The Islamic State - Dabiq Issue 13

ISIS has just released the latest issue (Number 13) of its glossy online magazine, Dabiq and, in this posting, I want to take a look at a few interesting items. 

Issue 13 opens with an acknowledgement of the martyrdom of Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, in San Bernardino, California.  Here's what it says:

"As the American-led crusaders continue waging war against the Khilāfah (the Caliphate), more and more Muslims continue demonstrating their willingness to sacrifice everything precious to them for the sake of fullling their duty to Allah. While many continue to do so by undertaking hijrah to the Islamic State, others do so by defiantly terrorizing the crusaders in their very strongholds. Such was the case on the 20th of Safar when Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik carried out an attack on the kuffār (a derogatory term for non-Muslims) in San Bernardino, California and succeeded in killing 14 of them and wounding 22 more. As the operation took place, Tashfeen Malik made a post online reaffirming their bay’s (an oath of allegiance) to Amīrul- Mu’minīn, Shaykh Abū Bakr al-Bagh- dādī (ha dhahullāh). She and her husband then engaged in a shootout with security forces and were killed, thereby attaining shahādah (a declaration of belief in God) in the path of Allah. We consider them so, and Allah is their judge. Thus, the Khilāfah’s call for the Muslims to strike the crusaders in their own lands was answered once more, but on this particular occasion the attack was unique. The mujāhid involved did not suffiice with embarking upon the noble path of jihād alone. Rather, he conducted the operation together with his wife, with the two thereby aiding one another in righteousness and taqwā (piety)."

The author also notes that, despite having an obligation to their daughter, they fulfilled their obligation to the holy war against the "crusaders" and that Allah will care for their daughter.

Throughout this edition, there are several pages listing ten selected ISIS videos on each page as shown here:

Here's one of the videos entitled "We Shall Meet at Dabiq" or "Meeting at Dabiq".  This video was released by ISIS in December 2015 and depicts ISIS fighters battling "non-believers" in Rome in an Armageddon, last days-style battle.  As I have noted before, Dabiq is located in Syria and is allegedly the location of a final battle according to Islam.  It is also interesting to note that some of ISIS video's like this one entitled "The Resolve of the Brave 2" which is also highlighted in this edition of Dabiq shows that ISIS has adopted the use of video drones at the 11 minute and 20 second mark to survey battlefields, showing that they are becoming increasingly sophisticated.  As well, note the massive explosion at the 8 minute 20 second mark.

One very interesting footnote in an article entitled "Do They Not Then Reflect On The Qur'an", an article that looks at how Allah is on the side of the believers who are fighting a holy war, states the following:

"An example of this today is the crusaders’ refusal to put boots on the ground in their war against the Khilāfah. Thus, Allah has restrained their might in that regard and allowed the Islamic State to continue to expand while the crusaders are busy vetting, bribing, and training apostates to do the fighting for them, with their efforts largely proving fruitless."

This footnote is located just above this picture:

Towards the end of this issue, Dabiq provides its readers with this article entitled "In the Words of the Enemy":

In the article, it quotes a November 2015 Time magazine article entitled "What Comes Next and How Do We Handle It", written by Michael Morrell,  a former deputy director of the CIA.  In this article, Mr. Morrell states the following:

"As a terrorist group, ISIS poses a threat to the Homeland. That threat today is largely indirect — ISIS’s ability to radicalize young Americans to conduct attacks here. The FBI has over 900 open investigations into homegrown extremists, the vast majority radicalized by ISIS and a large number of which relate to individuals who may be plotting attacks here. Such attacks have already occurred in the US. Others have been arrested before they could act.

While the sophistication of such homegrown attacks is likely to be fairly low, the potential exists for the quantity of these kinds attacks to be large. The number of ISIS followers in the US is in the thousands. It dwarfs the number of followers that al-Qaeda ever had.

Over time, if not significantly degraded, the ISIS threat to the Homeland will become a direct one—that is, an ISIS ability to plan and direct attacks on the Homeland from the group’s safe haven in Iraq and Syria— just like the group did in Paris last week.

Such attacks are deeply concerning because they carry the potential to be much more sophisticated and complex—and therefore more dangerous—than than homegrown attacks, again just like in Paris last week, or London in 2005, or even 9/11 itself. And, in something that should get everyone’s attention, ISIS has shown an interest in weapons of mass destruction...

Mr. President, the downing of the Russian airliner, only the third such attack in 25 years, and the attacks in Paris, the largest in Europe since the Madrid bombings in 2004, make it crystal clear that our ISIS strategy is not working."

Dabiq responds by stating:

"Yes, the crusader strategy is not working because the Islamic State is here to stay. It is a state that inflicts just terror against its infidel, pagan, and apostate enemies. And it will continue to expand until its banner flutters over Constantinople (i.e. Turkey) and Rome. Until then, let the crusaders get used to the sound of explosion and the image of carnage in their very own homelands."

   

Which, apparently, is happening.

Here is the closing "poster" for this issue, listing the names of the Paris attackers:

Just terror indeed.  While our elected officials live their lives inside their security perimeters, it is civilians that are suffering.