Terror group al Qaeda has ‘declared war’ on fellow jihadists Islamic State in an angry speech by its leader. Ayman al-Zawahiri, who replaced Osama bin Laden four years ago, blasted his opposite number in an audio message on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary.
The Egyptian doctor, who replaced Osama Bin Laden, accused the militants of sedition and insisted their most senior figure does not deserve to be ‘calpih’ – or ruler. “We [al Qaeda] don’t recognise this caliphate,” al-Zawahiri said in the audio message. However he went on to say, “Despite the big mistakes [of ISIS], if I were in Iraq or Syria I would cooperate with them in killing the crusaders and secularists and Shia even though I don’t recognise the legitimacy of their state, because the matter is bigger than that.”
ISIS has declared a caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria under its control and sought to expand its power in the Middle East, becoming a greater security threat than Al Qaeda in the strategic oil-producing region.
Despite rivalries between the two Islamist organisations, former Zawahri suggested there was still room for cooperation when it came to combating the West. However, it’s not clear when al-Zawahiri recorded this newly released speech. Some references he makes suggest that it was recorded last spring. al-Zawahiri may be finding it more difficult to get his messages out as he currently has a $25 million dollar bounty on his head.
While al Qaeda has specialised in high profile bombings, Islamic State seems hellbent on seizing and holding territory in its quest to create a self-sustaining caliphate.
Aside from strongholds in Iraq and Syria, it gained a presence in Libya and its followers are staging an insurgency that has killed hundreds of soldiers and police in Egypt, the most populous Arab country. Islamic State’s affiliate in Egypt released photographs on Wednesday of its military commanders teaching masked militants in military fatigues how to fire rockets at tanks and planes.
Whatever the reason, this recording was released for a reason and suggests growing discord in the two leading terrorist franchises. Viralthread
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