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ISIS on the border with Israel gets a new leader

ISIS in Golan gets new chief

Shuhada al-Yarmouk, the ISIS affiliate on Israel's Golan border, has changed leadership from a Syrian-Palestinian to a Saudi, a possible sign of ISIS central leadership trying to rein in the group.

The ISIS branch operating on the Israeli-Syrian border announced recently that it had appointed a new chief, mere months after someone else took over the role.

 

 

"Shuhada al-Yarmouk announces the pledge of allegiance to the brother Abu Abdullah al-Madani," the group announced in a surprise social media post recently.

 

The area under Shuhada al-Yarmouk's control is in the "border triangle," where the Jordanian, Israeli, and Syrian borders meet in the southern Golan Heights, and is primarily  comprised of people local to the area.

 

The al-Qaeda branch in Syria, Jabhat a-Nusra, blew up one of Shuhada al-Yarmouk's outposts in December, killing most of the leadership of the ISIS affiliated group, including its chief. Shuhada al-Yarmouk then appointed Abu Obeida al-Qahtani as leader.

 

Yet Shuhada al-Yarmouk has changed its leadership again, even though al-Qahtani is still alive.

 

On a news site affiliated with the Syrian opposition, the appointment was billed as surprising for, among other reasons, the fact that the new chief is of Saudi descent and isn't a native of the area. Aymen Jawad Tamimi, an eminent researcher in Jihadist organizations, wrote on his blog that al-Qahtani is a Syrian of Palestinian origin from the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, in contrast to the assassinated leadership, which had roots in the group's area of operations.

 

Former head of Shuhada al-Yarmouk, Abu Ali al-Barid, assasinated in December
Former head of Shuhada al-Yarmouk, Abu Ali al-Barid, assasinated in December

 

On top of his roots, the way he was appointed was also unusual. Tamimi tweeted to a man named Abu al-Bara'a, who is affiliated with the organization, that "this is the first time that the head of a Jihadist organization has stepped down from the seat of power and stayed in the organization."

 

Abu al-Bara'a responded by saying that "al-Qahtani is staying in the organization, and will be under the command of al-Madani." According to the same twitter account, al-Madani fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980's, and took part in Shuhada al-Yarmouk's battles against Jabhat a-Nusra.

 

According to Tamimi, several high ranking members of the ISIS affiliate have started to raise some questions about this unusual appointment. Apparently, Al-Qahtani requested that ISIS in Damascus send a replacement for him, and no one knows why. Some claim that the organization was being mismanaged, and this is what caused the main body of ISIS to intervene.


Other claimed that there is a significant rift within the organization due to al-Qahtani's management, which has even brought about territorial losses. At the same time, it was rumored that after the appointment of the new leader, the main body of ISIS took a series of steps to strengthen its presence in the border region, including measures related to imposing stricter Islamic law.

 

Shuhada al-Yarmouk flag
Shuhada al-Yarmouk flag

 

Whatever the reasons for the steps taken, one can assume that it was done in order to strengthen the relations between ISIS and Shuhada al-Yarmouk, which previously tried to remain semi-independent and with a local focus. The rise of the Saudi to the head of the organization and the process by which this change was carried out may hint at Shuhada al-Yarmouk's change in direction.

 

In the last few days, the organization took responsibility for a remote controlled IED attack on an Ahrar a-Sham outpost and armory in the in the Syrian town of Hit, close to the border with Israel in the southern Golan Heights. Ahrar a-Sham is a Salafi organization.

 

At the beginning of March, a car bomb exploded at the headquarters of the Syrian Revolutionary Front in a suburb of Quneitra on the border of Israel, which killed 18 people, including four commanders. The group is affiliated with non-Islamist rebels. While Shuhada al-Yarmouk didn't claim responsibility for the attack, it hinted as to its involvement.

 

 

 

One of the people watching worriedly from the side is the Israeli-American businessman Moti Kahana, president of the Amalyia aid organization which is working recently to created a "safe zone" on the border with Israel for the Syrians who live in the area. He told Ynet that only a safe zone like the type he envisions will be able to prevent ISIS from controlling yet more territory on the Syrian border with Israel.

 


פרסום ראשון: 03.21.16, 11:08
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