Salafi-Jihadi Terrorists in West Asian Conflicts

Proliferation of contemporary terrorism can be attributed to the Cold War legacy of a world awash in advanced conventional weapons and know-how. The increasing ease of transnational transportation and communication, and dehumanising ideologies enabled mass casualty attacks world-over. The increasing willingness of religious extremists to strike targets outside their immediate country or regional areas underscores the global nature of contemporary terrorism. Over the years, Al Qaeda committed terrorist acts killing many innocent men, women and children. Other terrorist groups, often linked to Al Qaeda, have been responsible for attacks around the globe. However, in recent years, a group calling itself the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS, ISIL, IS, or Daesh) has become the main actor, particularly in West Asian conflict. IS is an Islamist organisation that was initially formed in Iraq and that seeks to bring about a war against the West centered in Syria. Now a rival of its former allies in Al Qaeda, IS has developed an ideology even more extreme and brutal than other terrorist groups.

There are many Islamist fundamentalist forces in West Asian countries. Even though fundamentalists do not automatically equate to extremists or terrorists, there are many in West Asia who adhere to the religious writings of Taqi al Din ibn Taymiyyah (1269-1328), Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966), and Abd Al-Wahhab (1703-1787) that preach not only Islamic conservatism but violent rejection of other religions and violence against non-believers.[1] In its religious dimensions, Wahhabism is defined as willingness to take as a model the authentic Islam practiced by Muhammad and his Companions, refusing any source other than the Quran and Sunnah. Wahhabi movements are defined as those who follow the path of ancestors (Salafi) and often prefer to be knownasSalafi.[2] Follower of the Wahhabi ideology, Salafism, is considered as the most altered form of the Muslim culture, removing all values not connected with the first generations of Islam.[3]

Salafist Jihadism is considered as a modern expression of the perceptions, standards and methods proposed by the original Wahhabism as shown in its founding texts and the formulations of Abd Al-Wahhab, as well as the explanations of his children, grandchildren and Najdi[4] scholars and preachers. Salafist jihadis are dedicated to fulfilling the fundamentals of Wahhabi mission on all levels. These represent the most radical wing of Sunni Salafism both in terms of doctrine and practical worship. Their radical beliefs and actions seek to restore the preaching model to its origins and to translate the most radical wing of Sunni Salafism both in terms of doctrine and practical worship. Their radical beliefs and actions seek to restore the preaching model to its origins and to translate their Salafist vision on the ground; they believe that they alone embody ‘true’ and ‘pure’ Islam.[5] In essence, therefore, Salafist Jihadism does not deny or violate Wahhabism; it is practical attempt to impose, by force if necessary, concepts and connotations in a literal manner on the modern political, social and cultural reality wherever, whenever and however it can.

In the later decades of the twentieth century the Arab West Asia saw the rise of violent Islamist groups influenced by both Muslim Brotherhood activism and Salafi exclusivism. These groups, including Egyptian Islamic Jihad and the Islamic Group, in Egypt, and the Armed Islamic Group and the Salafi Group for preaching and combat in Algeria were the forerunners of today’s Jihadi-Salafi groups.[6] Such an ideology is the basis of creating an Islamic state in West Asia. Much of the IS terrorism that one witness today in West Asia has the foundation in such an ideology.

In the discourse of West Asian conflict, one generally refers to the unresolved conflict between Israelis and the Palistinians at the center of many different conflict areas in West Asia. However, when we talk about present-day West Asian conflict, the theme basically revolves around ISIS. ISIS’s terrorism started in West Asia when they swept into the Iraqi city of Mosul in June 2014.[7] What is ravaging West Asia right now is ISIS’s so-called anti-colonial movement whose basis of operations lies on Islam’s pre-colonial conception of power – an Islamic State, a Sunni Caliphate.[8] While some experts claim that appeal of ISIS has little or nothing to do with religion but is more a reflection of a youth revolt among Muslim, and a counter-culture response and search of identity among converts, the position taken is that ideology and religion are crucial and central for legitimising jihadist violence.[9]

While Al Qaeda also adhered to Salafi theology and exemplified the Salafi character of the jihadi movement, the IS does so with greater severity.[10] IS anchors the doctrinal concepts of all Muslims having to associate exclusively with fellow ‘true’ Muslims and dissociate from anyone not fitting their definition. Further, failure to rule in accordance with God’s law constitutes unbelief; fighting the IS is tantamount to apostasy; all Shia Muslims are apostates deserving of death; and the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas are traitors against Islam. As such, IS’s terrorism is based on dogmatic application of these concepts particularly in West Asia as they perceive West Asia to be under attack by secular ‘apostate’ rulers and their Western ‘crusader’ backers.

It has been argued that ISIS’s primary mission is aggressive defence. IS controls territories in Iraq and Syria and defends its zones of control against counter-attacks. IS’s principal method of strategic defence is to degrade and eventually destroy state militaries, paramilitaries, and other jihadist groups that might challenge its control in Iraq and Syria.[11] The main modus operandi of IS is to exploit sectarian tension in both Iraq and Syria in order to increase violence, divide adversaries, and fuel extremist narrative. It has also been found that IS propaganda is aimed at appealing to marginalised Sunni populations to provoke security forces in neighbouring states such as Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Turkey, and Lebanon.[12] IS claims to have fighters from the UK, France, Germany and other European countries, as well as the US, the Arab world and the Caucasus. Further, unlike other rebel groups in Syria, IS is seen to be working towards an Islamic emirate that includes Syria and Iraq.

The group has seen considerable military success. In March 2013, it took over the Syrian city of Raqqa – the first provincial capital to fall under rebel control. Later in January 2014, it capitalised on growing tension between Iraq’s Sunni minority and Shia-led government by taking control of the predominantly Sunni city of Fallujah, in the western province of Anbar. It has also seized large sections of the provincial capital, Ramadi, and has presence in a number of towns near the Turkish and Syrian border.[13] IS has gained a reputation for brutal rule in the areas it controls. Initially, the group relied on donations from wealthy individuals in Gulf Arab states particularly Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, who supported its fight against President Basar al Assad. However, today, IS is said to earn significant amounts from the oil fields it controls in eastern Syria.

In conclusion it is important to note that a coalition of 65 countries are engaged in international efforts to counter the salafi-jihadist group IS. It has been observed that the military campaign in Iraq and Syria is just one aspect of the broader strategy, which also includes measures to restrict the flow of foreign fighters, stop foreign financing, provide humanitarian assistance to Iraq and Syria and strategic communications intended to counter their ideology.[14] However, what is of significance in countering the IS terror particularly in Syria is the forward deployment of Russian troops and other military assets to an air base in Latakia province on the Mediterranean coast of Syria since early September 2015 and began its first air strikes in Syria on 30 September 2015. It has been established that the Russian air force has forward deployed a powerful strike group comprising nearly 50 combat aircraft, helicopters and force protection assests.[15]Russia has also supported counter-offensive operations by Syrian government forces against rebel forces.

While fight against IS had not resulted in victory for any side but the coalition air strikes and other measures have eroded million of dollars from its finances. It has been widely reported that the group has cut salaries across the region it calls a caliphate and they are asking residents of the group’s stronghold in Syria to pay utility bills in black-market American dollars. Further there have been reports that the militants are also now releasing detainees for a cut-rate price of $500 a person.[16] Overall, in the study of existing security environment in West Asia, one can safely conclude that the most destabilising factor in the region in the recent past has not been the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but the threats emanating from the terrorism of the Salafi-jihadism of the Islamic State, who are manifold brutal in their manifestations compared toother Salafi-jihadist group such as al Qaeda.