Search Results for: Khorasan

Jihadology Podcast: The Emergence of the Islamic State in AfPak with Don Rassler (Part 1)

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

This episode features part one of an interview with Don Rassler based on his article “Situating the Emergence of the Islamic State of Khorasan,” for the CTC Sentinel. This part of the conversation covers the development of the Islamic State’s presence in the AfPak region, as well as relevant groups and individuals in the region.
This episode also covers jihadi primary source material released from June 25th-July 17th.
Links:

The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email [email protected] or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.
You can subscribe to the show in iTunes or with our RSS feed.

Download this episode (25MB mp3)

Check out my new piece at the Washington Post’s ‘Monkey Cage': "The Islamic State’s Model"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

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The Islamic State announced several months ago that it was “annexing” territory in Algeria (Wilayat al-Jazair), Libya (Wilayat al-Barqah, Wilayat al-Tarabulus and Wilayat al-Fizan), Sinai (Wilayat Sinai), Saudi Arabia (Wilayat al-Haramayn) and Yemen (Wilayat al-Yaman). It is likely that the Islamic State plans to pursue a similar approach in Afghanistan and Pakistan following its announcement of accepting pledges of allegiance from former members of the Afghan and Pakistan Taliban to also try and “annex” territory there under the framework of a new wilayah called “Wilayat Khorasan.” On its face, this bold declaration of an expanding number of wilayat (provinces) resembles the announcements by al-Qaeda of creating numerous franchises in the mid-2000s. The Islamic State’s “wilayat” strategy differs in significant ways from al-Qaeda’s “franchise” strategy, however.
The academic literature has shed great light on the al-Qaeda franchising strategy. In a recent article Daniel Byman highlights a number of key factors within the al-Qaeda network regarding motivations for affiliation and franchising. Typically, affiliates joined up with al-Qaeda as a result of failure. Affiliation helped with financial support; offered a potential haven that could be exploited, along with access to new training, recruiting, publicity and military expertise; gave branding and publicity; and opened up personal networks from past foreign fighter mobilizations. It in turn helps al-Qaeda with mission fulfillment, remaining relevant, providing access to new logistics networks, and building a new group of hardened fighters.
But, Byman argues, those franchises often became as much a burden as an asset as local interests and views diverged with those of the parent organization. Leah Farrall argues that al-Qaeda increasingly came to view franchising “warily” in part due to its inability to always control its new partners such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and al-Qaeda in Iraq as well as because of backlash from unsuccessful cooptation of organizations such as the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group or Egyptian Islamic Jihad. This is one of the reasons why, prior to Osama bin Laden’s death, the Somali jihadi group Harakat al-Shabab al-Mujahideen was not given franchise status. Bin Laden had apprehensions about the group’s utility due to past clan infighting and lack of unity. Following the death of bin Laden though, his replacement, Ayman al-Zawahiri, brought Shabab into the fold, but the results have been quite disastrous; Shabab has declined and also was in an internal feud between its foreign and local members. Will the Islamic State’s wilayat pose a similar burden?
There is one key difference between al-Qaeda’s and the Islamic State’s model for expansion. Al-Qaeda wanted to use its new franchises in service of its main priority: attacking Western countries to force them to stop supporting “apostate” Arab regimes, which without the support of Western countries would then be ripe for the taking. This has only truly worked out with its Yemeni branch, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). On the other hand, while the Islamic State does not have an issue with its supporters or grassroots activists attacking Western countries, its main priority is building out its caliphate, which is evident in its famous slogan baqiya wa tatamaddad (remaining and expanding). As a result, it has had a relatively clear agenda and model: fighting locally, instituting limited governance and conducting outreach. This differs from al-Qaeda’s more muddled approach – it hoped a local franchise would conduct external operations, but many times franchises would instead focus on local battles or attempts at governance without a clear plan, as bin Laden had warned. Moreover, the Islamic State has had a simple media strategy for telegraphing what it is doing on the ground to show its supporters, potential recruits and enemies that it is in fact doing something. This accomplishes more, even if it appears that the Islamic State is doing more than it actually is, in comparison with al-Qaeda’s practice of waiting for a successful external operation to succeed and then claiming responsibility after the fact.
How is this strategy working? So far, Libya and the Sinai appear to be the locations with the most promise, though the Islamic State’s presence in these areas should not be overstated. It certainly does not command the amount of territorial control as its base in Mesopotamia. That said, the Islamic State’s wilayat in Libya and the Sinai are following the same methodology on the ground and in the media as the Islamic State’s wilayat have in Iraq and Syria.
By contrast, its wilayat in Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Yemen have yet to show any signs of activity. It is certainly possible that the Islamic State is playing a long game and preparing its soldiers and bureaucrats for future jihad, governance and dawa (propagation of Islam), but there are reasons to be skeptical as well. Following Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s announcement of the expansion of the Islamic State in mid-November, its media apparatus took over the media departments of all the local wilayat outside of Mesopotamia. This highlights that, at least on the media level, the Islamic State is in full command and control.
Click here to read the rest.

New statement from Sawt al-Jihād in Nusantara: "A Call To the Mujāhidīn in the Land of al-Shām"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

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بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the one who there is no prophet after him, Muhammad, and his family and those who followed upon his path. And thereafter:
The Exalted said:

يأيها الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِنْ كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا (النساء 59)

O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination. (An-Nisa, 59)
The Messenger of Allah – peace and blessings of Allah be upon him – said: “Listen and obey (your chief) even if an Ethiopian whose head is like a raisin were made your chief.” (Narrated by Anas bin Malik in the Hadith from al-Bukhari)
And in the narration of Ahmad for Umm al-Hasin al-Ahmasiyah Zaid, he said: “As long as he establishes the Book of Allah in you.”
mujahidin brethren in Sham, a few days ago, as-Sahab released a statement by Sheikh Mujahid, the Sage of Ummah, Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri – may Allah protect him – titled “Testimony to Spare the Blood of the Mujahidin in Sham,” in which the Sheikh talked about some of the facts pertaining to the conflict between the Dawla and the Jabha, followed by orders and advice.
These words moved us to the point that we call for unity and obedience to the emir and his advice, as Allah and His Messenger commanded us to listen and obey those who lead us even if he was Abyssinian. Did we not agree on him to be our leader and emir? Did we not pledge allegiance to him as a successor after our martyr emir Sheikh Usama bin Laden – may Allah have mercy on him? Why did some of us break the pledge and withdraw obedience from him? O mujahidin brethren in Sham, stop fighting amongst each other so you will not be an additional burden on the people of Sham. Do you not have mercy on them? Are not their wounds plenty and exposed? The people of Sham waited patiently for your jihad against the Nusayriyah and its apostate allies, so do not add to their wounds and their troubles with your conflict. Is not your duty to lessen their problems and care for their wounds?
We direct this statement to Dawlat al-Islam and specifically to Sheikh Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi – may Allah protect him – and he is our elder, teacher, and emir. Because his love to you, he talked about it and asked things of you. Respond to his requests and order your soldiers to stop the hostilities in either the battlefields or the media. Stop fighting the mujahidin and cutting off their supply routes, and order your followers and supporters to cease hostilities, and correct your errors and your groups’ errors, and devote yourself to Iraq. This call is not based on Sykes–Picot, but is full of wisdom from our emir. If you reject his call, be patient as your grandfather – peace and blessings of Allah be upon him – said: “Whoever notices something which he dislikes done by his ruler, then he should be patient, for whoever becomes separate from the company of the Muslims even for a span and then dies, he will die as those who died in the jahiliyya period.” (Narrated by two sheikhs [al-Bukhari and Muslim]). No matter how oppressed you were and your rights and your soldiers rights were taken, if you obey this call, then Allah will reward you greatly in this world and the hereafter.
The Sunni Muslims of Iraq are waiting for the Sunni mujahidin to rise in their land. Concentrate on Iraq, correct the error of the Dawla in Iraq, and support the Sunnis over their enemy as they face the American agents the Safavid Shi’a. Reconcile between yourselves and all the various groups of mujahidin, especially your relationship with Ansar al-Islam.
O Sheikh Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, when we heard this statement, we obey Allah and His messenger when He said:
(إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ (الحجرات: 10
The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear Allah, that ye may receive Mercy. (Al-Hujurat, 10)
And he said – peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: “Religion is sincerity. They said: To whom? He said: To Allah, to His Book, to His Messenger, to the imams of the Muslims and to their common folk.” (Narrated by Muslim on Tamim al-Dari)
This is our advice to you O Sheikh al-Baghdadi, and maybe the one advising you loves you more than the one defending you. We only mean by it to please Allah – Glorious and Exalted – asking that the jihad in Sham be improved and the wish of the Ummah to unify the ranks of the mujahidin be achieved.
As we are writing this statement, we read that the Dawla amassed troops to fight the mujahidin in the Eastern area. Stop this action O grandson of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him! Did your grandfather, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, teach you this action?
As far as our beloved brother Sheikh Abu al-Fatih al-Julani – may Allah protect him -and his soldiers in Jabhat al-Nusrah, we read your statements and you heeded the orders of your emir Sheikh Mujahid Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri. We and all those who are affiliated with jihad are pleased and delighted with your statement. We ask Allah – Glorified and Sublime – that your statement be a launching point in ending this conflict between the mujahidin, which will please the believers and increase the anger of the apostates and hypocrites.
All this time, we have witnessed that Jabhat al-Nusrah is wronged and defamed. You held yourself back so you will not be dragged into the conflict, and you strived to mend between the fighting factions and supported many of the soldiers of the Dawla at the beginning of the fitna.
All that you did caused hostility and fighting by the Dawla towards you. In fact, your soldiers are surrounded and stabbed from the back by the Dawla. With all this, you affirm your position of self-defense. It is your right to defend yourself.
Fulfill your promise so that Allah, and His Messenger, and the believers see what you do

The final call is for the media and all those who occupy themselves with issues of the mujahidin on the Internet. The latest statement from Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri urges ceasing of insults and barbs that are present on social networking sites, forums, and their like.
Be cautious O those who want to please Allah, and fear those who want to make Allah angry with you. Are not people thrown onto their faces in hell for anything other than the harvest of their tongues? Fear Allah and be troubled of the shedding of Muslim blood and the spread of conflict amongst the mujahidin by what you are writing and issuing. Specifically to all the Muslims in Indonesia, we have seen the sad situation. Some of those who claim to be jihadist assaulted and threatened to kill even though they are away from Sham. They should be a reason to stop the conflict between the mujahidin and not the reason for it, as if they are dragging the conflict between the mujahidin in Sham to Indonesia.
We call on the Islamic journalists in Indonesia, especially those who are biased to the Dawla, to cease spreading fitna and distorting the truth on what is taking place in Sham. Stop it before Allah stops you by eradicating your heads. Did you not witness the pain and wounds of the Muslims and the mujahidin in Sham? You should come to Sham to patch their wounds, but you opted to stay in your homes arguing and cursing through the Internet and social networking sites.
There are many of you who dared to speak harshly and with stern, false accusation to the emirs of the mujahidin like Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri, Sheikh Abu Qatada al-Filistini, Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, Sheikh Abdullah al-Muhaisini, Sheikh Suleiman bin Abu Nasir al-‘Alwan, and Sheikh Abu Maria al-Qahtani – may Allah protect them.
There are elements with you that wants to spread the fitna in Sham to other areas like Yemen and Khorasan, by spreading the news of allegiance by commanders and those who you claim are there. Why do you do that O servant of Allah? Do you want the slaughter of Sham to be spread to other countries? Stop it before Allah stops you. May Allah guide you and spare you His wrath.
O Allah, I have conveyed, bear witness
O Allah, I have conveyed, bear witness
O Allah, I have conveyed, bear witness
Our final supplication is that all praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad, his family, his companions, and those who followed him faithfully until the Day of Judgment.
But honour belongs to Allah and His Messenger, and to the Believers; but the Hypocrites know not.
Your brothers
Sawt al-Jihad in Nusantara

–————————- Don’t Forget Us in Your Sincere Prayers Your Brothers at Global Islamic Media Front Observing the Mujahideen News and Inciting the Believers

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‘Umar Studio presents a new video message from the Teḥrīk-ī-Ṭālibān Pākistān: “The Lions of Mohmand #8"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

UPDATE 6/10/14 10:15 PM: Here is an English translation of the below video message:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The war between good and evil, truth and falsehood, has reached a new turning point,
where falsehood is waging aggression to counter truth with new means and methods.
So now, instead of using physical force against Islam, it started focusing on work and activities
in a secret manner with anonymity, which leads to alienating the hearts of the Islamic Ummah from
jihad and the mujahideen.
To achieve this goal, the Imams of disbelief and the top enemies of Islam have chartered the
media that is busy day and night, without wasting a single second, to mislead the youth of
the Islamic Ummah.
As a result of this criminal act against the general public, they believe the claims that
the media has placed in front of them.
These are the enemies of the Islamic Ummah. They branded the mujahedeen who sacrificed themselves
and their souls, with rude and meaningless labels to distort their image and refute their
status and standings.
The enemies of Islam used the false media to hide from the Islamic Ummah the victories
and sacrifices of the mujahideen of Islam.
Therefore, we should make all efforts to counter these diabolical plots and resist those who
compromise their principles, and show the Islamic Ummah the heroics and the stories
of sacrifice of the mujahideen of Islam, who did not at any time pay heed to the large
military force of the enemy or their technical and material power.
For these mujahideen, we should pass on their stories to the Islamic Ummah.
They narrowed the world in front of the power of infidelity and their agents,
and they refused to show their willingness to accept any system but Islam,
and they spent their youth atop torturous, snowy mountains to liberate the Islamic Ummah
from the iniquities of the blasphemous powers, and they put their lives on the palms
of their hands to show off Islamic nobility in front of the entire world,
and they transformed the earth to hellfire in confronting global infidelity.
Conveying the voice of the mujahideen and their situation right away to the Islamic Ummah
is among our responsibilities.
Your brothers in the media department of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan seek to convey the news
of these mujahideen, and it will continue the media battle in the face of the enemy, Allah willing.
Mujahideen operation at the “Gusraee” checkpoint against the apostate Pakistani army.
Mujahideen preparing before the start of operations.
Mujahideen deploying for the operation.
Initiating the attack on the filthy Pakistani army.
Apostate Pakistani checkpoint amidst flames of fire.
The moment of capturing a Pakistani soldier by the mujahideen.
The dead bodies of Pakistani soldiers.
Spoils obtained by the mujahideen.
Statement of the Military Commander and the Venerable Deputy Emir Khalid Khorasani,
may Allah Protect Him

As far as the negotiations are concerned, it was mentioned that we knew from the beginning
that the negotiations would not yield the application of Shariah, and that they are a
conspiracy to rein us in and weaken us. We were aware from the beginning of the truce
that the apostate infidels would not release any prisoner let alone abide
by Shariah in Pakistan.
We accepted the negotiations to thwart the scheme of the Pakistani government, which wanted
us to reject the negotiations to keep the unsuspecting public from knowing the cunning and
malice of the government, and think that we are the enemies of peace, Muslims, and Pakistan.
I call upon all the mujahideen and the Muslims not to put their hopes on applying Shariah
with the like of these negotiations through which the enemy seeks to weaken us and
sow differences between us. And if the temporary truce takes effect, we should not
relax and fade our zeal, but we should train and ready the army.
Then all the mujahideen should know very well that we are not affiliated with a region
or a tribe, and that our jihad will not end if we attain the application of Shariah in
the Pakistani tribal areas, because our jihad is not for Pakistan nor partial Shariah.
We do not want 99% Shariah, but we want 100% Shariah, and this is not achieved without war,
and there is no way for us to get it but through war. Our duty is to inform you.
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NOTE: Click here for video number seven in this video series.
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New statement from the Global Islamic Media Front: "Condolences and Congratulations on the Martyrdom of the Mujāhid Ḥanẓalah al-Khurāsānī, the General Manager of the Indonesian al-Busyro Islamic Forum"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

HKfIA
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, who predestined for all His creation an end. Peace and blessings be upon the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad bin Abdullah, and his family, his Companions, and his followers until until the Day of Judgment.
Thereafter:
Allah the Exalted said: “Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah; of them some have fulfilled their obligations; and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed in the least.” (Al-Ahzab:23)
We give our condolences to the Muslims in general and the Muslims of Indonesia in particular for the martyrdom of the mujahid with his pen and his sword, the lion of jihadi media Hanzala al-Khorasani, founder of the Indonesian al-Busyro Islamic Forum, who was martyred – Allah permitting – in a battle with the henchmen of the Indonesian tyrant in Poso in Rabie al-Akher 1435 Hijra, corresponding to February 2014. May Allah the Exalted have mercy on him and may He accept him among the martyrs.
The eye tears and the heart bleeds, but we say only that which pleases our Lord: Verily, we are from Allah, and verily, to Him we shall return.
The brother martyr – as we consider him and Allah is his Reckoner – was a thorn in the neck of the Indonesian tyrants, and a mujahid who did in the battlefield what he incited on the internet. He founded the great edifice for the brothers in Indonesia – al-Busyro – and demonstrated that the media jihad is not less important than the military. Indeed, al-Busyro will remain after him to breed new lions who will raise the call to fight until there is no more fitna and the religion is all for Allah alone.
We say: Congratulations O Hanzala for your martyrdom, Allah permitting. May Allah raise your status and may He gather you with the prophets, the truthful ones, the martyrs, and the righteous. Indeed, He is Capable of that.
Our last supplication is that all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
Allahu Akbar.

“But honor, power and glory belong to Allah, and to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites know not.” (Al-Munafiqun:8)


Your Brothers at 
the Global Islamic Media Front

Jumada Al-Awwal 22, 1435
23/03/2014

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لا تنسونا من صالح دعائكم
Don’t Forget Us in Your Sincere Prayers

إخوانكم في 
Your Brothers at
الجبهة الإعلامية الإسلامية العالمية
the Global Islamic Media Front

رَصدٌ لأَخبَار المُجاهِدين وَ تَحريضٌ للمُؤمِنين
Observing the Mujahideen News and Inciting the Believers
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Musings of an Iraqi Brasenostril on Jihad: The Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham’s Messages and Self-Presentation in Syria and Iraq

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

NOTE: An archive of the Musings of an Iraqi Brasenostril on Jihad column can now be found here.
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The Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham’s Messages and Self-Presentation in Syria and Iraq

By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
Click here for a PDF version of this post
As the civil war in Syria continues to rage on, it is apparent that the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) in Syria has enjoyed a degree of success that the group’s counterparts in Iraq have never been able to achieve. For example, ISIS controls a number of towns and villages in Syria, most notably on the border areas with Turkey, such as Jarabulus in Aleppo province and ad-Dana in Idlib. Further, even where ISIS is not the main faction in charge, the group has engaged in outreach to locals through providing social services that resemble what my colleague Phillip Smyth terms the mechanisms of a “proto-state.”
This phenomenon most notably encompasses the provision of food aid, with ISIS even having introduced a formal rationing system of basic necessities in some Aleppo suburbs. In the rural Aleppo town of Manbij, ISIS is currently attempting to gain a monopoly on the means of bread-production in the town, sparking a dispute with the local council.
Elsewhere, particularly in towns where ISIS is the dominant faction (dubbed “emirates”- such as the “Emirate of Jarabulus”), the group goes beyond provision of food to running schools for children. From Raqqa, ISIS recently released a video of Qur’an recitation classes for children in the mosques.
The consequence of this level of control is that in images and videos put out by ISIS, its supporters and sympathizers within Syria, the wider ideological agenda of the group is made much more apparent than within Iraq. Thus, below one can see a number of images from Syria circulated among pro-ISIS circles that openly affirm the goal of establishing a Caliphate, which should eventually encompass the entire world.
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Figure 1: A photo of a pro-ISIS rally in the Aleppo area released by an unofficial pro-ISIS media network called “State of the Caliphate.” The placard reads: “Islam: Political Justice. Islam: Economic Justice. Islam: Societal Justice. State of the Caliphate: God’s Shari’a on Earth.”
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Figure 2: An image that can be found circulating on pro-ISIS social media pages from Syria, depicting the entire Earth under the banner of ISIS.
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Figure 3: An image circulated among some pro-ISIS activists (e.g. in Idlib). The provinces of the more immediate “State of the Caliphate” are as follows: the Iberian Peninsula is Andalusia, northwest and west Africa the Maghreb, central and east Africa the Land of Abyssinia, Egypt the “Arḍ al-Kenana,” the Levant ash-Sham, and the Arabian Peninsula excluding Yemen (which retains its name) is the Hejaz. Iraq likewise retains its name, but the existence of a Kurdistan province to the north alongside Anatolia is included. Iran (with the exception of Ahwaz in the southwest) and Central Asia become Khorasan, while southeastern Europe as far as Vienna is the province of Europe. Southern Russia forms the Caucasus.
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Figure 4: A mural from the ISIS-controlled town of Jarabulus (Emirate of Jarabulus) on the northern border with Turkey in Aleppo Governorate. The logo on the left, with the ISIS banner in the middle of it, reads: “The Caliphate: Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham.”
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Figure 5: A photo from an ISIS video in May of a youth training camp the group was running in the Abu Kamal area along the border with Iraq. The children are wearing T-shirts with the logo: “The Cadets of the Caliphate.”
Video evidence paints a similar picture. Indeed, even when there was only Jabhat al-Nusra, in localities where the group has had a long-established presence, one could find rallies for a Caliphate, such as this video from the Idlib town of Binnish. In a similar vein, from the Aleppo area of Tariq al-Bab, which has a strong ISIS presence, one can find regular rallies for an Islamic state and/or Caliphate. For example, here is a rally from mid-July set to the nasheed ‘Labbayka Islam’– a well-known nasheed for the Caliphate also used in Hizb-ut-Tahrir circles.
Likewise, in one of ISIS’ da’wah meetings that have now become a familiar sight in the Aleppo suburbs, one of the ISIS muhajireen explains that they have come in order to establish an Islamic state in Arḍ ash-Sham as an extension to an Islamic state in Iraq that is currently fighting the Safavid government and army. In the Aleppo town of Manbij, which ISIS shares with some other battalions, a preacher for ISIS gave a lengthy sermon in the town’s grand mosque on the need for the establishment of a Caliphate, explaining it as an all-embracing system of economics, governance and justice, while denouncing rival concepts like democracy, a secular state and nationalism.
Arguably most significant are the official ISIS videos released by al-Furqān media, as part of two series entitled “Those who believe, emigrate and wage jihad” and “Messages from Arḍ al-Melāḥam [Syria].” From the first, we have the video of ISIS’ martyred French convert Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Faransi, who speaks in an interview of the need to fight jihad in Syria and restore the Caliphate. The second series is widely advertised on jihadi forums, as shown by the photo distributed below:
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Figure 6: “Messages from Arḍ al-Melāḥam.”
The fighter shown in Figure 6 is an interviewee in one of these videos. His accent most likely indicates origin in the Iraq-Syria border areas. Going by the nom de guerre of Abu Omar al-Anṣārī, he is said to have taken part in the ISIS-led assault on Mannagh airbase in rural Aleppo. He is also described in the video caption as the eldest fighter for ISIS, noting in the video that he is 75 years old.
Among his children, four ended up becoming mujahideen, and one of them was imprisoned in Iraq by the Americans. He says: “I came to jihad because jihad is farḍ al-ayn [a duty incumbent on all Muslims]…I hope for martyrdom with my children.” Expanding on ISIS’ wider vision, he explains:
“God, give victory to Islam, give victory to the mujahideen…over all the enemies of the mujahideen…God give the mujahideen victory in every place….in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Somalia, Mali, Iraq, Pakistan and in every place…My age and elderliness are not a problem…Fighting [jihad] will always be until the Day of Judgment…God willing, when we are victorious in this land [Bilad ash-Sham], we will complete the errand to establish an Islamic state over the whole world. It is necessary for the Islamic state to be established by the permission of God- Almighty and Exalted is He- over the whole world, and it [jihad etc.] is not only in Bilad ash-Sham. For if we are victorious here, it will be guaranteed in the rest of the land, God willing” (emphasis in bold).
The vision outlined is entirely consistent with what the al-Qa’ida leadership, fighters and supporters have stated on past occasions:
Richard Dawkins: Do you want Islam to take over the rest of the world?
Yousef al-Khattab: Of course I want it to, and it will.
(From an interview conducted by Richard Dawkins for the documentary “The Root of All Evil?” with Yousef al-Khattab, who would go on to found the pro-al-Qa’ida site RevolutionMuslim.com).
You’ll see that the Muslim war has just started…until Islam is spread throughout the whole world.
(Videotape of failed Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad, released by Umar Media and obtained by al-Arabiya).
Alright, i [sic] wont [sic] go into too much details about me [sic] fantasy, but basically they are jihad fantisies [sic]. I imagine how the great jihad will take place, how the muslims will win insha Allah and rule the whole world, and establish the greatest empire once again!!!
(From a 2005 forum posting by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to bomb a flight en route to Detroit on Christmas Day 2009)
Or, as one Egyptian supporter of ISIS put it to me in response to the UK’s designation of the mujahideen as the greatest security threat from Syria: “I love it when the Fish & Chips Folks exaggerate. Their [the mujahideen’s] focus is on Bashar for now. Their [the British people’s] time will eventually

Hizballah Cavalcade: Iran’s Losses In the “35th Province” (Syria), Part 1

Posted on by phillsmyth

NOTE: For prior parts in the Hizballah Cavalcade series you can view an archive of it all here.
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Iran’s Losses In the “35th Province” (Syria), Part 1
By Phillip Smyth
Click here for a PDF version of this post
“Syria is…[Iran’s] 35th province and a strategic province for us. If the enemy attacks us and wants to take either Syria or Khuzestan, the priority for us is to keep Syria…If we keep Syria, we can get Khuzestan back too, but if we lose Syria, we cannot keep Tehran.” –Mehdi Taeb, a high-level Iranian cleric speaking to to Iran’s Basij (paramilitary group attached to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps), February, 2013.[1]
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Iran’s (Iraqi and Lebanese) Shia proxies are not the only groups losing members due to their involvement in combat in Syria. Iran is actively contributing infantry personnel to bolster regime of Bashar al-Assad. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard-Quds Force (IRGC-QF); Iran’s long-arm used to create, command, bolster Tehran’s proxies, and execute attacks overseas, has been rather active in Syria.[2] Their movements have not simply been limited to acting as behind-the-scenes guides for proxy or Assad’s forces. In fact, the IRGC-QF has engaged in combat and taken a number of casualties and their losses are becoming increasingly more public.
Back in August, 2012, 48 Iranian “Pilgrims” were kidnapped by Syrian rebels, when they were heading to the Saydah Zaynab Shrine.[3] Rebel forces accused these men of all being IRGC fighters.[4] It was later reported by the Iranians that the group included “Retired” IRGC members.[5] Rebels have also accused the IRGC of acting as commanders for Lebanese Hizballah’s May, 2013 offensive in Qusayr.[6]
Following Lebanese Hizballah’s official May recognition of their full-involvement in Syria, it would appear that Iran is not only becoming more open about their involvement, but also utilizing many of the same narrative points first honed by its regional Shia proxies.
February, 2013, witnessed the loss and public funeral of a senior IRGC-QF commander in Syria. It was claimed by Tehran he was simply working on “Reconstruction projects” in war torn Aleppo. Even with such a high-profile death, little additional information was offered by Iran regarding their activities in Syria.
However, In June, three IRGC members were claimed by Iranian sources to have been killed while operating around Damascus’s Saydah Zaynab Shrine. Proclaiming IRGC members have been killed defending the shrine recycles the exact narrative Lebanese Hizballah and other Iraqi Shia groups have been utilizing for many months. This line also demonstrates that Tehran has become more comfortable with using sectarian-based messaging to convey why it is willing to lose men in the Syrian war.
Based on the released data regarding killed IRGC-QF members, it is likely that Summer-Fall 2013 may witness several more announcements and public funerals.
As opposed to previous Hizballah Cavalcade posts, this post did not rely on the monitoring of social media, forums, or other sources. Instead, announcements of death and photographs were taken from official and officially approved Iranian sources.
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Name: General Hassan Shateri (A.K.A. Hossam Khoshnevis)
Death Announced: February 13, 2013. It was claimed by Iranian media that Shateri was killed in Syria on February 12, 2013. His funeral was held on February 15, 2013.
Notes: Shateri was a high-level IRGC-QF leader and the highest ranking Iranian killed in Syria. His work with Lebanese Hizballah (and possibly other Iranian-backed organizations in Iraq) was of great importance to the Iranians.[7] This connection was displayed openly at his funeral with funeral-goers waving Lebanese Hizballah flags and placing a Lebanese Hizballah flag on his casket.
Iran’s English-language PressTV reported that Shateri was killed, “by unknown gunmen as he was traveling by road from Syria to Lebanon.” Iran also blamed “Suspected Israeli agents” for Shateri’s death.[8]
Mashregh News posted a number of photos showing Shateri going about his duties in Lebanon (one is reposted here).[9] In Iranian media, the narrative used to explain Shateri’s tasks in Lebanon and Syria was that he was an overseer for the reconstruction of south Lebanon (from damage suffered during the 2006 Hizballah-Israel War). Additionally, Iranian-government-backed Fars News Agency described Shateri’s presence in Syria as the result of, “Reconstruction and development projects” he was working on in Aleppo.[10]
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Name: Lt. Colonel Amir Reza Alizadeh
Death Announced: May 4, 2013 (It was announced Alizadeh was killed in Syria on May 1, 2013).
Notes: Iranian reports claimed Alizadeh was killed by an explosion which occurred outside of the Iranian embassy in Damascus. The bombing, according to Iranian state media, was orchestrated by, “Wahhabi terrorists”.[11]  Alizadeh’s funeral was held in Rudsar, Iran.[12]
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Name: Mehdi Khorasani
Death Announced: June 10, 2013
Notes: Since Shanaei and Khorasani had a shared funeral service, photos for both are located after the entry for Shanaei. Iran’s Damghan News published a full album of funeral photographs. However, the link did not work two days after the photos were posted. Shanaei and Khorashani were pictured together holding AK-47 type rifles in front of the Saydah Zaynab Shrine. Their funeral was the first group funeral (for two or more killed) held in Iran for personnel killed in Syria.
Name: Ali Asqar Shanaei
Death Announced: June 10, 2013
Notes: Shanaei and Khorashani were pictured together holding AK-47 type rifles in front of the Saydah Zaynab Shrine. Their funeral was the first group funeral (for two or more killed) held in Iran for personnel killed in Syria.
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Name: Muhammed Husayn Atareh
Death Announced: June 10, 2013
Notes: Atareh’s casket included numerous IRGC symbols. It was also claimed that Atareh was killed in fighting around the Saydah Zaynab Shrine.
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Name: Amir Kazem Zaydeh
Death Announced: June 9, 2013
Notes: Iran’s Mashregh News claimed Zaydeh was killed by a bomb during “Clashes with terrorists”.[13]

Untitled224 Untitled225 [1] See: https://iranpulse.al-monitor.com/index.php/2013/02/1346/head-of-ammar-strategic-base-syria-is-irans-35th-province-if-we-lose-syria-we-cannot-keep-tehran/ [2] See: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr854/text [3] See: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9451858/Syria-48-Iranian-pilgrims-kidnapped-from-bus-travelling-to-Damascus-airport.html [4] See: https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Tehran-warns-Syrian-rebels-to-free-captive-Iranians [5] See: https://www.voanews.com/content/retired-iranian-revolutionay-guards-among-those-kidnapped-in-syria/1475622.html [6] See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C03FDXqkOkI. Reportedly, this is an intercepted radio transmission. [7] See: https://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9107144510 [8] See: https://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/02/14/288857/irgc-commander-assassinated-in-lebanon/ [9] See: https://www.mashreghnews.ir/fa/news/193817/%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%AE%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B5%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%82-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%B4%D9%87%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%86-%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%B7%D8%B1%DB%8C [10] See: https://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=391473 [11] See: https://www.ido.ir/n.aspx?n=13920222001. [12] See: https://www.mehrnews.com/detail/News/2046534. [13] See: https://www.mashreghnews.ir/fa/news/222075/%D9%BE%D9%8A%DA%A9%D8%B1-%D8%B4%D9%87%D9%8A%D8%AF-%DA%A9%D8%A7%D8%B8%D9%85%E2%80%8C%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%AE%D8%A7%DA%A9-%D8%B3%D9%BE%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%B4%D8%AF-%D8%B9%DA%A9%D8%B3

Articles of the Week – 8/18-8/24

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

Monday August 20:
Terrorism is Terrorism – Rémi Brulin, Foreign Policy: https://bit.ly/NXNfh6
Tuesday August 21:
The curious case of Colleen LaRose: Social margins, new media, and online radicalization – Jeffry R Halverson and Amy K Way, Media, War & Conflict: https://bit.ly/Ouy8hn
Wednesday August 22:
Attiyat Allah Obituary in Talai’ Khorasan – Yassin Musharbash, AbuSusu Blog: https://bit.ly/PXDtkj
Trying to Understand MUJWA – Andrew Lebovich, al-Wasat: https://bit.ly/NKFDPO
Thursday August 23:
The Strategic Limitations of Boko Haram in Southern Nigeria – Jacob Zenn, CTC Sentinel: https://bit.ly/P2Q5B9
Understanding Drivers of Violent Extremism: The Case of al-Shabab and Somali Youth – Muhsin Hassan, CTC Sentinel: https://bit.ly/OdXRMt