New release of the magazine: “Ibnat al-Islām #28″

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

For prior issues see: #27, #26, #25, #24, #23,  #22, #21, #20, #19, #18, #17, #16, #15, #14, #13, #12, #11, #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, and #1.

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Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Ibnat al-Islām Magazine #28

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Source: RocketChat

To inquire about a translation for this magazine issue for a fee email: [email protected]

Check out my new ‘Policy Watch’ for the Washington Institute: “Iran Formalizes Ties with the Taliban”

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

On February 26, Iran officially handed over the Afghan embassy in Tehran to diplomats from the Taliban—a big step in formalizing and deepening their ties. Relations between the two governments will not start from scratch, as ties have been developing in a number of areas over the past year and a half. The Taliban previously operated consulate-generals out of Mashhad and Zahedan, while Iran never formally closed its embassy in Kabul following the group’s 2021 takeover in Afghanistan. The situation is notably different from the tensions that characterized the first iteration of the Taliban’s “Islamic Emirate,” when Tehran had deep security concerns about the group due to its mistreatment of Afghanistan’s Shia Hazara community and its 1998 killing of Iranian diplomats at the Mazar-e Sharif consulate. Indeed, the embassy handover is another accomplishment in the Taliban’s slow but persistent push for legitimacy and full international recognition, even if the latter has yet to happen.

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New video message from Hay’at Taḥrīr al-Shām: “Even If You Should Be Within Towers Of Lofty Construction: Scenes From the Qualitative Operation of the Mujāhidīn From the Red Bandanas At the Summit of Tawrūs, North of al-Lādhiqīyah”

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

The first half of the title of this release is in reference to Qur’anic verse 4:78. Here it is in full: “Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you should be within towers of lofty construction. But if good comes to them, they say, ‘This is from God’; and if evil befalls them, they say, ‘This is from you.’ Say, ‘All [things] are from God.’ So what is [the matter] with those people that they can hardly understand any statement?”

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To inquire about a translation for this video message for a fee email: [email protected]

New issue of The Islamic State’s newsletter: “al-Nabā’ #380″

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

For prior newsletter issues see: #379, #378, #377, #376, #375, #374, #373, #372, #371, #370, #369, #368, #367, #366, #365, #364, #363, #362, #361, #360, #359, #358, #357, #356, #355, #354, #353, #352, #351, #350, #349, #348, #347, #346, #345, #344, #343, #342, #341, #340, #339, #338, #337, #336, #335, #334, #333, #332, #331, #330, #329, #328, #327, #326, #325, #324, #323, #322, #321, #320, #319, #318, #317, #316, #315, #314, #313,  #312, #311, #310, #309, #308, #307, #306, #305, #304, #303, #302, #301, #300, #299, #298, #297, #296, #295, #294, #293, #292, #291, #290, #289, #288, #287, #286, #285, #284, #283, #282, #281, #280, #279, #278, #277, #276, #275, #274, #273, #272, #271, #270, #269, #268, #267, #266, #265, #264, #263, #262, #261, #260, #259, #258, #257, #256, #255, #254, #253, #252, #251, #250, #249, #248, #247, #246, #245, #244, #243, #242, #241, #240, #239, #238, #237, #236, #235, #234, #233, #232, #231, #230, #229, #228, #227, #226, #225, #224, #223, #222, #221, #220, #219, #218, #217, #216, #215, #214, #213, #212, #211, #210, #209, #208, #207, #206, #205, #204, #203, #202, #201, #200, #199, #198, #197, #196, #195, #194, #193, #192, #191, #190, #189, #188, #187, #186, #185, #184, #183, #182, #181, #180, #179, #178, #177, #176, #175, #174, #173, #172, #171, #170, #169, #168, #167, #166, #165, #164, #163, #162, #161, #160, #159, #158, #157, #156, #155, #154, #153, #152, #151, #150, #149, #148, #147, #146, #145, #144, #143, #142, #141, #140, #139, #138, #137, #136, #135, #134, #133, #132, #131, #130, #129, #128, #127, #126, #125, #124, #123, #122, #121, #120, #119, #118, #117, #116, #115, #114, #113, #112, #111, #110, #109, #108, #107, #106, #105, #104, #103, #102, #101, #100, #99, #98, #97, #96, #95, #94, #93, #92, #91, #90, #89, #88, #87, #86, #85, #84, #83, #82, #81, #80, #79, #78, #77, #76, #75, #74, #73, #72, #71, #70, #69, #68, #67, #66, #65, #64, #63, #62, #61, #60, #59, #58, #57, #56, #55, #54, #53, #52, #51, #50, #49, #48, #47, #46, #45, #44, #43, #42, #41, #40, #39, #38, #37, #36, #35, #34, #33, #32, #31, #30, #29, #28, #27, #26, #25, #24, #23, #22, #21, #20, #19, #18, #17, #16, #15, #14, #13, #12, #11, #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, and #1.

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Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: The Islamic State — al-Nabā’ Newsletter #380

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To inquire about a translation for this newsletter issue for a fee email: [email protected]

Check out my new article with my colleague Sarah Cahn for Vox-Pol: “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Imagined Communities in its Proto-State”

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

In recent years, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has been attempting to develop its own polity. This process has not been linear and there has been a maturation process over time. Beyond governance though, an important part of nation-building is creating a similar narrative of people’s own history and shared memory. As Benedict Anderson notes in his famous Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, nations or “imagined communities” are socially constructed, since not everyone in a polity knows someone, but are believed to share a similar history and experience. This is no different for HTS, which has since mid-August been publishing “briefs” through its municipal governance structure the “Administration for the Liberated Areas” on different cities, villages, and regions in the areas it controls. Therefore, there is an interplay that HTS is attempting to build between different areas it controls, connecting real world history that will hopefully bring people in its territory together to illustrate their similarities and thus establishing an “imagined community” amongst HTS’s polity.

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New statement from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan: “On the Third Anniversary of the Doha Agreement”

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

Three years ago, on 10th of Hoth an agreement on withdrawal of all foreign occupation forces from Afghanistan was signed between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the United States of America in Doha, Qatar, in front of the representatives of nearly 60 nations and organisations.

Our faithful and Mujahid nation, with the help of Almighty Allah, continued the holy jihad against foreign invaders, untill to make their jihad struggle on the path of victory.

Special assistance from Allah Almighty, gratitude to the Mujahidin and the oppressed people and 10th of Hoth marked the beginning of the great victory and freedom for the Afghan mujahid and the oppressed nation, and Afghanistan was freed from 20 years of occupation and conflict.

With the grace and support of Allah, the Afghans once again gathered together like brothers, the conspiracies of the enemies were foiled and the ground was laid for the establishment of a unified Islamic system. Praise be to Allah on the occasion of this great day, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan congratulates all the Afghan people and the Mujahideen and prayes paradise for all the martyrs of Jihad, swift recivry and rewards for the injured, and happiness in this world and the hereafter for the orphans and widows.

We ask Allah Almighty to give stability to this achived peace, security and the Islamic system built on the sacrifices of martyrs, and to give us all the opportunity to express our gratitude for this great victory and reward and turns all our deeds solely for the acquiescence of Allah.

 

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

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Check out my new article in CTC Sentinel: “Jihadi ‘Counterterrorism:’ Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Versus the Islamic State”

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

Abstract: Once allies in the same organization, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Islamic State have an interesting history that turned them into ‘frenemies’ from April 2013 to February 2014 and then outright enemies over the past nine years. This led to a broader global fight between al-Qa`ida and the Islamic State. Yet, HTS continued to tread its own path by breaking from al-Qa`ida in 2016. From the spring of 2014 to the summer of 2017, the main avenue by which HTS and its predecessor group, Jabhat al-Nusra, dealt with the Islamic State was insurgent infighting. Yet since the summer of 2017, as HTS consolidated control over areas in northwest Syria and developed a governance apparatus, HTS has favored a lawfare approach to dealing with Islamic State cells in the territory it controls. Surveying the data on its arrest campaign against the Islamic State over the past half decade suggests HTS has been successful in countering the Islamic State. Yet, even if its fight against the Islamic State is deemed a net positive, HTS’ continued support for terrorism abroad and the authoritarian nature of its governance make it difficult for the West to countenance removing the group from the list of designated terrorist groups or engage with it.

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