New video message from Himam News Agency: “Report #10 Some of the Implications of the Devastation Wrought By the Shelling of the Nuṣayrī Army in the Karam al-Ṭarāb Neighborhood – Aleppo"
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Category: Syria
Check out my new article at CNN co-authored with Soner Cagaptay: "Turkey’s Jihadi Dilemma"
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In late May, the Turkish government uncovered a plan to use Sarin gas as part of a potential bomb attack in southern Turkey. Al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra (JN), was allegedly behind the plot, and the subsequent arrests highlighted the increasing trouble jihadi radicals could pose for Ankara. Indeed, the longer Turkey turns a blind eye to jihadi rebels crossing its territory into Syria, the more likely there will be blowback.
The reality is that providing jihadists access to a neighboring country can result in unintended consequences as radicals ultimately bite the hand that feeds them, something Pakistan should have learned over Afghanistan, and Bashar al-Assad has discovered as Syria-backed al Qaeda elements from Iraqi territory have turned against the regime in Damascus.
Click here to read the rest.
Minbar at-Tawḥīd wa-l-Jihād presents a new article from Abū Hamām Bakr Bin 'Abd al- 'Azīz al-'Atharī: "Extend Our Hands in Bay'at to al-Baghdādī"
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Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Abū Hamām Bakr Bin ‘Abd al- ‘Azīz al-‘Atharī — “Extend Our Hands in Bay’at to al-Baghdādī”
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To inquire about a translation for this article for a fee email: [email protected]
New video message from Himam News Agency: “Report #9 Pictures from the Suffering on the Medical Side from the Oppression of the Nuṣayrī Regime During a Visit to the Islamic Medical Center in Binnish – Idlib"
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To inquire about a translation for this video message for a fee email: [email protected]
New video message from Himam News Agency: “Report #8 Irrigation of the Water: Jabhat al-Nuṣrah Distributes Water to the Needy in Rural Eastern Ḥamāh"
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Two new statements from Jabhat al-Nuṣrah
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Click the following links for safe PDF copies:
Jabhat al-Nuṣrah — Photos of the Transport Battalion Liberated in Northern Dar’ā – On the Outskirts of the City of Buṣayr al-Ḥarīr
Jabhat al-Nuṣrah — Destroying Houses of the Shabīḥah Upon Their Heads in the Neighborhood of al-Qābūn in Rural Damascus
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To inquire about a translation for these statements for a fee email: [email protected]
New audio message from the ‘Abd Allah ‘Azzām Brigades’ Mājid bin Muḥammad al-Mājid: "You Support Oh Shām"
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UPDATE 8/22/13 8:39 AM: Here is an English translation of the below Arabic audio message and transcription:
Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Mājid bin Muḥammad al-Mājid — “You Support Oh Shām” (En)
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UPDATE 8/2/13 9:30 PM: Here is an Arabic transcription of the below audio message:
Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Mājid bin Muḥammad al-Mājid — “You Support Oh Shām” (Ar)
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Mājid bin Muḥammad al-Mājid — “You Support Oh Shām”
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As-Saḥāb Media presents a new video message from al-Qā’idah's Dr. Ayman al-Ẓawāhirī: "Forty-Six Years Since the Year of al-Naksah"
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UPDATE 8/3/13 9:38 AM: Here is an Arabic transcription of the below video message:
Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Dr. Ayman al-Ẓawāhirī — “Forty-Six Years Since the Year of al-Naksah” (Ar)
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To inquire about a translation for this video message for a fee email: [email protected]
Hizballah Cavalcade: The Lion of Damascus, and Afghans, and Africans! Oh My!: Fighters From Exotic Locales In Syria’s Shia Militias
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NOTE: For prior parts in the Hizballah Cavalcade series you can view an archive of it all here.=&0=&=&1=&=&2=&
Figure 3: The original photo of Kuwni circulated on Facebook pages managed by pro-LAFA/LAFA administrators.
Called the, “First African martyr” for the Sayyidah Zaynab Shrine, Muhammed Suleiman al-Kuwni was reported dead on the pro-LAFA/LAFA administered “Al-Shiaa” Facebook page on July 26, 2013. One pro-LAFA Facebook page claimed Kuwni was killed due to injuries he suffered during fighting. Interestingly, Kuwni was not reported to be a member of Liwa’a Abu Fadl al-Abbas or of another announced Shia militia in Syria. Instead he was simply listed as a “Defender of…Zaynab”.
His death was later reported by Iranian media outlets on July 27, 2013.[8] On that same day Iranian media started covering Kuwni’s story, Hizballah’s SouthLebanon.org webpage also included a prayer for him.[9] Most importantly, both Iranian and pro-LAFA Arabic language sources reported Kuwni was originally from the West African state of Côte d`Ivoire, home to almost half a million Shia Muslims.[10]
Stories about Kuwni did not include details on any burial plans. Additionally, more comprehensive information covering his family, or a detailed biography stating where he was originally from in Côte d`Ivoire was also not presented.
Hizballah and Iranian activities have been rather extensive in West Africa.[11] According to the U.S. Department of Treasury, Hizballah has also pieced together an extensive fundraising and recruiting network in Côte d`Ivoire.[12] It is possible Kuwni passed through Hizballah recruitment in Africa, was trained (likely in Lebanon), and was then deployed to fight in Syria. However, his case remains unique and unusual. Iran has primarily utilized Arabic-speaking proxies from Iraq and Lebanese Hizballah to bolster Assad. The addition of African fighters demonstrates Tehran is more open to using proxies from all over the world.
[1] See: https://www.syriaonline.sy/?f=Details&catid=12&pageid=4174.
[2] See: https://www.khaama.com/afghans-involvement-in-syria-war-to-be-investigated-mosazai-1562
[3] See: https://algadtv.com/?p=53142
[4] See: https://freehalab.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/assads-foreign-jihadists-and-mercenaries/
[5] Grant Farr, “The Hazara of Central Afghanistan”, in Barbara Brower and Barbara Rose Johnston (eds.), Disappearing Peoples?: Indigenous Groups and Ethnic Minorities in South and Central Asia, (Walnut Creek, California: Left Coast Press, Inc., 2007), P. 164.
[6] See: https://www.hazara.net/news/news2012/khoemini/khoemini-anniversary-kabul.html. See also: https://www.brianglynwilliams.com/pdfs/20120301114407597.pdf and https://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0824/p06s01-wosc.html.
[7] See: https://www.khaama.com/afghans-involvement-in-syria-war-to-be-investigated-mosazai-1562.
[8] The first Iranian story covering Kuwni’s death was published by Iran’s AhlulBayt News Agency. See: https://www.abna.ir/data.asp?lang=1&id=445548. The same story and published photograph have been reproduced by a number of Iranian news websites. See: https://valieamr.com/Default.aspx?PageName=news&ID=20336&Language=1, https://eslamabadkhabar.ir/shownews.php?idnews=42108, and https://www.fardanews.com/fa/news/276512/%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%AA-%D9%86%D8%AE%D8%B3%D8%AA%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%A2%D9%81%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%82%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B9-%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%B9%DA%A9%D8%B3.
[9] See: https://www.southlebanon.org/?p=79659.
[10] Shireen Hunter, Iran’s Foreign Policy in the Post-Soviet Era: Resisting the New International Order, (Santa Barbara, California: Praeger, 2010), P. 227.
[11] In Nigeria, Hizballah has been involved in maintaining arms caches and the creation of groups pushing Iranian revolutionary ideology. Nigeria even has its own political organization (the Islamic Movement of Nigeria) which was created as a near mirror image of Lebanese Hizballah. See: https://www.islamicmovement.org/ and https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17908704. See also: https://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/12/nigeria-judge-refuses-bail-for-3-lebanese-nigerians-accused-hoarding-hezbollah/ and https://www.haaretz.com/news/features/.premium-1.530327. For some earlier examples (2009-2010) of Iranian diplomatic, cultural, and financial moves in West Africa, see: https://www.irantracker.org/analysis/ahmadinejad-west-africa-iranian-outreach-reveals-tehran-foreign-policy-aug-3-2010-3242. See also: https://www.aei.org/article/foreign-and-defense-policy/regional/subsaharan-africa/forgotten-africa-turns-to-iran-as-a-result-of-western-neglect/.
[12] See: https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl1980.aspx and https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg149.aspx.
Figure 3: The original photo of Kuwni circulated on Facebook pages managed by pro-LAFA/LAFA administrators.
Called the, “First African martyr” for the Sayyidah Zaynab Shrine, Muhammed Suleiman al-Kuwni was reported dead on the pro-LAFA/LAFA administered “Al-Shiaa” Facebook page on July 26, 2013. One pro-LAFA Facebook page claimed Kuwni was killed due to injuries he suffered during fighting. Interestingly, Kuwni was not reported to be a member of Liwa’a Abu Fadl al-Abbas or of another announced Shia militia in Syria. Instead he was simply listed as a “Defender of…Zaynab”.
His death was later reported by Iranian media outlets on July 27, 2013.[8] On that same day Iranian media started covering Kuwni’s story, Hizballah’s SouthLebanon.org webpage also included a prayer for him.[9] Most importantly, both Iranian and pro-LAFA Arabic language sources reported Kuwni was originally from the West African state of Côte d`Ivoire, home to almost half a million Shia Muslims.[10]
Stories about Kuwni did not include details on any burial plans. Additionally, more comprehensive information covering his family, or a detailed biography stating where he was originally from in Côte d`Ivoire was also not presented.
Hizballah and Iranian activities have been rather extensive in West Africa.[11] According to the U.S. Department of Treasury, Hizballah has also pieced together an extensive fundraising and recruiting network in Côte d`Ivoire.[12] It is possible Kuwni passed through Hizballah recruitment in Africa, was trained (likely in Lebanon), and was then deployed to fight in Syria. However, his case remains unique and unusual. Iran has primarily utilized Arabic-speaking proxies from Iraq and Lebanese Hizballah to bolster Assad. The addition of African fighters demonstrates Tehran is more open to using proxies from all over the world.
[1] See: https://www.syriaonline.sy/?f=Details&catid=12&pageid=4174.
[2] See: https://www.khaama.com/afghans-involvement-in-syria-war-to-be-investigated-mosazai-1562
[3] See: https://algadtv.com/?p=53142
[4] See: https://freehalab.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/assads-foreign-jihadists-and-mercenaries/
[5] Grant Farr, “The Hazara of Central Afghanistan”, in Barbara Brower and Barbara Rose Johnston (eds.), Disappearing Peoples?: Indigenous Groups and Ethnic Minorities in South and Central Asia, (Walnut Creek, California: Left Coast Press, Inc., 2007), P. 164.
[6] See: https://www.hazara.net/news/news2012/khoemini/khoemini-anniversary-kabul.html. See also: https://www.brianglynwilliams.com/pdfs/20120301114407597.pdf and https://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0824/p06s01-wosc.html.
[7] See: https://www.khaama.com/afghans-involvement-in-syria-war-to-be-investigated-mosazai-1562.
[8] The first Iranian story covering Kuwni’s death was published by Iran’s AhlulBayt News Agency. See: https://www.abna.ir/data.asp?lang=1&id=445548. The same story and published photograph have been reproduced by a number of Iranian news websites. See: https://valieamr.com/Default.aspx?PageName=news&ID=20336&Language=1, https://eslamabadkhabar.ir/shownews.php?idnews=42108, and https://www.fardanews.com/fa/news/276512/%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%AA-%D9%86%D8%AE%D8%B3%D8%AA%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%A2%D9%81%D8%B1%DB%8C%D9%82%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B9-%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%B9%DA%A9%D8%B3.
[9] See: https://www.southlebanon.org/?p=79659.
[10] Shireen Hunter, Iran’s Foreign Policy in the Post-Soviet Era: Resisting the New International Order, (Santa Barbara, California: Praeger, 2010), P. 227.
[11] In Nigeria, Hizballah has been involved in maintaining arms caches and the creation of groups pushing Iranian revolutionary ideology. Nigeria even has its own political organization (the Islamic Movement of Nigeria) which was created as a near mirror image of Lebanese Hizballah. See: https://www.islamicmovement.org/ and https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17908704. See also: https://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/12/nigeria-judge-refuses-bail-for-3-lebanese-nigerians-accused-hoarding-hezbollah/ and https://www.haaretz.com/news/features/.premium-1.530327. For some earlier examples (2009-2010) of Iranian diplomatic, cultural, and financial moves in West Africa, see: https://www.irantracker.org/analysis/ahmadinejad-west-africa-iranian-outreach-reveals-tehran-foreign-policy-aug-3-2010-3242. See also: https://www.aei.org/article/foreign-and-defense-policy/regional/subsaharan-africa/forgotten-africa-turns-to-iran-as-a-result-of-western-neglect/.
[12] See: https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl1980.aspx and https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg149.aspx.
Two new statements from Jabhat al-Nuṣrah
Posted on
Click the following links for safe PDF copies:
Jabhat al-Nuṣrah — Killing a Colonel in the Engineering Company and Three Soldiers With an Explosive Device in Rural Ḥamāh
Jabhat al-Nuṣrah — Liberation of the Transport and Armament Battlions in Northern Dar’ā’ – On the Outskirts of the City of Buṣayr al-Ḥarīr
_______________
To inquire about a translation for these statements for a fee email: [email protected]