A key question in the Stockholm investigation is whether Taymour Abdalwahhab was acting on behalf of the al-Qaida linked group “Islamic State in Iraq”. The question matters because if he was, then ISI is targeting Europe and can be expected to send more bombers. First, let me stress that “acting on behalf of” means someting more [...]
Archive for the ‘Islamic State of Iraq’ Category
The Iraq Connection
Posted: 15th December 2010 by Thomas Hegghammer in Europe, Iraq, Islamic State of Iraq, Suicide bombings, Sweden, training, U.K.6
The Posts That Never Were
Posted: 13th July 2009 by Thomas Hegghammer in Afghanistan, France, Islamic State of Iraq, Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, Pakistan, Somalia, Strategy, USAApologies for the slow publication pace here at Jihadica, but deadlines and an upcoming house move mean I can only dream about serious blogging these days. This does not mean forums are quiet. Every morning this past week I found things on the forums that deserved commentary. In a dream world, here’s what I would [...]
The Islamic State of Iraq in Gaza?
Posted: 18th May 2009 by Scott Sanford in Hamas, Islamic State of Iraq, Palestinian Territories, propagandaOn 15 May 2009, Falluja Forum contributor Wahj al-Rasas (Blazing Bullets) posted photos of leaflets the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) supposedly distributed recently in Gaza. The leaflets claim that the recent announcement of Abu-Omar al-Baghdadi’s capture is a fabrication, the ISI does not know the identity of the person in the alleged photos of [...]
Al-Baghdadi Speaks
Posted: 12th May 2009 by Thomas Hegghammer in AQ in Iraq, Iraq, Islamic State of IraqA quick addendum to Truls’s post about Abu Umar al-Baghdadi: The Islamic State in Iraq has now broken the silence over al-Baghadi’s alleged capture. It released a brief statement this morning dismissing the reported arrest and denying any knowledge of the man depicted on the photograph circulating in the media. Shortly afterwards, Furqan media released [...]
Emirate of Confusion
Posted: 8th May 2009 by Truls Tønnessen in AQ in Iraq, Iraq, Islamic State of IraqEditor’s note: I am delighted to introduce a new contributor, Truls Tønnessen, who is a FFI research fellow as well as a PhD candidate in History at the University of Oslo. He works on jihadism in Iraq and will be covering Iraq for Jihadica. The alleged arrest of the emir of al-Qaida led Islamic [...]
Back
Posted: 26th March 2009 by Thomas Hegghammer in AQ in Iraq, Bin Laden, China, Islamic State of Iraq, Jihadi media, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, propaganda, Somalia, Yemen, ZawahiriI have been busy the past two weeks, but the jihadis have been busier. Bin Ladin has issued two audio statements, one proposing practical steps to liberate Palestine and the other about the treacherous government in Somalia. Al-Zawahiri warned against the forthcoming Crusader attack on Sudan, while Mustafa Abu al-Yazid has addressed the people of [...]
When Will Somalia’s Shabaab Movement Declare An Islamic State?
Posted: 16th November 2008 by Will McCants in Islamic State of Iraq, SomaliaTags: Shabaab, Somalia
That’s the question asked by a member of the Faloja forum. Here are some of the answers: Al-Yamami: The Shabaab will soon declare its allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI); that’s why ISI’s head, `Umar al-Baghdadi, mentioned the movement recently. Muhibb al-Muqrin: It will be become an emirate and remain so until [...]
“The Painful Truth: Al-Qaeda is Losing the War in Iraq”
Posted: 1st October 2008 by Will McCants in AQ in Iraq, Islamic State of IraqTags: al-Qaeda in Iraq, Iraq, Islamic State of Iraq
That’s the title of a post by hamzacom on the Faloja forum. In it, he draws an analogy with Afghanistan just after the U.S. invasion. It was a time of defeat for the mujahids but now they are resurging. The same will happen in Iraq. Other forum members are predictably annoyed by hamzacom’s pessimistic title. [...]
Zawahiri the XO
Posted: 11th September 2008 by Will McCants in AQ in Iraq, AQ Leadership, Bin Laden, Iraq, Islamic State of Iraq, Jihadi media, Recruitment, tactics, ZawahiriTags: Abu Ayyub al-Masri, al-Qaeda Central, al-Qaeda in Iraq, Bin Laden, Islamic State of Iraq, Zawahiri
The US military has given CNN letters that Zawahiri wrote in March 2008 to senior al-Qaeda commanders in Iraq (hat tip SK). Much of the content has been filtered through an MNFI spokesman so it’s hard to use CNN’s summary to assess al-Qaeda’s fortunes in Iraq. Nevertheless, since the summary fits with the bleak picture [...]