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Alleged message from Zawahiri’s Syrian representative posted online
A message allegedly written by Abu Khalid al Suri has been posted online. The message cannot be authenticated. It is directed at the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (ISIS), which has been fighting with other jihadist groups inside Syria.
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Report: Ex-Guantanamo detainee and member of Bahrain’s royal family joins Syrian jihad
An ex-Guantanamo detainee, Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifah, has reportedly traveled from Bahrain to join the jihad in Syria. According to a leaked Joint Task Force Guantanamo threat assessment, Sheikh Salman had ties to senior al Qaeda and Taliban officials prior to his detention in Pakistan and transfer to Guantanamo.
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Head of Al Nusrah Front interviewed by journalist convicted in Spain on controversial terror charges
Tayseer Allouni aired the first televised interview with Abu Muhammad al Julani, the head of the Al Nusrah Front, earlier this month. Allouni was controversially convicted by a Spanish court on terrorism charges in 2005. A Spanish court alleged that Allouni assisted the al Qaeda operative who now heads al Qaeda in the Levant, among other charges.
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Latest Treasury designation targets al Qaeda’s fundraising network
A newly released terrorist designation by the Treasury Department highlights the extent and cohesion of al Qaeda’s global fundraising network. Treasury reports that Ayman al Zawahiri’s main representative in the Levant, Abu Khalid al Suri, has been funneling cash from Gulf donors to al Qaeda.
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Syrian rebel leader was bin Laden’s courier, now Zawahiri’s representative
Abu Khalid al Suri, Ayman al Zawahiri’s representative in the Levant, also serves as a senior leader in Ahrar al Sham, a Syrian rebel group that often fights alongside al Qaeda’s two official branches. According to the Spanish government, al Suri was one of Osama bin Laden’s most trusted couriers and may have delivered surveillance tapes of the World Trade Center to al Qaeda senior leadership in Afghanistan prior to 9/11.
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Popular Saudi cleric endorses Islamic Front, calls for cooperation with al Qaeda
Since arriving in Syria in early October, Dr. Abdallah Muhammad al Muhaysini has attempted to mediate disputes between jihadist groups. He has said that Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar should serve as models for the Syrian opposition. His efforts and fundraising have been praised by an al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb official.
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Al Qaeda in Iraq, Syria a ‘transnational threat’
A senior administration official warned earlier this week that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham (or Levant) is a “transnational threat” and “an increasing threat to us.” Iraq has exploded in violence since the withdrawal of American troops. The official said 38 suicide bombers have launched attacks in the last month alone.
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Report highlights al Qaeda affiliates’ role in Syrian atrocities
A new report by Human Rights Watch says that al Qaeda’s affiliates and their extremist allies committed atrocities in Latakia, Syria in August. The two al Qaeda affiliates in Syria and their close allies led the rebel offensive in Latakia as well.
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Report: American-supplied arms fell into al Qaeda’s hands
According to Syrian opposition sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, some light weapons and ammunition “funneled” by the CIA into Syria have been captured by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an al Qaeda affiliate.
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Videos show joint Al Nusrah, Free Syrian Army attacks in ancient village
According to the New York Times, videos posted online suggest “cooperation” between al Qaeda’s Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham, and a Free Syrian Army brigade in an assault on Malula earlier this week. Separately, Ahrar al Sham condemned the prospect of Western intervention in Syria.
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MSC in Jerusalem video praises Palestinian fighter killed in Syria
A new video from the MSC in Jerusalem praises Fahd Nizar al Habbash, a former member of Hamas’ police force in Gaza who traveled to Syria in 2013, where he is believed to have died fighting alongside the Al Nusrah Front.
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Al Qaeda affiliate kidnaps priest in Syria: report
Reuters reports that a Jesuit priest has been kidnapped by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In June, another priest was targeted by the Al Nusrah Front.
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Pakistani Taliban leader discusses ‘global jihad,’ Syria in al Qaeda video
Maulana Asim Umar, a Pakistani Taliban and al Qaeda propagandist, is featured in a new message disseminated by As Sahab. Umar calls on Indian Muslims to take part in the “global jihad” and emphasizes the importance of the fight in Syria.
