Event Summary
- The Islamic State (IS) announced on Saturday 22nd August they wanted Al Qaeda leader in Egypt dead
- Mokhtar Belmokhtar leads Al Murabitoon, an al Qaeda group that operates in North and West Africa
- He is top on the list of those wanted dead by IS
- Mokhtar has long been loyal to Ayman al Zawahiri, Al Qaeda’s overall leader who took the seat from Osama bin Laden.
- The Islamic State list of wanted dead continues to increase with some Al Qaeda adherents targeted.
Analysis
The Islamic State’s fighters released an online poster for Mokhtar Belmokhtar caliming that they will kill him. This, they have also done for dozens of other pro-al Qaeda jihadists in North Africa. They include leaders of the Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC) in Derna, a jihadist coalition that has been engaged in heavy fighting against Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s fighters.
The Islamic State has been criticized of waging war against their fellow Muslims. In June, the Islamic State forces killed two veteran jihadists in Derna.
The two killings spiked up venom between the two terrorist groups, both of whom are operational in Egypt. After the deaths, Al Qaeda’s MSC quickly routed the Islamic State’s branch from its strongholds in the city, pushing most of the fighting to Derna’s suburbs.
In an effort to strike back, the Islamic State has made a list of people it wants dead including a number of Al Qaeda adherents. Among them, is Al Qaeda in Egypt leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar.
Summary
The Islamic State bundle everyone against their goal as Kufar. They have included the Al Qaeda allies who happen to be fighting for a course that is similar to their own. Both of them want to advance their Muslim Sharia laws on non-Muslim adherents.
However, intelligence analysis labels the Islamic State as greedy for power and their other wayward interests. This has been seen in their killing of their fellow Muslims. They have also been criticized as con people by other Muslim militant groups. They have been found to lure potential recruits into fighting, a habit which is against Muslim teachings.
