In a new photo report purportedly released by the Islamic State, an ISIS-affiliate group in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp shows off the heads of beheaded “traitors.” The photo report was released on January 3 on ISIS terrorist channels. A an accompanying summary of the photo report reads: “Spoils taken from Sahwat al Murtadeen and their corpses in Yarmouk Basin by Jaish Khalid ibn al-Walid.” “Jaish” is Arabic for “army.” According to the Long War Journal, “the Islamic State’s opponents… are part of the ‘sahwat,’ meaning they are supposedly part of the ‘awakenings,’ which received crucial assistance from the U.S. during the fight against the Islamic State’s predecessor organization, al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).” A “murtadeen” is an “apostate” in Arabic.
The Khalid ibn al-Walid Army is named after a companion of Muhammad, the founder of Islam. It is an umbrella organization for the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, the Islamic Muthanna Movement, and the Army of Jihad, all of which are affiliated with ISIS. Along with the Syrian government, the Khalid ibn al-Walid Army is also at war with other Syrian rebel groups like the sahwat. Above, ISIS militants show off stolen weapons.
ISIS calls its “war booty” “ghanimah,” which is an Islamic term. According to the Oxford Dictionary, “In classical Islam, wealth taken by force from an enemy in times of war. There were considerable differences among the classical jurists concerning rights to, and possession of, such wealth. All were agreed, however, that ghanimah was to be distributed in accordance with the shares specified in the Quranic directive in surah 8:41.” Above, ISIS militants show off stolen weapons.
Quranic verse 8:41 reads: “And know that anything you obtain of war booty – then indeed, for Allah is one fifth of it and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and the orphans, the needy, and the [stranded] traveler, if you have believed in Allah and in that which We sent down to Our Servant on the day of criterion – the day when the two armies met. And Allah , over all things, is competent.” Above, ISIS militants show off stolen weapons. Above, ISIS militants show off stolen weapons.
However, according to the Center for Research on Globalization, ISIS’ days in Damascus may be numbered. They report that Syrian government forces are preparing to launch a military operation against the Islamic State in Damascus in February. The operation is rumored to focus on the Beit Jinn pocket of Rif Dimashq, which is in the countryside of Damascus city proper. Above, an ISIS militant stands on the decapitated head of a sahwat “apostate.”Damascus has been a hotbed of ISIS activity, with an unofficial Palestinian refugee camp of the Yarmouk neighborhood being a major flashpoint, reports CBS. According to The Wall Street Journal, the constant violence has taken its toll on the civilian population and deaths from starvation have been reported in at least one suburb.
However, according to the Center for Research on Globalization, ISIS’ days in Damascus may be numbered. They report that Syrian government forces are preparing to launch a military operation against the Islamic State in Damascus in February. The operation is rumored to focus on the Beit Jinn pocket of Rif Dimashq, which is in the countryside of Damascus city proper. Above, an ISIS militant stands on the decapitated head of a sahwat “apostate.”
ISIS isn’t the only militant group causing unrest in Damascus and Syria. According to the BBC, “There are believed to be as many as 1,000 armed opposition groups in Syria, commanding an estimated 100,000 fighters. Many of the groups are small and operate on a local level, but a number have emerged as powerful forces with affiliates across the country or formed alliances with other groups that share a similar agenda.” Above, an ISIS militant stands on the decapitated head of a sahwat “apostate.”
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