Energy infrastructure as a target of terrorist attacks from the Islamic state in Iraq and Syria

Attacks on energy sectors and transport infrastructure are an important part of the strategy of Islamist militant and terrorist organizations, such as Al Qaeda and its offshoots or the Taliban. The article focuses on the attitude of the global Salafi-jihadist Islamist terrorist and militant group the Islamic State (IS) toward terrorism specifically targeting transport infrastructure and energy sectors, since it makes use of such terrorism as a political instrument of its strategy in the Middle East. The main aim of this article is to analyse the strategic importance of terrorist attacks on transport infrastructure and the energy industry for the IS against the background of the influence of Sunni Islam. The second goal of the article is to describe and analyse examples, goals and motives of the terrorist attacks on energy sectors and the accompanying criminal activities conducted by the IS in two selected Middle Eastern countries, Iraq and Syria, and the possible impact of the attacks on energy security.