Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri The Coordinator 2016 Part 17-92-The Deep Battle against the West

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Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri The Coordinator 2016 Part 17-92-The Deep Battle against the West

While Europe Slept

Hans-Georg Maassen. The militant group released a video last week suggesting it may carry out further attacks in the West after the Brussels bombings and Paris attacks, naming London, Berlin and Rome as possible targets.

"I'm; particularly concerned about the many unaccompanied minors -- this group is being deliberately targeted," he said, adding that he saw a "huge radicalisation potential" in these attempts to recruit people. The newspaper also said criminal Arab clans were trying to recruit refugees and quoted Sjors Kamstra, senior public prosecutor in Berlin, as saying: "The refugees come here and have no money and they're being shown how they can get their hands on some money very quickly if they're unskilled."

The attackers who struck Brussels last month had initially planned to launch a second attack on France, Belgium's Federal Prosecution Office has said.

But the group was "surprised by the speed of the progress in the ongoing investigation" and decided to rush an attack on the Belgian capital instead, the office said in a statement on Sunday. Despite the arrests and charges, Brussels remains under the second-highest terror alert, meaning an attack is still considered likely.

The Black Flag In The Balkans: The Islamic State Has Spread To Bosnia

Terrorism | VICE News Islamic State wants to carry out attacks in Germany and the security situation is "very serious", the head of the country's domestic intelligence agency (BfV) told a Sunday newspaper; 10 Apr, adding that he knew of no concrete plot to strike.

The Islamic State (IS) has settled into a small, unstable European country that has long played host to jihadists: Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In Issue 14 Of ISIS Magazine Dabiq, Emir Of ISIS In Bangladesh Says: 'We Believe Shari'a In... [Bangladesh] Won't Be Achieved Until The Local Hindus Are Targeted In Mass Numbers’In Issue 14 Of Dabiq Magazine, ISIS Calls Upon Its Supporters In The West To Kill Muslim Leaders

In Europe, recent investigations suggest that the Islamic State (ISIS) has established a network of terror cells that is far wider and deeper than authorities had believed. In Africa, the number of deaths from jihadist violence has nearly tripled from 2013 to 2015, as Boko Haram, al-Shabaab, ISIS, and others have launched attacks across the continent. With competition among groups affiliated with ISIS and Al Qaeda heating up, the violence is likely to grow further.

New York (CNN)Al Qaeda suspect Ibrahim Suleiman Adnan Adam Harun, who awaits trial on federal charges in New York, has declared that "our terrorism is not over" and "threatened to kill" prosecutors and courthouse personnel, according to a government memorandum in the case.

“Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

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"I am a warrior, and the war is not over," Harun said during a 2013 court appearance in Brooklyn, according to the court document.

The Islamic State (IS) has settled into a small, unstable European country that has long played host to jihadists: Bosnia and Herzegovina. The German magazine Der Spiegel recently reported that residents of some tiny, remote villages in the country's mountainous north obey Sharia law and fly the militant group's black flag. The villages serve as "safe houses" for radicals who have helped as many as 300 Bosnians join IS in Iraq and Syria accounting for one of the highest proportions of jihadists from Europe, the magazine wrote. Additionally, the Bosnian government discovered that Bosnian weapons were used in the IS-inspired attack on the offices of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo attacks, and ex-Yugoslav-manufactured weapons were used in the Bataclan music hall massacre in Paris, Der Spiegel reported.

The revelations are the latest chapter in Bosnia's evolving relationship with terrorism. After the breakup of communist Yugoslavia, Arab militants many of whom fought with American support against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s journeyed to Bosnia. There, they formed the "Mujahideen Battalion" to wage holy war against the Orthodox Christian Serbs and Catholic Croats fighting the Muslim Bosniaks, who comprise around 40 percent of the country's population of 3.86 million.Related: In Photos: Laying to Rest Srebrenica Victims Two Decades After the Massacre "Bosnia has had this issue going on for a while," Dan Byman, a senior fellow and counterterrorism expert at the Brookings Institution, told VICE News. "Way back when in early 1990s, for a little while, it was a cause clbre for jihadists."Some of the mujahideen stayed. But other Bosnian extremists are natives. For decades, Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries have flooded Bosnia with funds for mosques and other Islamic institutions that helped consolidate communities following Riyadh's radical brand of Wahhabi Islam.The Bosnian government is trying to root them out. Late last year, Bosnian imam Husein "Bilal" Bosnic was sentenced to seven years in prison for recruiting for IS and inciting terrorism under a new law that toughened penalties for those crimes.At the time, Bosnian authorities hailed Bosnic's sentencing as a sign of their contribution to the war on terror. But Der Spiegel's report, which described the area around Velika Kladusa near the Croatian border as a "hotspot for jihadist fighters," suggests the authorities have work to do. The lack of progress likely stems from Bosnia's dysfunctional government.

Cees Remember: Let me recall: Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri The Coordinator 2015 Part 17-32-The Deep Battle against the WestIt's only a matter of time before Daesh (ISIL) uses the Balkans to launch attacks across the rest of Europe . The Balkans are becoming an important transit route for ISIL allowing fighters to travel between Western Europe and the Middle East. There are several hundred fighters from the Balkans fighting in Iraq and Syria. These foreign fighters have even formed a so-called Balkans Battalion for ISIL. 8 Feb 2015, ST. LOUIS — Six Bosnian immigrants have been accused of sending money and military equipment to terrorist fighters overseas, including the Islamic State group and Al Qaeda in Iraq. An indictment unsealed Friday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis said the defendants donated money themselves and in some cases





collected funds from others in the U.S. and sent the donations overseas. It says two of the defendants used some of the money to buy U.S.

military uniforms, firearms accessories, tactical gear and other equipment, which was shipped to people in Turkey and Saudi Arabia who forwarded the supplies to terrorists.

The militant group released a video on Tuesday suggesting it may carry out further attacks in the West after the Brussels bombings and Paris attacks, naming London, Berlin and Rome as possible targets.Hans-Georg Maassen told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag the group wanted to carry out attacks against Germany and German interests, but added: "At the moment we don't have any knowledge of any concrete terrorist attack plans in Germany." He said Islamic State propaganda was aimed at encouraging supporters to take the initiative to stage attacks in Germany.Maassen said there were several cases linking Germans returning from Syria to attack plans and warned that the danger posed by jihadists from Germany remained "virulent".The newspaper cited a response from the German government to an inquiry from the opposition Greens as saying arrest warrants had been issued for 76 suspected Islamists believed to be prepared to use violence. Of the more than 800 people security authorities know have travelled to Syria and northern Iraq from Germany in recent years, around 130 have died, it said. Around a third of the people who have travelled to the region since 2012 are now back in Germany and about 70 of the returnees actively took part in fighting or completed military training, it added. Maassen said Germany had avoided a big attack so far thanks to the successful work of security agencies and luck such as a bomb detonator not working properly on one or two occasions.In 2014, a German man described as a radical Islamist was charged with planting a pipe bomb -- which never exploded -- at Bonn train station in 2012. In 2006, two suitcase bombs left by Islamist militants on trains in Cologne failed to explode.Asked how many Islamists in Germany were considered highly dangerous, Maassen said there were about 1,100 Islamists who were seen as a potential terrorism risk.Maassen said his agency was aware of about 300 attempts by radical Islamists to recruit refugees.

"I'm particularly concerned about the many unaccompanied minors -- this group is being deliberately targeted," he said, adding that he saw a "huge radicalisation potential" in these attempts to recruit people. The newspaper also said criminal Arab clans were trying to recruit refugees and quoted Sjors Kamstra, senior public prosecutor in Berlin, as saying: "The refugees come here and have no money and they're being shown how they can get their hands on some money very quickly if they're unskilled."He said many of the refugees could not speak German so were particularly susceptible to recruitment if someone addressed them in their mother tongue.(Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Helen Popper and Ros Russell)

Suicide bombers target Russia's Stavropol: InterfaxThe three suicide bombers were the only ones killed in the blasts and no one else was wounded, police say.11 Apr 2016 09:11 GMT Three suicide bombers carried out explosions in a village in Russia's Stravropol region, close to the North Caucasus, Interfax news agency has reported. The three suicide bombers were killed by the blasts and no one else was hurt,





according to RIA news agency. "At least two explosions went off outside the entrance to a district police station in the village of Novoselitskoye in the

Stavropol region," a police spokesman told AFP news agency on Monday.It is unclear how many suicide bombers were involved in the incident. Various reports put the number at between two and four. “Two militants were killed in an attack on a police station in Stavropol region. One of them was killed while trying to pass a checkpoint. The other one managed to detonate his explosive device,” local police said in an official report.

Paris attacker Abaaoud’s teenage brother may be in Europe plotting revenge – reports Published time: 11 Apr, 2016 03:51

Police in European states have been put on high alert since receiving reports that the 15-year-old brother of Paris attack mastermind Abdelhamid Abaaoud has left Syria and is on his way to Belgium to avenge his older brother’s death. Younes Abaaoud has been described in the media as Islamic State’s (IS, previously ISIS/ISIL) youngest known jihadist. In January of 2014 when he was only 13, his older brother Abdelhamid reportedly took him out of Belgium to Syria, where Younes joined the

ranks of the terrorist group.“I come here at 10 o’clock” were the words intercepted by Interpol in a February 28 telephone conversation between Younes and his sister Yasmina, who resides in Belgium, Paris Match reported. A jihadist threat had appeared on Facebook earlier claiming that Younes was soon going to “avenge

the death of his elder brother.”

IS has used the image of the young recruit in its propaganda material. In some photos, Younes appears smiling and armed with Kalashnikov.Younes’ older brother Abdelhamid is said to have been the mastermind of the November 13 attacks in the French capital of Paris that left 130 dead. He was killed in an anti-terrorist operation in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis within a week of the massacre.Abaaoud’s siblings are all from the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek, which has acquired notoriety in the media as an “Islamist hotspot.” Paris Match says it has obtained an Interpol file on Younes indicating that authorities believe he poses a threat. The teen is described as a “terrorist,”“killer,” and “warrior-jihadist.” The current orders on Younes are reportedly “stop and detain immediately.”Authorities have reportedly been sent a warning that Younes could have changed his appearance and be traveling under a false name, although the French Interior ministry has denied having any knowledge that such a warning has been issued.Police are said to be worried that Younes could potentially fly “to any destination in Turkey, Morocco or Europe.” “If he returned to Europe and he walks with a false identity, it is difficult for us to find him,” the media quoted one European investigators as saying.





Police are worried that Younes could follow in his brother’s footsteps by slipping through border controls into Europe and then using the Union’s free

movement policy to easily travel from country to country. Abdelhamid was able to get into Britain in 2015 despite an outstanding warrant for his arrest.European anti-terror forces don’t have a good track record of keeping on top of jihadist suspects.For example, Salah Abdeslam, Abdelhamid Abaaoud’s best friend and the brother of one of the Paris attack suicide bombers, was stopped and released by the authorities three times. Abdeslam was able to casually flee the scene of the Paris massacre back in November by asking two friends from a Brussels suburb to pick him up after claiming that his car had “broke down,” according to media reports. Some other reports suggest that the three were not stopped just once on the Belgian border, but as many as three times, without ever arousing the police’s suspicion.

April 4, 2016 ISIS Terrorism & CounterterrorismWhy ISIS Beats al Qaeda in EuropeA New Recruitment Strategy for a New WorldBy Clint WattsA decade ago, counterterrorism analysts around the world fretted about the possibility of European jihadists returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and finding safe harbor among embittered diaspora communities across Europe. But the al Qaeda “bleed out,” as it was called in counterterrorism circles, never really happened. The group didn’t take hold of North African and Middle Eastern communities in Europe. It failed to attract many of what the group called “clean skins”—Western passport holders able to slip through security without drawing attention.The Islamic State (ISIS) has achieved in short order what al Qaeda could only dream about. Motivated by a call for jihad in Syria and connected via social media, second- and third-generation Muslim Europeans joined in droves to fight in Iraq and Syria. Their bonds grew tight; their propensity and their thirst for violence was insatiable. After helping build their caliphate in Syria and Iraq, these young European fighters have turned their guns on their homelands, with devastating effect. Brussels, Istanbul, and Paris—the violence has been steady and sustained.Recent articles in The Wall Street Journal and Foreign Affairs suggest that ISIS is simply following the al Qaeda approach to terrorism in Europe. But such claims are off base. Al Qaeda sought to bring Westerners—clean skins—to terrorist safe havens, where the group would train them to follow detailed plans to attack designated high-profile targets. Trained cells and lone infiltrators were deployed back to their homelands in pursuit of al Qaeda’s bidding. These disciples had little autonomy and were directed to strike at high-profile targets. ISIS’ European jihad looks very different from that of its al Qaeda forefathers, and it is far more dangerous for Europe.ARAB LEGIONISIS’ greatest advantage in Europe comes from its many years of cultivating foreign fighter networks to Syria. Much has been made of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s Arab legion fighting in Afghanistan during the 1980s, but that force’s numbers paled in comparison to today’s cadres of European ISIS members, which is likely tenfold larger. Fast communication over social media and easy travel into Turkey has facilitated the unprecedented flow. Al Qaeda’s recruitment efforts faced more challenges. The group never enjoyed the level of technological sophistication that is available to ISIS. It relied more on physical facilitation and brought in far fewer newcomers, who were incrementally





assessed and slowly integrated into Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, and the Sahel—all locations that were far more difficult than Syria to traverse.

Although ISIS has chewed up its international cadres in staggering numbers during routs like the one in Kobani, the European survivors of ISIS will still far outnumber the foreign fighters al Qaeda managed to recruit.The recruits ISIS has brought in are, in some ways, more valuable than those al Qaeda used to win over. Al Qaeda desperately sought clean skins for the execution of Western plots. But the Westerners they attracted proved to be few and far between. They were often troubled souls, and some ultimately caused discord in the ranks, eventually becoming more of a liability than a benefit. Omar Hammami and Osama al Britani, a famous American foreign fighter and a famous British foreign fighter for al Qaeda’s affiliate al Shabab in Somalia, challenged their emir, Ahmed Godane, and created a rift between foreign and local fighters. Their public dissension increased discord in al Shabab’s ranks and ultimately led to the public killing of these previously celebrated Western recruits.Lacking adequate access to recruits with Western passports, al Qaeda instead settled for Arab men able to travel into the West on visas. External operations cells sought intelligent, disciplined recruits; many of al Qaeda’s operatives thus had college degrees, came from well-respected families, and appeared highly capable. Although many of them went through training in Afghanistan, few dispatched to the West had significant combat experience. Their attacks were their initiation into violence. They were rookies operating in enemy territory, and as primarily Middle Eastern and North African men, they routinely drew attention. Sometimes they managed to get through—9/11, of course, is the prime example—but often they were stymied as they crossed borders, coordinated plots against airlines, or tried to develop explosive devices to attack transportation systems.ISIS has turned al Qaeda’s recruitment pattern on its head—to spectacular effect. Its recruits come in packs from European diaspora neighborhoods. Unlike al Qaeda, which heavily screened incoming members to weed out potential spies or those with criminal pasts, ISIS, at least at its height in 2015, took in any foreigners that volunteered, giving the disenfranchised a new home, purpose, and direction. Nearly half of those identified in connection to the Paris and Brussels attacks had criminal records prior to joining, including for such offenses as carjacking and bank robbery. Al Qaeda was correct that a criminal history would be a disadvantage when sending one or two infiltrators to the West at a time. But the wave of returning ISIS fighters has overwhelmed European screening systems. Some returnees have, of course, been picked up. But the many have traveled back home without being interdicted and using nothing more than their passports.ISIS attacks in the West appear empowered rather than hindered by the less pious and more brazen criminal recruits the group has attracted. First, ISIS’ European veterans have settled back into the very neighborhoods and communities (sometimes sympathetic to their cause) that they came from, drawing minimal security scrutiny, a luxury al Qaeda never had at such a scale. Second, ISIS operatives attack towns and targets that they know intimately. Instead of having to conduct extravagant reconnaissance on unfamiliar national monuments or government targets, they’ve gone after local sports venues, transportation hubs, and popular public places that they might well have frequented.Third, ISIS operatives in the West are often related to each other or are lifelong friends, having been recruited together, served side by side, and returned intact as a fighting unit. Their extended relationships have built trust and commitment during attacks on the West that al Qaeda only garnered among its oldest cadres from Afghanistan. And fourth, ISIS foreign recruits’ past criminality demonstrates a predisposition for nefarious activity and





violent conduct prior to heading out for jihad in Syria and Iraq. They are likely more comfortable with killing than al Qaeda recruits, and as a result,

are more confident and committed to their attacks when they return. COMMANDER’S INTENTISIS’ recent success in Europe stems from its access to numerous well-trained European fighters. But its operational approach has helped the group along. Al Qaeda plodded slowly, micromanaging its external operations with persistent contact between their operatives and central headquarters. The group’s plots were complex to a fault, and were highly controlled by senior leaders back in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This slowed the pace of attacks globally.Because ISIS fighting units are experienced and tight-knit, they can pursue a model more similar to the U.S. military’s concept of Commander’s Intent. As retired U.S. Army Reserve Special Forces officer Chad Storlie explained in Harvard Business Review, “Commander’s Intent describes how the commander envisions the battlefield at the conclusion of the mission. It shows what success looks like. Commander’s Intent fully recognizes the chaos, lack of a complete information picture, changes in enemy situation, and other relevant factors that may make a plan either completely or partially obsolete when it is executed. The role of Commander’s Intent is to empower subordinates and guide their initiative and improvisation as they adapt the plan to the changed battlefield environment.”ISIS’ external operations cell leaders have the autonomy to plot and plan locally, pursuing Mumbai-style attacks more reminiscent of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba’s 2009 raids in India. Such attacks can be planned quicker and better than any scheme hatched by less informed ISIS senior leaders bogged down in the day-to-day management of the caliphate. The wild successes of Paris and Brussels breed further success as copycat attackers mobilize across the West. Most fail or achieve little, but sometimes, as in the case of San Bernardino, they succeed and further boost the aura of ISIS whether they were connected to the group or not.ISIS’ Commander’s Intent approach, as opposed to al Qaeda’s micromanagement, also produces fewer signals that could allow Western governments to detect impending attacks. Al Qaeda plots were often tipped off by increases in “terrorist chatter”—increased signal patterns suggesting a cell may be in pre-attack mode. The sustained back-and-forth that allowed al Qaeda central to maintain operational control was a liability. But Commander’s Intent allows subordinates to communicate less frequently with headquarters. And ISIS has rapidly adopted increasing levels of encryption via a host of social media applications and other cyber techniques that were simply not available during al Qaeda’s heyday.ISIS’ vast manpower and diffuse operational control poses serious threats for Europe in the near term. The autonomy and flexibility of the terrorists will outpace the slow plodding of a patchwork of EU bureaucracies. Over the long term, however, ISIS’ European approach may turn on itself. Their brash violence has killed many innocent civilians, including Muslims, women, and children. Al Qaeda’s current leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, pursues a cautious, slow approach for attacking the West to avoid losing popular support that might arise from such casualties. He learned this lesson during his days leading the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, when their widespread killing of civilians helped bring their expulsion from the country.Should ISIS’ aggression reach new levels in the West, it may start to sour what little public support it has. This doesn’t mean that the West can be complacent, though. Ultimately, it will have to look to see what other terrorist groups, whether international or domestic, try to replicate—and build on—in ISIS’ success. Europe’s vulnerabilities have





been exposed. If ISIS doesn’t exploit them, some other terrorist group or criminal enterprise will

Regards Cees***

Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior foreign policy adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told state television Sunday that the government Bashar al-Assad should remain in power until the end of the presidency term. His premature removal would be a red line for Tehran, he said.

Apr 10, 2016 Dr. Nathan Gonzalez: “Wahhabi” Approach Is One that Does Not Respect Cultural HeritageTEHRAN (FNA)- An American journalist and scholar believes it’s the Wahhabi ideology of the ISIL terrorists that drives them to commit such crimes as destroying the ancient sites in the Palmyra city.“As for the ancient ruins of Syria and Iraq, we have to remember that the ‘Wahhabi’ approach is one that, in general, does not respect cultural heritage. We saw that with the Taliban, blowing up Buddha statues in Afghanistan, and with Saudi religious authorities trying to destroy the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s mausoleum in Medina,” said Dr. Nathan Gonzalez in an interview with Fars News Agency.“Decapitations and crucifixions are unfortunately also a fact of life in Saudi Arabia. So we are talking something bigger, and more established, than just ISIL,” he added.Dr. Gonzalez, a Middle East analyst with the Foreign Policy in Focus think-tank and a Huffington Post blogger, also maintains that the Muslim world should play a role in exposing the Westerns “to the more uplifting aspects of the religion” so that the US and European public wouldn’t judge Muslims and their beliefs on the basis of the cruel actions of ISIL terrorists.Nathan Gonzalez, a part-time lecturer of political science at the California State University, Long Beach, is the author of the book “Engaging Iran: The Rise of a Middle East Powerhouse and America's Strategic Choice.”FNA talked to Dr. Nathan Gonzalez about the growth of ISIL network in the Iraqi and Syrian cities, their criminal campaign of mass killing and beheading the non-Muslims, destroying the ancient sites and raping the women and the tides of the anti-ISIL coalition.Q: The anti-ISIL coalition, which the United States and its NATO and Arab partners have spearheaded in Iraq and Syria, hasn’t seemingly been able to push the terrorist group back, and as the number of coalition airstrikes on its strongholds amount to 7,000, there’s no sign of ISIL intending to retreat or limit its operations. Where’s the problem coming from? Has the coalition been able to contribute to the weakening of ISIL or has simply failed?A: We should not discount the capability of ISIL. They are not amateurs. Many of its top-level operatives come from Saddam’s former regime, and they are very effective at limiting the impact of the airstrikes. They do this by blending into populations and forcing a ground confrontation whenever they can. In this the Iraqi volunteer forces and militias have been very important, and will continue to play a critical role. Neither Americans, nor Iranians I believe, want a large US ground presence in Iraq.Q: The critics of US policy on ISIL say the White House made a strategic mistake by excluding Iran from the talks on how to fight this extremist cult, while Iran is itself a major part of the solution to this problem, with a vested interest in the elimination of ISIL. Does the US government now believe that it would need Iran’s involvement in





the efforts to tackle the ISIL threat?A: I think there is no question the United States and Iran will have to work

closer on this. The leaders in both countries would probably prefer not to, because of the historical enmity. But ISIL is a real threat, and the two countries will have to put aside their differences and coordinate on a more intimate level. I said this back when ISIL was called “Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia.” Back then it would have helped for the United States and Iran to coordinate anti-Takfiri efforts in Iraq more closely. But that is in the past. Today the climate for cooperation is much better, and both sides should try to make the most of it.Q: There are different reports of Saudi Arabia funding and arming the ISIL militants, or otherwise financing Jabhat al-Nusra, a front with an ISIL-like ideology. However, there was a report on CNN last year that Saudi Arabia had pledged to President Obama that it would host the US efforts to train and equip Syrian opposition forces to fight ISIL. It sounds truly complicated. It was clear from the outset that the Saudis wished to prop up ISIL as an instrument of power to topple Bashar al-Assad. At the same time, they’re in the US-led, 12-nation anti-ISIL coalition operating in Syria. How is it possible?A: I have not seen evidence of the Saudi government supporting ISIL directly. The problem is rather one of priorities. For America, ISIL is the worst option. But for the Saudis, Assad is the worst option. For this reason the Saudis will probably not be a reliable partner in the fight against ISIL.Q: The ISIL terrorists have been capturing civilians, beheading foreign nationals, raping and enslaving the young girls and women and destroying historical sites, including the ancient buildings of the city of Palmyra (Tadmur) in Homs Province. Why have they embarked on such unusual and cruel ploys? What’s the reason behind their violent actions, including the destruction of ancient cities and historical buildings?A: Part of it may be related to their fear-based tactics, which in many ways come from the culture of Saddam Hussein’s former regime, and in other ways proved effective for Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia’s organization under Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi. We can say a lot of things about Zarqawi’s barbarism, but he was able to have a profound impact on Iraqi politics despite having relatively few people under his command. On a practical level, this type of violence probably makes defections less likely, and it attracts particular type of sociopath from abroad, the kind that has no connection to the locals and has no qualms about killing and raping. As for the ancient ruins of Syria and Iraq, we have to remember that the “Wahhabi” approach is one that, in general, does not respect cultural heritage. We saw that with the Taliban, blowing up Buddha statues in Afghanistan, and with Saudi religious authorities trying to destroy the Prophet Muhammad’s mausoleum in Medina. Decapitations and crucifixions are unfortunately also a fact of life in Saudi Arabia. So we are talking something bigger, and more established, than just ISIL.Q: ISIL is promoting itself as an Islamic Caliphate. Few people in the West would care whether the ISIL fighters and its leaders are simply a group of radicalized, malignant individuals who might be only Muslims nominally, or are pure Muslims following Quran and the teachings of the prophet. So, they make such generalizations that Muslims are generally fundamentalists, and judge all the Muslims worldwide on the basis of the atrocities of ISIL. Is it possible to deflect this wrong association and enlighten the Western public about the truths of peace-making, peace-loving Islam?A: Muslims are a very small minority in the United States. So the few things we hear about Islam are often in the form of political turmoil that happens in the name of Islam.





Even something as noble as “zakat” has been used by groups like al-Qaeda to fund terrorism, so the negative associations are what get the most exposure.

There are of course many voices speaking out to ensure that people get a more realistic view of the faith, but when people are genuinely afraid, it is difficult to have a rational discussion. Perhaps there is a role that Muslim countries themselves can play in exposing Westerners to the more uplifting aspects of the religion.

Senior Yemeni Cleric: Al-Saud Attempting to Promote Takfiri Thoughts Since 60sTweet

TEHRAN (FNA 12 Apr)- Deputy Head of the Association of Yemeni Ulema (religious scholars) Abdol Majid al-Houthi lashed out at the al-Saud dynasty for its attempts to spread Takfiri thoughts in Yemen and other regional states."The Al-Saud started extensive attempts to promote Takfiri and Wahhabi thoughts in Yemen since 1960s and spent billions of dollars to find a foothold for itself in the country," al-Houthi told FNA on Tuesday. "These thoughts are the main reason behind the spat among the Yemeni people," he added. Al-Houthi, meantime, said that the Riyadh aggression against Yemen that started over a year ago has made people united in standing and confronting the Takfiri thoughts in their war-torn country. He also blasted Saudi Arabia for implementing the US and Israel's plots in the region, including weakening the

powerful Arab armies.Almost the entire range of extremist and terrorist groups are supported by Saudi Arabia and Turkey, with their key commanders and leaders being Saudi nationals with Wahhabi and Takfiri thoughts. ISIL, Al-Nusra and other extremist groups pursue the same line of ideology exercised and promoted by Saudi Arabia, Wahhabism. Hundreds of Saudi clerics are among the ranks of ISIL

and Al-Nusra to mentor the militants.Wahhabism is now the only source of the textbooks taught at schools in the self-declared capital of the ISIL terrorist group, Raqqa, in Northeastern Syria resembling the texts and lessons taught to schoolgoers in Saudi Arabia. The Wahhabi ideology, an extremist version of Sunni Islam that is promoted almost only in Saudi Arabia, sees all other faiths - from other interpretations of Sunni Islam to Shiism, Christianity and Judaism - as blasphemy, meaning that their followers should be decapitated as nonbelievers.Daesh or ISIL/ISIS is a Wahhabi group mentored by Saudi Arabia and has been blacklisted as a terrorist group everywhere in the world, including the United States and Russia, but Saudi Arabia.

The Zerkani Network: Belgium's Most Dangerous Jihadist Group

Guy Van Vlierden

In recent months, there have been key developments and insights regarding the notable number of Belgians fighting in Syria and Iraq. A recruitment organization whose existence was unearthed during a series of trials turned out to be one of the most active; the direct implication of the so-called Zerkani network in the Brussels and Paris attacks also makes it





the most dangerous one. This analysis serves as an update to my May 2015 article in Terrorism Monitor "How Belgium Became a Top Exporter of

Jihad,” and points out significant differences with other Belgian jihadist networks, as well as uncovers the nuances of their links with one another (Terrorism Monitor, May 29, 2015). About a year ago, the neo-Islamist movement Shariah4Belgium was invariably named as the most significant factor behind the tremendous number of Belgian fighters in the Syrian-Iraqi conflict (Terrorism Monitor, May 29, 2015). According to the latest estimates, that figure can be as high as 589 by now. With 80 of the militants clearly linked to Shariah4Belgium, the network’s importance remains. The Zerkani network comes close, however. Hardly known twelve months ago, the Zerkani network appears to have sent at least 59 people to the jihad in Syria and Iraq (Pieter Van Ostaeyen, April 3). Three of these Zerkani jihadists have played a direct role in Europe's latest terrorist attacks: Abdelhamid Abaaoud and Chakib Akrouh were perpetrators in Paris, while Najim Laachraoui participated in Brussels and is also suspected of being the bomb maker for both plots (Emmejihad, March 22). The Zerkani Network’s Origins The Zerkani network is named after Khalid Zerkani, a 42-year-old Moroccan who was living in the Brussels municipality of Molenbeek. Before sentencing him to twelve years’ imprisonment on July 29 of last year, the judge described him as a "cynical guru." According to the written judgment of the trial, Zerkani not only indoctrinated very young people up to the point where they were willing to sacrifice themselves, but also encouraged them to commit a slew of petty crimes in order to pay for their journey to death. [1] Though practicing Muslims are not allowed to steal from another, theft among the Zerkani network was whitewashed as taking “ghanima”— the spoils of war. That principle is said to have been introduced into the network by Reda Kriket, a Frenchman living in Belgium who was arrested shortly after the Brussels attacks on suspicion of yet another terrorist plot (Marianne, March 25). It is not entirely clear whether Zerkani himself has ever been part of the terrorist plots in which his recruits had a role. It is possible that he only aimed at recruiting for a war abroad. The Belgian terrorists responsible for attacking the West after he recruited them may well have been selected and groomed for their deadly European missions behind Zerkani's back. There are strong indications however, that Zerkani also plotted for that kind of action. As early as 2012, conversations about the need of attacks in the West were overheard by Belgian security services during a meeting in which he took part (Emmejihad, January 26). Moreover, Zerkani did not only recruit for the Syrian jihad; prior, he was linked to at least seven people convicted in Belgium for their cooperation with al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist organization based in Somalia. [2] Zerkani’s Key Social Ties Fatima Aberkan, a 55-year-old mother who has sent four of her own sons to the Syrian jihad, was convicted at the same trial as Zerkani. The judge described her as the “pasionaria of the jihad,” highlighting her enormous role in both the indoctrination of recruits and in organizing the logistics of their departure to war. Fatima Aberkan used to





be the closest friend of Malika El Aroud, Europe's most notorious female terror convict to date (Marie Claire, May 15, 2009). It was Aberkan who

served as a go-between (with her e-mail address faty450@hotmail[dot]com, to be more precise) for El Aroud and the latter's second husband, Moez Garsallaoui, after his departure from Belgium in 2007 to become a high ranking member of al-Qaeda in the Afghan-Pakistani border zone. Aberkan was also responsible for providing Nizar Trabelsi—who was convicted for plotting against the U.S. Air Force base in the Belgian town of Kleine Brogel and later rendered to the U.S.—with a mobile phone in prison, adding to existing suspicions of a plot to set him free. [3] Aberkan's brother Abdelhouaid, was also convicted as a member of Zerkani's network, notably for his role in the 2001 assassination of the Afghan anti-Taliban commander, Ahmed Shah Massoud. He was responsible for driving El Aroud's first husband, Dahmane Abd al-Satter, to the airport for the assassination, which was a suicide mission, and was considered to be preparation for the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. (LeMonde, April 19, 2005).While Abdelhouaid Aberkan was convicted in Belgium for his part in the assassination of Commander Massoud, another person linked to the Zerkani network was tried in France for the same charge. Abderrahmane Ameuroud, 38, was arrested at a tram stop in the Brussels municipality of Schaarbeek on March 25 of this year, and was then shot in the leg. He is suspected of being part of a terrorist plot for which fellow Zerkani network member, Reda Kriket, had amassed an unprecedented amount of arms and explosives (Libération, March 30). According to the French-Algerian journalist Mohamed Sifaoui, Ameuroud is the youngest of three brothers who all have escalated their lawbreaking habits from petty crimes to Islamic terrorism (Twitter, March 26). Abderrahmane's brother Reda was expulsed by France for radical sermons he held in a Paris mosque, while Abderrahmane is said to be a veteran of al-Qaeda's training camps and was named a recruiter for the previous Iraqi jihad more than ten years ago (LeParisien, July 29, 2005).

REGARDS CEES***

CIA ‘Plan B’ for Syria would give rebels MANPADs to 'counter Russia' - report

If true, what have they learned; the US??? If we really think that Putin will allow a second downfall of Russia, we need to think again. Those pursuing this plan are playing with Fire that will put the World at risk. When do they learn from history, CeesPublished time: 13 Apr, 2016 A covert ‘Plan B’ for Syria reserved for a “violation of ceasefire” is being pushed to the US president, anonymous officials told media. Arming “moderate” Syrian rebels with anti-aircraft weapons to fight the “Russia-backed regime” is again on the table.





Back in February, the Wall Street Journal first reported

that President Barack Obama’s senior military and intelligence advisers were insisting that a back-up plan is necessary to “counter Russia” in Syria.The fresh details obtained by the WSJ suggest the CIA has given “provisional assurances” to coalition members to expand support to Syrian armed opposition groups fighting troops of President Bashar Assad. Still, the White House reserved the right to define which weapons systems are to be introduced to the battlefield – if the truce fails and full-scale fighting resumes.On the eve of the ceasefire agreement coming into effect in Syria at midnight on February 27, the heads of Middle East intelligence agencies met to lay out a plan for waging war after the truce. And consultations on the matter never stopped ever since.Today Washington and its allies, such as Ankara and Riyadh, are discussing which weapon systems are to be delivered to “vetted” Syrian rebels under this secret program, the WSJ reports. Experts agree that what the anti-government forces in Syria need the most are electronic means to ensure effective suppression of President Bashar Assad’s artillery batteries and take down fighter jets. For the latter purpose, man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADs) are on the table, with Turkey and Saudi Arabia eager to supply them to the Syrian rebels

In Issue 14 Of ISIS Magazine Dabiq, Emir Of ISIS In Bangladesh Says: 'We Believe Shari'a In... [Bangladesh] Won't Be Achieved Until The Local Hindus Are Targeted In Mass Numbers’In Issue 14 Of Dabiq Magazine, ISIS Calls Upon Its Supporters In The West To Kill Muslim Leaders

Issue 14 of AQAP’s “Inspire” Magazine Focuses on Assassinations, Provides Targets and Methods Wednesday, 09 September 2015 SITE Staff Jihad Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released the 14th issue of its English magazine, “Inspire,” with a thematic focus on “Assassination Operations.” The 88-page issue was released on September 9, 2015 in both English and Arabic.“It is not for nothing that AQAP has released this magazine just two days before the anniversary of 9/11,” says SITE Director Rita Katz. “The release serves as inspiration and a practical resource for lone wolves or cells that might want to commit attacks on that day.”The issue included several references to other articles (both in this issue and previous in previous ones), projecting a comprehensive source of information for every angle of an assassination—from selecting a target to executing the attack.





Many of the articles in this issue touted the Charlie Hebdo attack, which was relevantly claimed by AQAP on January 14, 2015. Attackers Cherif and Said

Kouachi, to that point, were frequently referred to as examples by which to perform an attack. The magazine also attempted to exploit racial issues in America with one article, which urged African Americans to assassinate “racist politicians.”Summaries of stand-out articles and urgent material in the issue follow.Exploiting Racial Issues

The article, “The Blacks in America,” attributed to previous Inspire contributor Abu Abdillah Almoravid, exploited racial tensions in the U.S. as a means to inspire assassinations of politicians. Almoravid touched on the widely reported killings of Michael Brown and Freddy Gray, as well as white supremacist Dylan Roof’s shooting of a prayer service at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. He then offered Islam as an alternative to racial injustice, stating, “We the Mujahideen are a portion of the Muslim Ummah, we do not accept any type of oppression against our Muslim brothers among the Afro-Americans, or even the non-Muslims.”

The article then spanned slavery’s role in America’s founding, the Civil War, Jim Crow laws, and other historical elements of African Americans oppression and compared them to the struggles of Muslims, then offering:This is a historic chance for

you to review your actions, and to take a stand against these crimes in the face of these fanatics. As you condemn you will be condemned. And as





the say, whoever accepts injustice will be the first to be burnt by its fire.

The article then suggested several points to African Americans, which included forming political groups to protest aggression toward Muslims and to “move out of big cities that represent the economy, politics or military strength of America like New York and Washington.”

The end of the article called for both violent and nonviolent action toward governments. Almoravid suggested that prospects approach the former option by “forming small groups that will be responsible for assassinating, targeting these racist politicians.”

Target SelectionAn article titled “Assassinations – Field Tactics” provided a list of assassination targets selected to “bring instability to the American economy.” The targets included American “economic personalities” Ben Bernanke and James Shiller, as well as “wealthy entrepreneurs and company owners,” which included Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Oracle CEO Lawrence Joseph, the Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson, and Michael Bloomberg.

Notable is that the list included Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, who died in 1992. However, the list provided the net worth and a picture of his son, Jim Walton.References to Charlie HebdoIn the “Charlie Hebdo Military Analysis” article, author Ibrahim Ibn Hassan al-A’siri categorized the Charlie Hebdo attack as an assassination, and implied credit of the attack’s inspiration to a poster of targets released in the tenth issueof Inspire in February of 2013. The article showed a version of the poster with killed Charlie Hebdo caricaturist Stephane Charbonnier:

The article then detailed the operation, stating, “The planning and initiation of the operation was in the Arabian Peninsula. The target was inside the heart and protection of the French intelligence system.” It also credited AQ with providing attacker Said Kouachi with the “necessary training” for the attack, and followed up by detailing his target and weapon selections.The article ended by referring prospective lone wolves to Inspire’s “Open Source Jihad”





bomb-making articles:The brothers at "Open Source Jihad" will give technical details as how to

execute an operation similar to this, and in a manner that is convenient for a "Lone Mujaheed". Until he is able to execute a similar operation, that has made pleased the Muslims and angered the disbilievers [sic].

Homemade Hand GrenadesThe Inspire issue also featured a guide by the “AQ-Chef” titled, “Designing a Timed Hand Grenade.” The manual broke the process down and listed materials needed to make such a weapon, accompanied by pictures of each step.The manual also provided several safety notes, including experiments to make sure one’s product works and things to look out for in the explosion.Assassination GuidePerhaps speaking to the Inspire issue’s theme more than any of the other articles was “Assassination Operations.” The guide, attributed to “The External Operation Team,” broke down the processes of selecting targets and suggested that prospective attackers reference the aforementioned “Assassinations – Field Tactics” article when doing so.The article also specified variables to prepare for in an assassination operation, such as “the number of guards” on duty at a target’s workplace, and which kind of methods different weapons facilitate.The Inspire issue was released on the same day as IS’ 11th issue of Dabiq magazine.




Documents

Al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri The Coordinator 2016 Part 17-92-The Deep Battle against the West