The Retreat of Islamic State Militants – A Distress Signal and Wake Up Call
Against the backdrop of the loss of the Islamic State’s strongholds in Iraq and Syria, and the retreat of the organization’s fighters from the territories that were under their control, Al-Wafa jihadist media institution (which is in involved in media for the Islamic State) published an article on February 8, 2018 by a writer named Ahlam al-Nasr (aka Umm Usama al-Dimashqiyya), who is apparently active in the organization’s territory in Syria.
In the beginning of the article, the author noted that the harsh events that befell the organization’s fighters must be seen as a test of their resilience and determination to continue fighting against their enemies. She expressed dismay with the demoralization that has befallen a minority of the organization’s fighters, and she accused them of being unwilling to fight against the enemy face-to-face. She warned that retreat from the battlefield will ultimately be to the detriment of the fighters and that they would be easy prey for the infidels. According to her, even in the Prophet Muhammad’s army there were fighters with true faith in God and fighters who were motivated by self-interest as long as the reality was convenient for them.