al-Zawahiri: we don’t know those guys

| February 4, 2014

McClatchy reports that al Qaeda has disowned the group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) who are terrorizing the rebels fighting against the Syrian government, or anyone else they can find, apparently;

Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a statement posted on jihadist forums late Sunday, formally declared the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, not an al-Qaida affiliate over its defiance of his order last year to limit its operations to Iraq and to leave operations in Syria to the official al-Qaida affiliate there, the Nusra Front.

“ISIS is not a branch of al-Qaida and we have no organizational relationship with it,” al-Zawahiri’s statement said. As a result, it added, al-Qaida is no longer responsible for the “actions and behaviors” of ISIS, which has been fighting a bloody campaign against other rebel groups in Syria while imposing strict Islamic law on the parts of Syria it controls, often executing people it finds to be insufficiently pious.

Even the bloody terrorists aren’t getting along with each other, so the Obama Administration wants to arm those clowns? I guess it’s good news that they’re fighting among themselves, but then there’s the folks caught between the sides. Like I said yesterday, no matter what we do, we’re going to be wrong, so we just do what’s easiest – stay out.

Category: Terror War

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Eric

Or maybe they are just disavowing them so “we” will arm them because they aren’t really Al-Qaeda. Just a thought.

Obama won’t arm his own troops, but he’ll consider arming another country. Next thing you know he’ll be following UN regulations and turning our firearms over to the UN Security Council so they can arm rebels with them.

James in Gulf Breeze

OK I have to say it… ISIS is disavowed… this cracked me up… being an Archer fan and all…

Former 11B

Is Zawahiri still thought to be in Pakistan? I really can’t wait for Neptune Spear 2: Son of Neptune Spear. And then part three when we kill Gadahn.

The Other Whitey

@2 so many references could be drawn to so many episodes.

Anyway, this could be good news. If the fuckers are too busy suicide-bombing eachother, it’s pretty much win-win. Then again, they could just as easily be going for deniability for PR reasons. Either way, I’m sure we can trust the Glorious Leader to make the dumbest possible response.

TMB

AQ has always had a love/hate relationship with the terrorists in Iraq. We intercepted an exchange of messages between Bin Laden and Zarqawi back in 2006 where they disagreed on public relations and their choice of targets. Bin Laden wanted the neutrals to be sympathetic to AQ while Zarqawi just wanted to slaughter everyone in sight. Bin Laden praised him, but cautiously said “he’s not really Al Qaeda.” It looks like they’re having the same issues with the current roster in Iraq.

RandyB

This is more important than it appears at first glance.

By declaring that Al-Qaeda has no relationship with ISIS, it’s even more notable that they do have formal relationships with Al-Shabaab and the Taliban.

Al-Shabaab was behind the hideously cruel terrorist attack on civilians, including women and children, in Kenya’s Westgate shopping mall. For torture, it doesn’t get much worse than what happened there.

What’s notable about the Taliban is that presumed Al-Qaeda member Moazzam Begg says a lot of nice things about the Taliban. He openly expresses his support for their “right” to fight U.S., U.K., and coalition forces. And he’s reluctant to say bad things about them, or even Al-Qaeda.

Amnesty Int’l is affiliated with his Islamist anti-Gitmo group, Cageprisoners, and says he has a right to support “defensive jihad.” When Amnesty’s women’s rights head declared it was either Begg or her, Amnesty chose Begg.

Just as Al-Qaeda can choose who to affiliate with, so can Amnesty. It says a lot about Amnesty, every one of its members, and the entire so-called “human rights” movement, that they made these choices.

Sparks

What is odd to me in reading this thread and all your posts guys, is that Al-Qaede and its subsidiaries have more coherent internal dialog about their programs and more well defined plans of action than we do. Obama, Kerry the Admin at large, Congress and especially the Pentagon can’t agree on MREs, uniforms, tanks, planes, exit strategies or strategies of any kind. Everything they put their hand to is a cluster fuck. No wonder Washington is a laugh riot to terrorists and other nations.

Former 11B

We live in a democratic republic, Sparks. Democracy is messy, loud, and contentious. Why would our government be any different? AQ is a fascist organization, and fascism doesn’t tolerate dissent or disagreement.

Sparks

@8 I understand and get your point. I agree we have the best form of government in the world, bar none. I just hate seeing it handled the way it is currently being handled by those in charge. Yes the vote can change things, but not until 2014 and 2016. Until then we are a captive audience to the continued ruin and erosion of our nation. In our free democracy which I served for and believe in, there is nothing else to do except…wait. I was not trying to uptick the values of AQ in my comment at all. Just stating what I see. The post was more a statement of our government and its failing administration than assigning any positive attributes to AQ. Sorry if I offended and was not clear.

Muqdadiyah19D

1920 Revolutionary Brigade split from Al Quaida in Iraq back in 2007. We used to take there asses around in our Humvee’s with hoods on so they could point out safe houses of their former “homies.” Then Ansar Al Sunnah split from both; of course Jaish Al Mahdi was in the mix. All those fuckers used to just kill eachother and we’d stand back and watch. Good ole’ Diyala Province.

Weirdest part of it all was going on missions with 1920 Brigade dickheads wearing PT belts so we knew who they were. They were all Al Quiada to us. Some just had more “evil” tactics than the next guy. But all were taking advantage of the power vacuum to get in control.