Egypt identifies Ansar Jerusalem leader as group announces deaths of fighter and preacher

Source:
The Long War Journal (Site-Wide)
Date of source:
2 Jan 2014
Reference:
In a statement released to jihadist forums today,
the Sinai-based jihadist group Ansar Jerusalem
(Ansar Bayt al Maqdis) announced the deaths of a
fighter and a preacher. The fighter, identified as
Abu Arsalan Saeed al Shahat, killed himself by
detonating a suicide vest when Egyptian security
forces raided his home. The preacher, identified
as Abu Hajer Muhammad Nasser Zaghloul,
purportedly died in prison as a result of torture
and failure to receive proper medication for his
diabetes.
While Ansar Jerusalem did not provide a date for
Shahat's death, the details in the communique
appear to match those of an incident on Dec. 19 in
the Cairo area. "Police in Egypt said an Islamist
militant blew himself up in his hideout to escape
arrest," AFP reported at the time. According
to Ansar Jerusalem's statement, translated by the
SITE Intelligence Group, Shahat died "after a
journey of striving, giving, and doing jihad with
his soul in the cause of Allah."
In a possible reference to the March 2011
storming of state security buildings, Ansar Jerusalem said that Shahat "was among the first to storm
the State Security building during the revolution." Following this, although the exact dates are unclear,
Shahat traveled to Syria to fight against the regime of Bashar al Assad. After some time in Syria (the
statement does not identify which forces he joined there), Shahat returned to Egypt to be with his
"mujahideen brothers," and partake "with them in their jihad and preparation."
In the section about Zaghloul, Ansar Jerusalem praised the preacher for speaking "aloud the truth and
informed the people about Tawhid." "He was a fighter against polytheism and condemnation, an inciter
for jihad in the cause of Allah, and supporter of the mujahideen," the statement said. It is does not specify
the date of Zaghloul's death.
Ansar Jerusalem concluded its latest statement by saying it will seek to exact revenge for Zaghloul and
Shahat by attacking those responsible. "[W]e will strike your necks and cut off all your fingertips, and we
will tighten the restraints until we achieve victory or perish without it," the group declared.
Meanwhile, during a press conference today, Egypt's Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim, who
was targeted by Ansar Jerusalem in early September, identified Tawfiq Mohammed Freij Ziada
(also known as Abu Abdullah) as one of the group's leaders.
Ansar Jerusalem, which was founded by Egyptians, is the dominant jihadist group operating in the
Sinai Peninsula today. The group, whose fighters are often seen with the al Qaeda flag, has claimed credit
for a number of attacks against Israel and Egypt over the past two years. Most recently, the group took
responsibility for a suicide car bombing in Mansoura that killed more than a dozen people and responsibility for a suicide car bombing in Mansoura that killed more than a dozen people and
injured over 130.
In September 2013, Ansar Jerusalem, which releases material through the jihadist forums of Al Fajr
Media Center, al Qaeda's exclusive media distribution outlet, declared that "it is obligatory to repulse
them [the Egyptian army] and fight them until the command of Allah is fulfilled." Recent reports in the
Egyptian media have suggested that Ansar Jerusalem may have links to Muhammad Jamal and the
Muhammad Jamal Network [MJN], which were added to the US government's list of designated
terrorists and the UN's sanctions list in October 2013.
Jamal, whose fighters have been linked to the Sept. 11, 2012 Benghazi terror attack, is said to have
established "several terrorist training camps in Egypt and Libya" with funding from al Qaeda in the
Arabian Peninsula.
In late November, in response to a Long War Journal query on whether the State Department believes
there is a connection between the Muhammad Jamal Network (MJN) and Ansar Bayt al Maqdis, a State
Department spokesman said: "We have no comment on the inter-relationships between MJN and the
other Sinai groups."
Al Qaeda seizes partial control of 2 cities in western Iraq
Over the past several days, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham, al Qaeda's affiliate in Iraq, has taken
control of large sections of two western Iraqi cities that were once bastions for the terror group.
ISIS fighters entered the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar, after the Iraqi
military withdrew from them following clashes with tribes over a political standoff that resulted in the
arrest of a Sunni member of parliament.
The ISIS has posted videos of its fighters entering the cities in force after clashing with Iraqi police and
overrunning several checkpoints. In the videos, a large convoy of ISIS fighters driving technicals, or
pickup trucks with heavy machine guns mounted on the back, is seen moving through Ramadi. The
fighters are flying al Qaeda's black banner while singing praises to al Qaeda and its "Islamic state." [See
more videos here.]
Officials from the Iraqi Interior Ministry acknowledged that parts of Fallujah and Ramadi are under al
Qaeda control.
"Half of Fallujah is in the hands of ISIS (the Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham) group," an
anonymous interior ministry official told AFP.
"In Ramadi, it is similar - some areas are controlled by ISIS," the official continued. The other parts of the
city are controlled by "tribesmen," likely a reference to the Sahwa ("the Awakening"), the tribal militia
that with US backing ejected al Qaeda from control of large areas of Anbar between 2006 and 2009.
In Fallujah, ISIS fighters stormed the main police headquarters, freed more than 100 prisoners, and
seized weapons and ammunition. "Other police stations in the city were torched by fighters as most police
abandoned their posts," Al Jazeera reported.
Iraqi special forces are said to be battling ISIS fighters in Fallujah and Ramadi. The status of nearby cities
and towns is not known, but the ISIS has been active in cities such as Haditha, where in March 2012 a
large force attacked police stations and executed policemen and their commanders. The ISIS
has also staged raids in other cities such as Hit and Rawa.
Ramadi and Fallujah, sizeable cities with populations of several hundred thousand each, once served as
the hubs for al Qaeda in Iraq, the predecessor of the ISIS. From 2004 to early 2007, large areas of the two
cities were either controlled by al Qaeda or were contested. The Awakening and US and Iraqi forces waged
a protracted counterinsurgency to clear al Qaeda from the two cities as well as from surrounding cities
and towns along the Euphrates River Valley.
The ISIS has been targeting Iraqi security forces as well as the Awakening in a series of high-profile
suicide assaults and bombings in Anbar. Just two weeks ago, the ISIS killed the commanding
general of the 7th Division, one of the division's brigade commanders, and 16 staff officers and
soldiers in a suicide attack in Rutbah. The ISIS set a trap for the division commander as he toured an area
thought to have been cleared of the terror group. The 7th Division is made up primarily of soldiers and
officers from Anbar province.
Al Qaeda regaining control of areas in Iraq it lost during the surge
The ISIS has had success in regaining control of areas of Iraq that it lost during combined US and Iraqi
counterinsurgency operations from 2007 to 2009. A map recently produced by Reuters shows that the
ISIS controls villages and towns along the Euphrates River and the border with Syria as well as in the
desert in Anbar, in areas south of Baghdad, in the Hamrin Mountains in Diyala and Salahaddin, and in
numerous areas in Ninewa [map is below].
When the Reuters map is compared with maps produced in 2008 by Multinational Forces - Iraq that
show al Qaeda control in Iraq in 2006 [leftmost map] at the height of the organization's strength in the
country, and 2008 [center map] after the group was driven from many of its sanctuaries, al Qaeda's
resurgence becomes clear.
The ISIS began retaking control of areas in Iraq after the US withdrew military, intelligence, and logistical
support from the Iraqi military and intelligence services and abandoned its support of the Awakening in
December 2011. The Syrian civil war and a political standoff between Prime Minister Maliki and Sunnis in
Anbar have also fueled the resurgence of al Qaeda in Iraq.
In Syria, the ISIS and the Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, al Qaeda's other branch in Syria,
and allied Islamist groups from the Islamic Front control large areas in the northern and eastern portions
of the country.