The Islamic State oil and gas strategy in North Africa

Abstract

Attacks on energy sectors are an important part of the strategy of Islamist militant and terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State (IS). The main aim of this paper is to analyze the importance of oil and gas for the terrorist strategy of the IS. The second goal of the paper is to describe and analyze examples, goals and motives of the IS's terrorist attacks on oil and gas sectors, the accompanying criminal activities conducted by the IS in two selected North African countries – Egypt and Libya - and their possible impacts. At the theoretical level, the paper is based on the concept of terrorist attacks on the energy sector. Keywords: Islamic state, North Africa, Terrorist attack, Energy sector, Energy security