Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Al-Qaeda adviser (!!!) calls for Hamas to free hostages, says attention overshadowing fate of Palestinian prisoners

2024-10-19

I am speechless.

[IsraelTimes] An adviser to al-Qaeda’s likely current leader is calling for Hamas
Hamas

..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
to release its Israeli hostages held in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
, according to an American jihadist monitoring organization, SITE.

The online declaration was made yesterday by Mustafa Hamid, also known as Abu Walid al-Masri, who is the father-in-law of Saif al-Adel
...holed up in Iran from 2002 until 2010, when he made bail and moved back to the Pak-Afghan border...
, the man widely believed to now head al-Qaeda, according to SITE.

In it, Hamid claims the attention given to recovering the Israeli hostages held by Hamas since October 7, 2023, both dead and alive, is overshadowing the fate of Paleostinian security prisoners being held by Israel.

He also hails Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the criminal mastermind of the massacre that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza, who was killed by Israel this week.

Hamas must now "immediately" return the hostages and their bodies, and "this file must be closed and not opened again, as we know its consequences," according to the statement.

Indeed.

"No one cares about the Paleostinian prisoners, neither in the media, in negotiations, nor in demonstrations," it adds.

Insightful. That’s probably how he got his daughter married off to that man.

Several experts consulted by AFP say Hamid is close to higher-ups in the core al-Qaeda organization.

The group, which has spawned regional affiliates in Syria, Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
, Somalia and Mali, has little leverage over Hamas, which is backed by Iran.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

IDF dropping leaflets in Khan Yunis, Gaza:

"Yahya Sinwar has ruined your lives. He hid in a dark tunnel and was eliminated when he attempted to flee in panic. Lay down your weapons, return the hostages, and live in peace.” pic.twitter.com/BPkYDfiXNK
— Vivid.🇮🇱 (@VividProwess) October 19, 2024

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syrian Army's Daraa adventures: Egyptian ISIS emir reaches neutrality, former rebels fight alongside, final ISIS stronghold taken

2018-07-31

Syrian Army kills Egyptian ISIS emir in southwest Syria

[ALMASDARNEWS] The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) killed one of the highest ranking commanders of the so-called Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(ISIS) in southwestern Syria last night.

According to a military report from Daraa, the Syrian Arab Army killed the Islamic State emir of Shajarah, Abu Walid al-Masri, after a fierce battle in the southwestern countryside of Daraa.

The report added that the Islamic State commander was of Egyptian descent.

The Islamic State affiliated Jaish Khaled bin Walid forces have recently been suffering heavy casualties in the Yarmouk Basin region, thanks in large part to the intensity of the Syrian Arab Army’s attack.

Since killing Abu Walid al-Masri, the Syrian Arab Army has begun a new attack on Shajarah in a bid to expel the terrorist group from the area.

Former rebels fight alongside Syrian Army in Daraa (video)

[ALMASDARNEWS] Former rebels from the Free Syrian Army
... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund...
(FSA) are now fighting alongside the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in the Daraa Governorate after years of conflict.

The rebel fighters from Free Syrian Army’s Shabaab al-Sunnah Brigade are currently taking part in the Syrian Arab Army’s ongoing offensive against the ISIS-affiliated Jaish Khaled bin Walid Lions of Islam in the Yarmouk Basin region.

According to a Syrian military report, over 500 former rebels are now fighting alongside the government forces after settling their cases in the Daraa Governorate.

These reconciled rebels were given the option to serve alongside the Syrian Arab Army in order to settle their cases and remain in the Daraa and al-Quneitra governorates.

Syrian army retakes biggest Islamic State's stronghold in Daraa: Agency

[IraqiNews] The Syrian army has announced liberating a village in al-Yarmouk basin in the countryside of Daraa, south of Syria, after a military operation that ended the last stronghold of Islamic State there, the Syrian SANA news agency reported.

The army forces, according to the report, entered al-Shajara village, the main stronghold of the militants in al-Yarmouk basin, from two regions. The first one from Abdeen village, northwest of al-Shajara, while the second from Tal Gitar and Ain Ghazala, in the east and northeast of the village.

Huge losses were inflicted on the enemy in lives and equipment, the report added. The confrontations ended with liberation of the village.

In related news, the report said army forces achieved progress in Abdeen village.

Link

Afghanistan

Hotline to the jihad

2009-12-06

In September, I rather cheekily requested a dialogue with a prominent Islamic militant. Egyptian-born Abu Walid al-Masri is a legendary figure in mujaheddin circles. A 30-year veteran of jihad, he was known during the Soviet-Afghan war for his prowess as a military strategist. Years later, he became the first foreigner to swear allegiance to Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

He counts among his old friends Osama bin Laden and the senior leadership of al-Qa'ida, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan as well as Taliban-linked military commander Jalaluddin Haqqani. He was once married to Sydney woman Rabiah Hutchinson, whom he wed in Afghanistan.

Abu Walid is also a prolific author. He began writing in 1978 after leaving southern Lebanon, where he fought against Israeli forces. When he joined the Afghan jihad in 1979, he reported on the conflict for several publications. He became committed to the idea of establishing an Islamic state in Afghanistan. When the Taliban came to power, Abu Walid became involved in its media activities, writing for its magazines and working as Kandahar correspondent for the al-Jazeera television station.

He has also written 12 books that give a candid history of foreign fighters in Afghanistan. They have generated controversy because of his criticism of al-Qa'ida, who he believes caused the downfall of the Taliban. When the Taliban regime fell after the 2001 US invasion, Abu Walid fled to Iran, where was he detained and put under house arrest. Unable to return to fight in Afghanistan, Abu Walid is instead conducting jihad using his pen.

Recently he provided strategic advice to the Taliban in their insurgency against coalition forces, suggesting they take foreign hostages to use as bargaining chips to secure the release of prisoners held by the US and to assist in forcing its withdrawal from the country. He has also returned to writing for its magazine.

When I asked to talk to him, I hoped he might share his views on the history of foreign fighters in Afghanistan and explain the nature of al-Qa'ida's relationship with the Taliban, as well as his relationship with these two groups. Asking him was a long shot. Especially since he was aware I am a former counter-terrorism analyst turned academic who specialises in al-Qa'ida. To my amazement, he agreed. For the past two months we have engaged in a dialogue, much of which has played out publicly via our respective blogs.

In the process, we have discovered we agree on some things: most notably that al-Qa'ida has done its dash in the Islamic world. Abu Walid believes al-Qa'ida's actions have caused more harm than good.

He laments that "jihad has become synonymous with the explosive belt and the car bomb . . . and this is a real disaster because war is not indiscriminate killing".

The terrorism war, he tells me, has proven "to be far from the mood of the Muslim people and the result has been popular hatred towards it". He laments that "jihad has become synonymous with the explosive belt and the car bomb . . . and this is a real disaster because war is not indiscriminate killing".

According to Abu Walid, the dominant mood within the jihadist milieu is that "guns and bombs are the only approved means for change". He questions this, asking "who said that carrying the weapon is the only choice and is inevitable?" And he says al-Qa'ida's reliance on suicide attacks leads observers to think it has "a surplus of fighters' lives and would like to get rid of them".

When I ask him about al-Qa'ida's objectives, he tells me it lacks strategic vision and instead relies on "shiny slogans" around which to rally its troops. He also thinks it is an authoritarian organisation, telling me bin Laden runs al-Qa'ida with "absolute individual leadership". This makes it "the first private sector jihad organisation in Muslim history". He is concerned the "extremely negative" outcome of this experience "may be replicated in the future" with other groups and draws an analogy of jihadi groups operating in the future in a similar way to Western mercenary organisations. Such criticism of al-Qa'ida is virtually unheard of among jihadists. Especially from someone who still considers its leaders his friends, has not been excommunicated by them and continues to write for Taliban's publications.

Abu Walid has also railed against allegations he has been a member of al-Qa'ida and that his criticism of the organisation represents a split in the movement. He does not deny his old friendship and activities with them but says he "was never a day within the al-Qa'ida organisation to break away from it". And he also acknowledges his advice and criticism of al-Qa'ida and other groups causes controversy and "makes the sound of loud bombs".

In his most recent letter to me, where he responded to an article I wrote for The Australian on al-Qa'ida's Afghanistan strategy, he dropped the loudest bomb of all. He tells me the Taliban will no longer welcome al-Qa'ida in Afghanistan. Their return would make matters more complicated for the Taliban because "the majority of the population is against al-Qa'ida".

According to Abu Walid, the differences between al-Qa'ida and the Taliban are greater now than they were before the war. Not only is al-Qa'ida unwelcome in Afghanistan but so are other salafist groups who previously operated in the country.

He believes that disassociation is required. He tells me "if the link between the Taliban and al-Qa'ida is not broken the results will be bad for the Taliban and Afghanistan". And he thinks that the Taliban should also move away from the salafist movement so it can be liberated "from all of the restrictions that hinder its political options".

Last week, US special envoy Richard Holbrooke reiterated that the US would be willing to negotiate with the Taliban if it renounces al-Qa'ida. The Taliban is unlikely to renounce al-Qa'ida, but Abu Walid's letter indicates that it may disassociate. How much this counts for in the Afghan end game, and whether the Taliban will do so, remains to be seen. And, of course, this is not Mullah Omar's view, but Abu Walid's.

When I ask Abu Walid about negotiating with the Taliban, he replies with a quote by former US secretary of state George Shultz who said negotiations "are a euphemism for capitulation if the shadow of power is not cast across the bargaining table". The Taliban is all too aware of this. Omar's statement last week addressed the issue and rejected coming to the negotiation table.

He said the "invading Americans want mujaheddin to surrender under the pretext of the negotiation. This is something impossible". Abu Walid says the US is now trying to spread the shadow of power across Afghanistan, but that it has already "lost its lead and lacks the will and capacity to win the war".

While the US-led coalition is examining options to negotiate an outcome to the war, he says the Taliban's senior leadership trusts no one beyond its borders, not even the states who formerly recognised it: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. This may explain the Taliban's recent statements where it portrayed itself as willing to establish friendly and responsible relations with its neighbours and other countries. These statements also mark a discrete but important move away from al-Qa'ida and militant salafist ideologies.

Link

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