Let them fight: ISIS, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban

September 11, 2015 OPINION/NEWS

 

By

Sattar Rind

One can hardly believe that all three world renowned and dangerous terrorist organisations are currently at extreme loggerheads and quarrelling, killing each other’s fellow commanders in Afghanistan; each attempting to gain the upper hand over one another.

It has been claimed that when Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi came to know about the death of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, he decided to announce his Caliphate. But it’s an open fact that he formally declared his caliphates in June 2014.

This way a PhD degree holder in Islamic study, Abu Baker Al-Baghdadi became second Caliph following the first largely accepted Caliph, Mullah Omar, by the Islamic terrorist groups in the world, including Osama Ben Laden and his deputy and, in a real sense, mentor and guru Ayman-al Zawahiri, yet supporting Mullah Omar’s Taliban organisation.

The death of Mohammed Omar was a recent phenomenon. The reports are that al-Baghdadi had ever cared about Mullah Omar, as was being claimed, are not true.

Last December he declared Mullah Hafiz Saeed Khan as head of ISIS, Khorasan Chapter, an old name of existing Afghanistan. Mullah Saeed Khan had been killed in July of this year in a drone attack. Then Mullah Rauf Khadim became head of ISIS, but he also did not survive a fatal drone attack. No one therefore knows who the head of ISIS in Afghanistan is yet.

Al-Baghdadi in his first speech after the announcement of his caliphate named India three times in that Muslims should regain it and that he would free Muslims from the control of Hindus. He soon therefore tried to establish his group in Afghanistan to make it a base camp for terrorist activities in Pakistan and other Indian sub-continents as well as South Asia.

Besides, al-Baghdadi has never accepted Zawahiri as guru or leader. ISIS had kept its main focus in the Muslim world in order to destroy the existing kingdoms. (Interestingly they were receiving huge financial support and weapons from them also). Al-Qaeda, for their part, always remained interested in fighting against the US and UK, in addition to against Europe in general.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi therefore extended his terrorist rule to Syria, where the Al-Nusra Front was already active, being in position to snatch his 80% militant forces from Abu Mohammad Al-Julani. Julani then complained to Zawahiri that al-Baghdadi should be constrained as far as Iraq and must leave Syria for his group, but al-Baghdadi categorically refused to honour Zawahiri, as has been reported.

This way he also successfully conveyed a massage to all terrorist organisations that from now on he was the leader of all Islamic militants and all must accept him as leader or Caliph of the Islamic World.

From a religious point of view though, all three organisations belong to the same sect of beliefs which may be said to be the Wahabi or Deobandi schools of thought. This is hardly point five percent out of the 1.9 billion Muslim population of the Muslim world, but they are enjoying great support from the oil rich Arab countries.

They do not believe in arguments and think that the first three generations including the Muhammad (PBUH) period of Islam was the final true Islamic period and Islam must be revived to the same period; either this or run all systems according to that period.

Even belonging to the same sect, Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and many other militants are assuming and calling them evil and ‘States of Injustice’ when referring to the ‘Islamic State’ (ISIS).

In March 2015 rumours were rampant that al-Baghdadi was injured and might not survive, but on 14th May 2015 al-Baghdadi released an audio voice record in response to the rumours.

In the recording he urged Muslims to immigrate to the Islamic State and join the fight in Iraq and Syria. He also surprisingly claimed that “Islam had never stayed behind religion of peace” but it was the “religion of fighting.’’

He enhanced the brutality in his actions, such actions not supported by the many militants and warned him that brutality loses “Muslims’ hearts and minds,’’ but his brutality at the same time became his symbol to recognise ISIS in the world.

Now, both Al-Qaeda and Taliban are in a fight with ISIS for superiority in Afghanistan. However, ISIS is a more popular militant organisation in Afghanistan and many think to work under the orbit of ISIS.

Al-Qaeda has enjoyed a long presence in Pakistan and Afghanistan even though its a fact that ISIS is fast capturing militants in Afghanistan and the subcontinent.

Most recently ISIS has distributed flags and published materials in Kashmir, Peshawar and many parts of Baluchistan in Pakistan. ISIS has also released recruitment videos in Hindi, Urdu, and Tamil. It is alarming; some of India’s Muslims have left India to fight with ISIS in Syria and Iraq. A few days ago they also distributed published material in Pashto and Dari and black flags in Afghanistan.

ISIS has been organising a war with Al-Qaeda which is progressing by the use of modern tools such as published material, audio, video or using social media. ISIS in their newly published magazine also wrote about new Taliban leader Akhtar Mansoor, a notorious liar, labelling him a puppet of the Pakistani intelligence and that he spent two years claiming that Mullah Omar was still alive. They also referred to Al-Qaeda as blind sheep who are only thinking for themselves. ISIS also termed the Al-Nusra Front a tool for NATO forces and a paid agent of UK Prime Minister David Cameron.

In response to all of this it is being reported that Zawahiri has issued a new audiotape in which he categorises ISIS as illegitimate and dishonest, or criminal. However, at the same time, he has also offered his co-operation to ISIS on the condition that they kill only in their controlled areas to the Crusades, Seculars and Shiite Muslims.

What a point to co-operate on!!

 

 

 

 

 

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Sattar Rind

Sattar Rind lives in Sindh, Pakistan. and is an Author with four books to his credit. three poetry and one on politics. As a Columnist he has written for a number of newspapers and magazines since 1991. Sattar can be contacted at the following email address: [email protected]

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