Paris Attacks and Other Assaults Seen as Evidence of a Shift by ISIS

The recent attacks in Paris and Beirut and the downing of a Russian airliner in Egypt were the first results of a centrally planned terrorism campaign by a wing of the Islamic State leadership that oversees “external” targets, according to American and European intelligence officials.

 

The Islamic State’s overseas operations planning cell offers strategic guidance, training and funding for actions aimed at inflicting the maximum possible civilian casualties, but leaves the task of picking the time, place and manner of the attacks largely to trusted operatives on the ground, the officials said.

 

Read More: Paris Attacks and Other Assaults Seen as Evidence of a Shift by ISIS – The New York Times