are now testing urban takeovers

That may be changing. In May, JNIM fighters stormed the cities of Djibo and Diapaga in Burkina Faso, briefly seizing control, attacking military, police and gendarmerie bases and torching markets. The violence left dozens dead and signalled a bold new strategy: jihadists are now testing urban takeovers. They have an example to follow in Syria. When the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) entered the capital, Damascus, in December 2024, its leader—still labelled a terrorist—was suddenly welcomed by Western diplomats. As one interviewed senior negotiator in the region argued: “It became acceptable for a jihadist group to take over a state. In a way ดูหนัง24