Present at the Creation
The never-told-before story of the meeting that led to the creation of ISIS, as explained by an Islamic State insider.
BY HARALD DOORNBOS, JENAN MOUSSA
foreignpolicy.com
( Then, Obama flew in..)
Excerpt:
Over the course of those five days, inside the headquarters of MSM, Baghdadi talked extensively to a groupof important jihadi leaders in Syria. These were some of the world’s most wanted men, all gathered in oneroom, sitting on mattresses and pillows on the ground. They were served breakfast and lunch: roasted orgrilled chicken and french fries, tea, and soft drinks to wash it down. Baghdadi, the most wanted man inthe world, drank either Pepsi or Mirinda, an orange-flavored soda.
In addition to Baghdadi, the participants included Abu al-Atheer, the emir of MSM; Abu Mesaab al-Masri,an Egyptian jihadi commander; Omar al Shishani, a leading Chechen jihadi who had come to Syria fromGeorgia; Abu al-Waleed al-Libi, a jihadi leader from Libya who had come to Syria; Abed al-Libi, an emir inthe Libyan Katibat al-Battar group; two Nusra intelligence chiefs; and Haji Bakr, Baghdadi’s second incommand.
Abu Ahmad was fascinated by the congregation of so many senior commanders. During breaks in the talks,he would walk around the headquarters, speaking to people who attended the meeting. Abu Ahmad wasfull of questions: Why did Baghdadi come from Iraq to Syria? Why did all these commanders and emirsmeet with him? And what was so important that Baghdadi himself discussed for days on end?
The answer to Abu Ahmad’s questions could be found in a speech made by Baghdadi, shortly before theKafr Hamra meeting. On April 8, 2013, Baghdadi announced that his organization had expanded into Syria.All jihadi factions there — including Nusra — had to submit to his control. “So we declare while relying onAllah: The cancellation of the name Islamic State of Iraq and the cancellation of the name Jabhat al-Nusra,and gathering them under one name, the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham,” he intoned.
“The sheikh is here to convince everybody to abandon Jabhat al-Nusra and al-Jolani,” one of theparticipants in the talks told Abu Ahmad. “Instead, everybody should join him and unite under the bannerof ISIS, which soon will become a state.” |
