Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Media ID: 55334017
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A man purported to be the reclusive leader of the militant Islamic State Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has made what would be his first public appearance at a mosque in the centre of Iraq’s second city, Mosul, according to a video recording posted on the Internet on July 5, 2014, in this still image taken from video. (Reuters/Social Media Website via Reuters TV)

Opinion: A new Osama Bin Laden?

by Abdulrahman Al-Rashed | Jul 8, 2014 | Opinion

The emergence of the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has rekindled fears that a new figure has emerged capable of uniting Al-Qaeda’s different branches under a single commander. The emergence of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi has ended a dry spell for...

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A member loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) waves an ISIS flag in Raqqa June 29, 2014. (REUTERS/Stringer)

Debate: ISIS has succeeded by being disciplined and well-organized

by Hisham Al-Hashimi | Jul 7, 2014 | Debate

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a successor of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), which Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi (born Hamid Dawud al Zawi) established in 2006. In April 2010, Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi and ISI War Minister Abu Hamza Al-Muhajir were killed by US and...

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A photograph made from a video released on 05 July 2014 by the jihadist affiliated group Furqan Media via their twitter account allegedly showing Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi delivering a sermon during Friday prayers at a mosque in Mosul, Iraq, 04 July 2014. (EPA Photos)

Opinion: ISIS has reshuffled the regional cards

by Huda Al Husseini | Jul 6, 2014 | Opinion

For the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is a month of jihad and crucial decisions. ISIS kicked off the month of Ramadan with the declaration of its Islamic State and it is, no doubt, planning large-scale military operations...

Media ID: 55333582
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In this still taken from an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) video, an Islamist fighter, center, identified as Abu Muthana Al-Yemeni from Britain, speaks from an unknown location. (Reuters/Reuters TV)

Debate: ISIS’s advance is opportunistic

by Mohamed Al-Zulfa | Jul 5, 2014 | Debate

Al-Qaeda emerged on the scene in Iraq to fight against the US occupation of 2003, and it collaborated with the country’s tribes, but when Shi’ite prime minister Nuri Al-Maliki came to power in 2006, Al-Qaeda found its position weakened. Maliki, for his part, was...

Debate: ISIS’s advance is calculated

by Mustafa Alani | Jul 5, 2014 | Debate

Controlling territory and establishing a state has always been the dream of terrorist leaders and their followers. The final ambition for these organizations is to establish a political entity subject to their control and beliefs. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria...