality that was under the Islamic State's control in Syria. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the U.S.-led international coalition, captured the locality from the Islamic State in March 2019.

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