Islamic State releases photos of camp in Aleppo

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The Islamic State’s Aleppo Division released three photographs of “the graduation of a new batch of Mujahideen” from a training camp in the eastern Syrian province.

The photographs were released on July 24 on the Aleppo Division’s Twitter feed. The exact location of the camp has not been disclosed. The photographs show scores of armed fighters sitting and standing in what appears to be a hangar.

Jihadist groups in both Iraq and Syria have promoted the existence of at least five training camps this year. The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, al Qaeda’s branch in Syria and a rival of the Islamic State; Jaish al Muhajireen wal Ansar (Army of Emigrants and Supporters, or Muhajireen Army), a group of foreign fighters led by commanders from the Caucasus; an Uzbek jihadist group known as the Imam Bukhari Jamaat; and the Islamic State have all promoted propaganda that showcase their training facilities and graduates. [See LWJ report, Islamic State touts training camp in northern Iraq.]

Most recently, the Islamic State promoted images from its “camps” in Mosul, Iraq, which has been under the jihadist group’s control since June 10. [See LWJ report, Islamic State touts training camp in northern Iraq.]

The Islamic State has been destroying mosques, tombs, churches, and other religious sites in Mosul since the beginning of July.

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Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

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6 Comments

  • M3fd2002 says:

    Well, they absolutely have enough equipment to field over 50,000 cadres. I don’t give any credence to the state departments/ pentagons claims of a few thousand IS, period. Those amateurs should all be fired. My belief is that IS will purge eastern Syria of all SAA/nusra elements in short order.

  • Abu Adam says:

    M3fd2002,
    You are absolutely correct in your assessment. However, Al-Nusra Front will pledge allegiance to IS. Al-Nusra will have no other choice.
    As for your comments on the State Department and the Pentagon, the problem is the American mindset and character in general. Americans have absolutely no ability to understand things that are non-American and non-Western. Americans have absolutely no ability at all to view things for what they are on the ground. The American mindset is to understand things from there own American perspective. This handicap prevents American leadership from analyzing matters correctly. It best for the world and yourselves that America stays where it belongs — in America.
    You know, where I am, and other parts of the world where we “terrorists” have taken over, we are especially grateful to your former President George Bush Jr. He single-handedly recruited so many people for us and gave us incredible motivation and determination to achieve what we have achieved so far (I hope I don’t have to tell you what we have achieved). Stay tuned! 🙂

  • kit says:

    OK they have warm bodies. My question is where are the weapons & ammo from?

  • Abu Adam says:

    The weapons and ammo that we have used to be America’s. 🙂

  • WitchDoctor says:

    @ Abu Adam, you , sir are correct as you stated:
    ” Americans have absolutely no ability to understand things that are non-American and non-Western. Americans have absolutely no ability at all to view things for what they are on the ground. The American mindset is to understand things from there own American perspective. This handicap prevents American leadership from analyzing matters correctly.”
    And it did hurt us at first until we realized the only thing that would solve the problem. Kill everything we see. And we did.
    An eye for an eye and more. That is all that is understood by the brain washed students of your toilet nations and they die for it. If you really, really believed all of the B.S. you and your kind preach, why did you not martyr yourself long ago?
    Your kind are like cockroaches and we are just behind you with a hammer.
    Go U.S.A…..

  • Evan says:

    Abu Adam,
    Please, the “American mindset?” Our women are far smarter and tougher than any of your men, we tracked down your “emir” doggedly over the course of a decade, and then we put a bullet through his brain at 3600 fps. We kill your highest leaders and most revered “sheiks” at will, simply with the push of a button. Because we can, because we feel like it.
    You and your kind are simply outmatched in every respect Abu Adam. You think we don’t understand you? Why do you think there is this schism in the jihadi world Abu Adam? Cause, from over here, in this part of the world, looking over at you terrorists, it looks like you goofs have managed to piss off just about every last person with a gun for a thousand miles, so good luck with that battle on all fronts Abu Adam. The great thing about being American, one of the many many many great things, is that we don’t have to fight you to kill you.
    Nope, we’ll just have you fight each other, all of you, like one big giant meat grinder. You think we don’t “get” you Abu Adam? You think you’re special Abu Adam?
    I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, it pleases me in the most visceral of ways that you have underestimated us so, despite the fact that my country has literally spent the last 13 years figuring out every possible way and method of taking “people,” just like you Abu Adam, and turning them into a blabbering, sobbing, delusional, piss soaked shadow of a man with no idea what secrets they’ve spilled and who they’ve given up, and what they’ve told and haven’t told.
    You and your IS are pawns in a game, you’re not here to stay and neither is Baghdadi. Despite whatever you think you’ve accomplished the truth is that evil, hate filled people like you only really have claim to one thing in life, and that’s death.

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