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Iraq
Iraq issues a sentence of death against Al-Qaeda members
2022-03-01


Shafaq News/ On Monday, a Criminal Court issued a death sentence against two terrorists from Baghdad.

A security source told Shafaq News Agency, "The Criminal Court in Dhi Qar Governorate issued a sentence of death by hanging against two al-Qaeda members who were in prison for eight years for killing citizens in the Latifiya area in Baghdad."

It is worth noting that the Latifia- Mahmoudia-Yusufia area is known as the "Triangle of Death," where groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda were active and carried out massacres against citizens and security forces after 2004.

Al Qaeda in Iraq, or the Islamic State of Iraq as the group is also known, is one of several Sunni Islamist insurgent groups that had been very active just after the withdrawal of the US troops.

The group has claimed a string of attacks.

According to Reuters, the group was founded in October 2004 when Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden. An Egyptian, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, has become the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq after Zarqawi was killed in 2006.

In October 2006, the al-Qaeda-led Mujahideen Shura Council said it had set up the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), an umbrella group of Sunni militant affiliates and tribal leaders led by Abu Omar al-Baghdadi. Reuters reported.

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Iraq
ISIS: Mosul and Ninevah Province Monstrosities
2015-04-24
ISIS executes 4 Nineveh Protection Council members in Mosul

[IraqiNews.com] According to a local source in Nineveh province ISIS has executed four members of Nineveh Protection Council in djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
 on Wednesday.

The source informed IraqiNews.com "At noon, ISIS executed four members of the Nineveh Protection Council after their so-called Mufti issued an order to kill them by firing squad at the Sharia Court in Mosul."

The source, who requested to remain anonymous, added "ISIS elements handed the bodies of the dead to the Forensic Medicine Authority."

ISIS assigns former physics teacher to replace injured leader al-Baghdadi

[(IraqiNews.com] The American magazine 'Newsweek' revealed on Wednesday, that the ISIS group has assigned a former physics teacher as an interim leader of the organization, after the injury of its current leader His Supreme Immensity, Caliph of the Faithful and Galactic Overlord, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
...formerly merely the head of ISIL and a veteran of the Bagram jailhouse. Looks like a new messiah to bajillions of Moslems, like just another dead-eyed mass murder to the rest of us...
The newspaper quoted an advisor to the Iraqi government, Hisham al-Hashemi as saying, "The so-called Abu Alaa Afri, who was Vice-President of al-Baghdadi, has been assigned as the alternative leader of the terrorist organization ISIS in the absence of al-Baghdadi," noting that, "As al-Baghdadi was injured, Afri began to head the terrorist group with the help of officials from other provinces."

Hashemi stated that, "Afri is from al-Khidr area in djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
 and rose through the ranks of ISIS to become more prominent in the terrorist group, and even more important than al-Baghdadi himself", adding that, "Afri was nominated by bin Laden, after the death of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri, to be the Amir of Al-Qaeda in Iraq."

It is believed that Afri traveled to Afghanistan in 1998 before pledging allegiance and becoming a big shot of al-Qaeda in 2004, according to the newspaper.

British newspaper 'The Guardian' reported that the ISIS leader His Supreme Immensity, Caliph of the Faithful and Galactic Overlord, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is no longer able to manage the terrorist group, while he is trying to recover from a serious injury in an aerial raid western Iraq.

The US Department of Defense 'Pentagon' confirmed that the US military sees there is no reason to believe that al-Baghdadi was injured.

ISIS cut off 12 civilians’ fingers, hands in Nineveh

[IraqiNews.com] According to a local source in Nineveh, the ISIS group has cut off the hands and fingers of 12 civilians accused of theft and use of cell phones in the center of the province.

The source said in an interview for IraqiNews.com, "This afternoon, the ISIS group cut off the hands of three civilians accused of theft in Ghazlani Square in the center of Nineveh," and continued, "Afterwards, nine other civilians had their fingers cut off for using cell phones to get in touch with their relatives."

The source, who requested to remain anonymous, added, "The orders were issued by the so-called Board of Grievances Court in the state of Nineveh."

Coalition warplanes destroy vital tunnel for ISIS in south of Mosul

[(IraqiNews.com] On Thursday, a Kurdish official source asserted, that a tunnel under construction for the ISIS group has been destroyed in an air strike in Sinjar area south of djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
Giyas Surji, an official front man of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) stated in an interview for IraqiNews.com, "Warplanes of the international coalition carried out an attack on a tunnel for the ISIS group bandidos Death Eaters in the city of Sinjar," noting that, "The attack resulted in killing dozens of ISIS elements who were working on the construction of the tunnel which was aimed to facilitate the movement for ISIS in the areas controlled by the [paramilitary] Peshmerga forces."

"The air strike was based on accurate intelligence received by the Peshmerga forces," Surji added.
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Terror Networks
The Islamic State’s Strategic and Tactical Plan for Iraq
2014-08-09
The group was shocked by the armed opposition of the Sunni Awakening Councils in 2007 and started planning for the post-U.S. occupation era in Iraq in 2010, when Iraq’s jihadist movement published an important booklet with direct relevance to the strategy and tactics used by the Islamic State today: Khoutah Istratigya li Ta’aziz al-Moqif al-Siyasi al-Dawlat al-Islamyiah fi al-Iraq (A Strategic Plan to Improve the Political Position of the Islamic State of Iraq).

The booklet was published in a time when the Iraqi jihadists were in difficulty, appearing only months before Abu Omar al-Baghdadi (Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s successor as leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq) and the movement’s defense minister, Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, were killed in April 2010. The contents of Khoutah Istragiya outlined a strategic plan to “improve the position of Islamic state; therefore it will be more powerful politically and militarily… so the Islamic [State] project will be ready to take over all Iraq after the enemy troops withdraw.” [1]

The Islamic State is a linear descendant of al-Zarqawi’s Tanzim Qa’idat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (The Organization of Jihad’s Base in the Country of the Two Rivers – more commonly known as al-Qaeda in Iraq), formed in 2004 to fight the American invasion of Iraq.
ˇ Unification: This agenda urges jihadists to unify their efforts in Iraq and prove that the Islamic state is a reality. Efforts by the jihadists to run day-to-day management of the cities of Fallujah and Mosul after the Islamists took control may be considered as part of attaining this goal. [3]

ˇ Balanced Military Planning: This agenda is divided into three tactics:

1. “Nine Bullets against Apostates and One against Crusaders,” referring to a campaign to “increase the rate of fear amongst Iraqis who join the army and security forces”;

2. “Cleansing,” in which the movement aims to occupy places where the Iraqi army and security forces are located and keep them busy trying to retake these places. [4] To achieve this goal, jihadists in Iraq resort to a tactic involves holding hostages, killing dozens of them and then engaging in an open clash with security forces. This kind of attack has been dubbed “Mumbai-style” after the storming of the historic Taj Hotel in Mumbai by the Kashmiri jihadist group Lashkar-e-Taiba in 2008. Although the preferred jihadist tactic in Iraq is suicide bombings, mostly due to the damage they cause, their lower cost, the ability of the perpetrators to bypass security checks and the increased media coverage they attract. [5] Although they are not cheap compared to suicide bombings, Mumbai-style attacks achieve other goals in addition to media coverage. Most importantly, they undermine confidence in the security services in the targeted country, according to the assessment of the jihadists themselves. In October 2010, jihadists used a Mumbai-style attack on Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad, killing more than 50 worshippers (National Iraqi News Agency, November 1, 2010). The group used the same tactic five months later at the provincial council building in Tikrit, where another 56 people were killed (al-Shorfa, May 30, 2011);

3. Targeting influential military and political leaders by assassination. [6]

ˇ Formation of jihadist “Awakening Councils”: Jihadists admit that the formation of Awakening councils in Anbar was a “clever idea,” therefore, they have urged local Sunnis to form groups to protect their areas from the army and security forces, take control of day-to-day security in those areas and implement Shari’a. According to the jihadists, the aim is to integrate locals into the project to establish Shari’a and avoid the alienation of local people. All these groups are to be overseen by a jihadist religious amir. [7] Progress towards these goals was seen in the increasing numbers of Iraqis joining the jihadists as well as the alliance created with some local tribes in Fallujah in January. [8]

ˇ Political Symbolism: The jihadists believe that advancing a political and religious leader is an essential step in establishing an Islamic state. [9] At the time of the booklet’s publication, jihadists thought it would be difficult to find such a symbol, but when Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi became the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) several months later, it was clear he was assuming this symbolic role by combining the necessary political and religious credentials. This symbolic role was displayed when al-Baghdadi delivered the Friday sermon at Mosul’s Great Mosque of al-Nuri (built 1172-1173), which was traditionally used by the early Muslim Caliphs.

ˇ Assuring Non-Muslims: This refers to a just ruling by the Islamic State to assure non-Muslims that the jihadists are able and willing to protect them and their interests, a stance the jihadists view as important in light of ongoing efforts to misrepresent jihadists in the media. [10] However, after the jihadists took the city of Mosul in June, hundreds of Christian families fled after the jihadists demanded they convert, submit to their rule and pay a religious levy (jizyah) or face death by the sword. The Islamic State does not see this as a contradiction since their concept of justice involves implementing Shari’a as the group understands it.

Since it started to operate in Syria in 2013, the ISIS/Islamic State organization has been obsessed with controlling geographical space to support its plans to establish a caliphate. To achieve aims such as securing the border between Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State has actually engaged in more fighting with Kurdish militants, the Free Syrian Army rebels and even other jihadists than with the troops of the Assad regime. The announcement of a caliphate has benefited the Islamic State in terms of attracting fighters from all over the world. European citizens are reported to have carried out suicide attacks and even jihadists in Jordan who once opposed ISIS have now changed their position in support of the caliphate (al-Ghad [Amman], July 23). [11] These developments reflect the ideological foundations presented in the plan presented in 2010.


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Iraq
Top al-Qaeda commander in Iraq escapes from prison
2012-12-12
[Iran Press TV] Iraqi security sources say a top leader of al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic State of Iraq network has managed to escape from a detention facility in the western province of al-Anbar.

A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered...
, said the man -- identified as Ali Farhan -- fled the anti-terrorism prison in the city of Fallujah,
... the City of Mosques, which might have somthing to do with why it's not called Center of Prosperity or a really nice place to raise your kids...
 located roughly 69 kilometers (43 miles) west of Storied Baghdad,
...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate...
 on Tuesday, the Aswat al-Iraq news agency reported.

He added the senior al-Qaeda had been involved in terrorist activities, and was locked away
Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please!
 in Syria by the Interpol a few months ago.

The official said police have launched a hunt for the top terrorist.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq is a shadowy group that was once allegedly led by Jordanian myrmidon Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Zarqawi was reportedly killed in June 2006.

According to US government and military officials, the group was then led by Ayyub al-Masri, who was killed along with Abu Omar al-Baghdadi -- another leader of the group -- in a joint Iraqi-US operation in Salahuddin province in April 2010.
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Iraq
Abu Omar al-Baghdadi's Widow Gets Life
2011-06-30
[An Nahar] A Storied Baghdad
...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate...
 court has handed a life jail sentence to the widow of al-Qaeda's top chief in Iraq, killed last year in a joint US-Iraqi military raid, a judiciary official said on Wednesday.

Abdel Sattar al-Beriqdar, front man of Iraq's High Council of Justice, told Agence La Belle France Presse the woman was an Iraqi, but identified her only by her initials.

She is the widow of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the former head of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), the Qaeda front in Iraq.

"The criminal W.J. confessed she participated with her terrorist husband in many armed terrorist operations in different areas in the country," Beriqdar said in a statement.

He said she had controlled the cash and boom jackets used in attacks, and added the life sentence, usually 20-25 years in Iraq, could be appealed.

Storied Baghdadi was slain in an April 18, 2010 raid on a safe house north of the Iraqi capital that also killed Abu Ayub al-Masri -- an Egyptian turban and another top ISI official.

General Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq at the time, said the killings were "potentially the most significant blow to al-Qaeda in Iraq since the beginning of the insurgency."

Following the raid, ISI named two new leaders, Abu Bakr al-Qurashi and Sheikh Abu Abdullah al-Qurashi, to succeed the dead duo.

At the height of Iraq's sectarian violence in 2006 and 2007, al-Qaeda and other Sunni turban groups killed thousands of civilians when they bombed markets and mosques crowded with Shiite civilians.
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Iraq
ISI mufti arrested in Baghdad
2010-07-12
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi security forces captured the mufti of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) and an aide of his in the capital Baghdad on Saturday, according to al-Iraqiya TV.

The self-styled Islamic State of Iraq, announced to have been formed in October 2006, is composed of seven armed organizations, including the Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).

On April 19, the AQI leaders Abu Ayub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi as well as other key members were announced dead during a security raid conducted in al-Tharthar area of al-Anbar province.
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Terror Networks
Zawahiri praises terrorist leaders killed in Iraq
2010-05-25
Al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has praised two of the group's leaders killed in a shootout last month and offered condolences for their deaths, in an audio tape aired Friday by al-Jazeera TV and monitored by the US-based SITE Intelligence Group.

Al-Qaeda In Iraq (AQI) leaders Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayub al-Masri were killed in a joint U.S.-Iraqi military operation in Tikrit on April 18. In the 27-minute message titled, "Eulogy for the Two Commanders", al-Zawahiri praised the two leaders "for their character and their actions in jihad", The News reports.he message closed with images of attacks carried out by AQI, which al-Zawahiri in his message calls the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI).

Baghdadi was the political leader of AQI while Masri was the insurgent group's self-styled "minister of war". AQI had confirmed their deaths on April 24.
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Iraq
Detained militant in Iraq details World Cup plot
2010-05-18
An alleged al-Qaida militant detained in Iraq said Tuesday he was plotting to attack Danish and Dutch teams at the World Cup in South Africa next month to avenge insults against the Prophet Muhammad.

Iraqi security forces holding a Saudi citizen identified as Abdullah Azam Saleh al-Qahtani arranged for The Associated Press to interview him at an unidentified government building in Baghdad. He said he initially came to Iraq in 2004 to fight Americans and was recruited by al-Qaida.

An Iraqi security official with knowledge of the investigation said al-Qahtani was arrested after a joint U.S.-Iraqi operation in April that killed the two top al-Qaida in Iraq figures — Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi. The official asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to discuss details of the case.

Documents found in the house where they were killed, including a note written by al-Qahtani detailing the World Cup plot, led to his arrest on May 3. Iraqi authorities announced the arrest on Monday.

"We discussed the possibility of taking revenge for the insults of the prophet by attacking Denmark and Holland," al-Qahtani told The AP. "The goal was to attack the Danish and the Dutch teams and their fans," he added.

"If we were not able to reach the teams, then we'd target the fans," he said, adding that they hoped to use guns and car bombs.

The alleged militant, who is about 30 years old with a mustache, was wearing an orange prisoner jumpsuit and had no outward signs of injury or abuse. He did not appear nervous or fearful.

It was unclear whether the militants had the ability to carry out what would have been quite a sophisticated operation — a complicated attack far from their home base.

A U.S. military spokesman referred all questions about al-Qahtani to the government of Iraq.

He said the idea came up in late 2009 during talks with friends over some publications in Western media they deemed offensive to Muslims.

In 2006, 12 cartoons of the prophet in a Danish newspaper sparked furious protests in Muslim countries.

In the Netherlands, an anti-Islam party has become the country's fastest growing political movement. Its leader, Geert Wilders, calls the Quran a "fascist book" and wants it banned in the Netherlands. His 2008 short film "Fitna," offended many Muslims by juxtaposing Quranic verses with images of terrorism by Islamic radicals.

He advocated closing borders to immigrants, and taxing clothing commonly worn by Muslims, such as headscarves, because they "pollute" the Dutch landscape.

Wilders' popularity is partly a reaction to a spate of Islamic radical violence that sent shudders through the nation a few years ago. In 2004, a young Muslim from the Slotervaart neighborhood murdered Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, who had produced a short film portraying alleged oppression of Muslim women.

Al-Qahtani said the World Cup was considered a high-profile international event and South Africa was thought to be easier to travel to than either of the two European countries they wanted to target.

The Iraqi security official said no steps had yet been taken to put the plan into motion, such as obtaining bomb-making materials.

Al-Qahtani said the plot still needed approval from the al-Qaida chain of command, specifically the group's No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri.
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Iraq
"Islamic State of Iraq" names new "war minister"
2010-05-15
[Al Arabiya Latest] A new "war minister" has been named for the al-Qaeda front organization in Iraq following the deaths last month of two top leaders, an Internet monitoring group reported on Friday.

The US-based SITE Intelligence Group service said that the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), the branch of al-Qaeda in the country, named him in a statement posted on jihadist Internet forums.

"The new War Minister is identified as al-Nasser Lideen Illah Abu Suleiman, 'The Supporter for the Faith of Allah, Abu Suleiman'," it reported.
What's the over/under on his capture or death?
On April 18, two top al-Qaeda commanders, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayub al-Masri, were killed in a shootout when a joint Iraqi-US force raided their safehouse north of Baghdad. Baghdadi was the political leader of the group in Iraq while Masri, an Egyptian militant, was its self-styled "minister of war."

"The ISI had not previously announced replacements for these top officials," SITE said on Friday.
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Iraq
Al-Qaeda confirms death of two leaders
2010-04-25
N AL-QAEDA front group in Iraq declared in a statement posted on the internet today that its two top figures have been killed.

The statement by the Islamic State of Iraq provided the first confirmation from the terror network of the April 19 claim by the Iraqi and US governments that the two men were killed in a joint operation while they were hiding at a safe house near the city of Tikrit, north of Baghdad.

US Vice President Joe Biden has described the death of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri as a "potentially devastating blow" to al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Their deaths also have provided Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki with a boost in his efforts to keep his job after his coalition finished second in parliamentary elections held on March 7.

Today's statement said the death of al-Baghdadi and al-Masri would not affect the group's operations in Iraq after new members have joined the group recently. It also poured lavish praise on the two men.

"After a long journey filled with sacrifices and fighting falsehood and its representatives, two knights have dismounted to join the group of martyrs," the statement said.

"We announce that the Muslim nation has lost two of the leaders of jihad, and two of its men, who are only known as heroes on the path of jihad."

The statement was posted two days after bombings mostly targeting Shi'ite places of worship killed 72 people in Iraq's bloodiest day so far this year.

The bombings were seen as an apparent backlash by the Sunni-led insurgency after the slaying of the two al-Qaeda leaders.

Nobody claimed responsibility for Friday's attacks, but Iraqi officials were quick to blame al-Qaeda, which often targets Shi'ite mosques and religious processions in a bid to stoke new sectarian
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Iraq
Baghdad blasts casualties up to 234
2010-04-24
BAGDHAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Casualties from Friday's earlier five blasts that ripped through Baghdad rose to 54 deaths and 180 others wounded, a security source said on Friday.

“The blasts that targeted Shiite mosques left 54 people killed and 180 others wounded.

The death toll in the eastern Baghdad district of Sadr City alone reached 39 while the wounded 56,' the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

“Blasts in al-Amin area left eight killed and 23 wounded,' the source added.

Baghdad had been hit by a series of attacks with car bombs and improvised explosive devices on Friday. The bombing attacks targeted four Shiite mosques and an outdoor souk (market) in different areas of the violence-swept capital city.

The blasts come only four days after Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) network top leaders Abu Ayub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi as well as other key members of the armed group were killed in a security operation in the area of al-Tharthar, in the predominantly Sunni province of al-Anbar.

They also came in the heels of hectic security activity targeting AQI leaders in the provinces of Baghdad, Ninewa, Diala, al-Anbar and Kirkuk. The operations resulted in capturing or killing a number of AQI operatives, including Ahmed al-Obaidi, alias Abu Suhayb, the group's military commander for the provinces of Ninewa, Salah al-Din and Kirkuk, who was killed in Mosul.
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Iraq
Abu Ayub al-Masri, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi: dead again
2010-04-19
48 hour rule in effect. AoS.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Monday that Iraq's intelligence team killed Iraqi Al Qaeda leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri.
More...
BAGHDAD -- Iraq's prime minister says two of the most wanted al-Qaida in Iraq figures have been killed in a joint operation with the U.S.

Nouri al-Maliki said Monday that Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri were killed in over the weekend when a joint operation of U.S. and Iraqi forces rocketed a home where they were hiding.

He showed reporters at a news conference pictures of two dead bodies he identified as al-Baghdadi and al-Masri. But his claims could not immediately be verified.

The Iraqi government has claimed multiple times over that it had either captured or killed al-Baghdadi, most recently a year ago.
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