NOVANEWS
Aleppo – Military developments in Syria are coming to resemble developments in Iraq under US occupation, specifically, the creation of “awakening movements” to fight al-Qaeda.
Though not fighting alongside the Syrian army, the “Syrian awakening movements,” as a source close to ISIS said, “volunteered to fight on behalf of the Americans, the Alawis, the Shia, and the House of Saud.”
He pointed to a “dubious coincidence” between the Iraqi army’s operation against ISIS in Anbar, and “the sudden change in the position of the tribes [awakening movements], who joined the army and stabbed the mujahideen in the back.”
ISIS sources confirmed there has been a concerted effort by intelligence agencies over the past few weeks “to slaughter the nascent project of the Islamic state, after it emerged as a formidable force that was able to unify the mujahideen, cleanse their ranks of intelligence agents and liberate large swaths of land.”
“It is true ISIS had arrested dozens,” said the sources. “But why? Because they are foreign intelligence agents recruited to spy on the mujahideen under the banner of journalism, relief work and civil society organizations.”ISIS, which was has watched meetings between leaders of competing Islamist groups and US intelligence agencies with great concern, aired a series of confessions. Saddam al-Jamal, head of the Descendants of the Prophet Brigade in Deir al-Zor, spoke at great length in a recorded video about the relationship between leaders of the Free Syrian Army with foreign intelligence officers.
Confessions confirmed that intelligence agents from different nationalities attended meetings that felt more like interrogation sessions, which often ended with promises of open military support.
This forced some of these factions, such as Ahrar al-Sham, to admit to meeting US Ambassador Robert Ford, though they insist the meeting was not directed against any fundamentalist faction.
According to the source, “Talks between ISIS and the brothers who met the Americans reinforced their suspicions. They repeated the same chorus, that it is necessary to maintain international support or else we will fall easy prey to the regime’s army … We must be empowered in Syria only so as not to clash with major powers who will deliver us to Bashar [al-Assad].”
The Chechens Are Coming
A phone conversation between a defected officer in the Islamic Front and ISIS leaders – seen by more than 15,000 on YouTube within hours – ended with insults, accusations of apostasy, and threats that reinforcement convoys are on their way to Aleppo to “crush the dogs of the awakening movements.”
Omar al-Shishani, al-Qaeda’s most prominent fighter and the head of the jihadis in their most important victories against the Syrian army, left Raqqa to Aleppo, leading massive reinforcements to destroy the awakening movements, according to ISIS-affiliated websites.
Scary Repercussions
A Syrian source close to ISIS told Al-Akhbar: “The Syrians’ behavior with [foreign fighters and Islamist groups] is reminiscent of that of the Iraqis, who first embraced then betrayed them. The mujahideen have crossed a red line and are now not afraid of bombings in Sunni areas.” The source said nearly all suicide bombings targeted areas where “the regime and its thugs were present, but today, every area that ISIS leaves will be considered a legitimate target.”
There were six suicide bombings on the second day of fighting between Islamists, targeting checkpoints and centers for the Islamic Front and allied factions.
The source described the enemies of ISIS as “tools in the hands of the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar,” individuals “who received direct support in the form of arms and money to finish off the project of the Islamic state and to appear as though they are fighting terrorism.”
He wondered, “What did ISIS do? It fought theft and kidnapping, and saved the reputation of jihad.” The source does not hide ISIS leaders’ fear of “a frantic attempt to disperse non-Syrian mujahideen who rose up for the project of the Islamic state,” only to “assimilate them in other groups and use them to overthrow the regime.”
Losing Ground
In the first three days of fighting, ISIS lost important border posts in Atma, Atareb, and Sheikh Said inside Aleppo. Its position also became difficult in Maskana, Hayan, and the northern countryside, where its fighters are besieged in Idlib’s countryside. But the source insisted, “Our adversaries can not continue to fight till the end, which is regionally determined.” He expects “a counter awakening movement among the Arab mujahideen because the jihad project is in grave danger. Besides, dozens of posts are still under ISIS’ control.”
He bitterly criticized al-Nusra Front, even though it did not participate directly in fighting ISIS. He said its role is to “deceive the Arab mujahideen and absorb them in its ranks to serve foreign intelligence and non-jihadist agendas.”
