Periodical Review – Summary from the Jihadi Forums – The First Half of February 2014
This report summarizes notable events discussed on jihadist Web forums during the first half of February 2014. Following are the main points covered in the report:
- The general leadership of Al-Qaeda announced its rejection of the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS), its cessation of all ties with the organization, and its refusal to recognize it. In addition, the leadership emphasized that it is of supreme importance to consult with it in all matters concerning decision making and the resolution of internal conflicts that must be handled in internal channels and not through the media.
- The Al-Qaeda leadership’s shunning of the ISIS fueled the discourse on jihadist Web forums and social networks, and aroused a fundamental debate regarding the position of the ISIS in relation to the leadership of Al-Qaeda. The current crisis has led to a publicity campaign in favor of the ISIS’s activities and methods, launched by ISIS members and its supporters among other Salafi-jihadist groups throughout the Middle East, such as those in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.
- The Al-Nusra Front claimed responsibility for an attempted raid on the central prison in Aleppo in an effort to free the prisoners there. Abu Muhammed al-Golani, the leader of the organization, gave a eulogy in memory of Sayfuallah al-Shishani, a senior field leader who came to Syria from the Caucasus, joined the ranks of the Al-Nusra Front and was killed during the prison raid.
- The Abdullah Azzam Brigades, a Salafi-jihadist organization in Lebanon and Syria, announced the launch of a new jihadist media institution called Al-Awza’y Media to serve as a platform for the organization’s messages and publications.
- News of the increasing use of drones by ISIS fighters against enemy targets began to circulate on social networks.