Owen McKenna

@VAWIOP @Vaelys__ @AnalyticaCamil1 To AQC at least, AQI’s dissolution never meant ISI cut ties. ISI was intentionally vague about it. When al-Jawlanī started doing his own thing in Syria though, ISI leadership (al-'Adnānī, al-Baghdādī, Abū 'Alī al-Anbārī) all wrote letters to al-Ẓawāhirī explaining the situation

@Vaelys__ @AnalyticaCamil1 It was announced publicly many times. 1. Abu hamza muhajir, the AQI leader announced the dissolution of AQI & Zawahiri claimed both in audio and video through as sahab that AQI didn't exist anymore. 2. Julani didn't believe that he was under the banner of AQ during ISI.

1. Julani was a former member of ISI/ISIS (same thing). 2. Jabhat al Nusra was created by ISIS. 3. He only pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda in order to break free from ISIS, he had no allegiance to Al Qaeda before that.

@RashmanTheHorse Very interesting. Could you send it to me?

@om_mckenna A Sudanese jihadist who fought in Iraq w the Zarqawists and then in Nigeria w ISWAP. I will serialize his narrative in the coming weeks

I will revise my Social Networks of the Iraqi Jihad piece to include info from Adnan Absi's narrative, Abu Hamza al Muhajir's bio, and possibly Abu Hafs al Iraqi's memoir. Goal is to do this by yr end.

@muradbatal Could I DM you a question?

@LongshotIbrahim @RashmanTheHorse @blindandsandy This leaked SIDToday document puts Baziyani's capture on May 30, 2004—caught using SIGINT. theintercept.com/snowden-sidtod…

I just learned about Umar Baziyani (courtesy of @blindandsandy). He was arrested in May 04 and gave up a shitload of extremely high quality info, as reported in a Washington Institute piece. I can't find a single incorrect claim in it. But why did he gave away the game?

An example of this in AQI is Ibn al-Jarrah al-Shami. He became close to Zarqawi after his mid-2005 release from prison, accompanying him wherever he went. After a number of promotions, al-Shami was made AQI's amir of Anbar and was a candidate to succeed Zarqawi after his death.

It is common for trusted aides such as al-Kubaysi to reach the upper echelon of these groups due to their proximity to leadership. After all, Nasir al-Wuhayshi, AQAP's amir, formerly served as Bin Ladin's personal secretary.

🧵Currently writing something on Zarqawi's retinue in Iraq. One person that sticks out, whose importance seems to be understated in secondary literature, is an Iraqi named Bilal Mahmud 'Awad Sabah, known by his kunyah Abu 'Ubaydah al-Kubaysi.

@dcli I greatly enjoyed The Universal Enemy. Are there any works or sources you'd recommend on the history of the Bosnian jihād and Katībat al-Mujāhidīn?

@alleyesonjihad Could I DM you a question?

The Sopranos' finale shows Agent Harris watching a video of Abu Yahya al-Libi. The video in question is al-Sahab's "Jihadist Poems".