Abu Iyad al Tunisi, the head of Ansar al Sharia Tunisia, has released a statement calling for jihadists in the Levant to reconcile based on recent events in Iraq.
In March, a group of nine al Qaeda jihadists wrote a letter supporting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS), a group that has been disowned by al Qaeda’s general command. Al Qaeda has now published a response written by a little-known ideologue named Abu ‘Amer al Naji.
The Al Nusrah Front is promoting a new statement purportedly written by Abu Muhammad al Maqdisi, who denounces the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS). Despite being jailed in Jordan, Maqdisi claims to have taken part in the efforts to end the jihadist infighting in Syria. Maqdisi also says he informed al Qaeda head Ayman al Zawahiri of his role.
In a newly released three-page statement, Ayman al Zawahiri again says that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) owed its allegiance to al Qaeda’s senior leadership before disobeying orders. Any pledges of allegiance collected by the ISIS since then “are null pledges, because they arose from a direct violation of my command as his direct emir,” he states.
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, has rejected a charter signed by a number of other leading insurgency groups. Al Nusrah argues that the charter is not rooted in proper Islamic principles, among other supposed flaws.
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria, is using Twitter to raise funds for a new Islamic institute.
Sanafi al Nasr heads al Qaeda’s “Victory Committee” and has relocated to Syria. He has become a vocal critic of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) and has been allied with ISIS’ main jihadist rivals, including the Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda’s official branch in Syria.
Saudi cleric Abdallah Muhammad al Muhaysini offered a reconciliation initiative for the jihadists in Syria to end their infighting. His proposal mirrored a message issued by Ayman al Zawahiri. Although the initiative garnered much support, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham has rejected it.
