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Banner of the Al Nusrah Front. Image from the SITE Intelligence Group. |
The head of the Al Nusrah Front in Syria, Abu Muhammad al Julani, has released an audio recording renewing his organization's allegiance to al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri.
Al Julani confirms many of the details set forth in a message from the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, just two days ago. Namely, al Julani verifies parts of al Baghdadi's explanation of how al Qaeda in Iraq spawned the terror network's Syrian arm. [See LWJ report, Al Qaeda in Iraq, Al Nusrah Front emerge as rebranded single entity.]
But in an interesting twist, al Julani rejects al Baghdadi's call for al Qaeda's affiliates in Iraq and Syria to operate under a common name, the "Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant."
In his response to al Baghdadi, al Julani swears allegiance directly to Ayman al Zawahiri.
"This is a pledge of allegiance from the sons of the al Nusrah Front and their supervisor general that we renew to the Sheikh of Jihad, Sheikh Ayman al Zawahiri, may Allah preserve him," Julani says, according to a translation provided by the SITE Intelligence Group. "We give a pledge of allegiance for obedience in good and bad in emigration and jihad and not to dispute with our superiors unless we see clear disbelief about which we have proof from Allah."
Al Julani is eager to "let people know" that the Al Nusrah Front's leadership "had no knowledge" of al Baghdadi's announcement "other than what they heard in the media." Al Julani continues: "If the attributed speech is true, then we weren't consulted or issued requests."
Al Julani clearly thinks that al Baghdadi's announcement was premature. "The [Al Nusrah] Front's banner will remain as-is, without changing anything, despite our pride in the [Islamic State of Iraq's] banner and those who carried it and sacrificed their blood for it from among their brothers," SITE's translation reads.
The head of the Al Nusrah Front explains that "postponing" an announcement of the relationship with al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq was not "due to weakness," but instead owed to his group's cautious approach to implementing sharia law.
Al Julani is keen to avoid the mistakes al Qaeda made in the past and his organization is pursuing "sharia-compliant policies that suit the reality of the Levant and upon which the decision-making people in the Levant agreed from among the Front's leaders and its students," as well as other "factions" and "honorable sheikhs."
Al Qaeda's affiliate in Iraq lost much of its support from the populace after it was too zealous in its implementation of harsh laws. Al Julani wants to avoid the same mistakes in Syria.
Allegiance to al Qaeda "central"
Al Julani's decision to "renew" his organization's allegiance to Zawahiri is an interesting one. It suggests that he previously swore fealty directly to Zawahiri, and wasn't solely receiving orders from al Qaeda in Iraq. This is consistent with some press reporting based on Western intelligence officials' understanding of how the Al Nusrah Front operates