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Al Qaeda battles ISIS for global jihadist leadership
Sep 11, 201412:17 AM
Al-Zawahiri and the core of al Qaeda are locked in battle with ISIS for the leadership of the global jihadist movement -- offering very different visions and strategies.
ISIS was expelled from al Qaeda in February after rejecting al-Zawahiri’s demand that it restrict its activities to Iraq. ISIS has captured the imagination of a new generation of jihadists -- from Arab and European states alike -- with its ruthless pursuit of a Caliphate, dramatic territorial gains and relentless propaganda machine.
Its chilling brutality toward non-Muslims and Muslims who don’t share its rigid interpretation of Islam echo the behavior of its predecessor, al Qaeda in Iraq, whose vicious attacks on Shia Muslims and moderate Sunnis drew the ire of the late al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden. Who’s worse? ISIS or al Qaeda? Poll: 90% say ISIS poses threat to U.S. Al Qaeda forming wing in India Photos: Most-wanted terrorists Photos: Most-wanted terrorists In short, ISIS’ “traipse through Iraq represents a serious organizational, strategic, and ideological blow to al Qaeda,” analyst Barak Mendelsohn wrote in Foreign Affairs in June.
So far, the leaders of al Qaeda affiliates have remained loyal (if not enthusiastically) to al-Zawahiri. After the death of its leader Ahmad Abdi Godane last week, Al-Shabaab quickly reiterated its allegiance to the al Qaeda leader, and Nasir al Wuhayshi, al Qaeda’s No. 2, remains at the helm of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Prominent jihadi preachers like Abu Muhammad al Maqdisi and Abu Qatada have blasted ISIS for deviancy. - CNN
