Islamic State picks favored victor in Russian invasion

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Islamic State called it “unsurprising” that Putin brought “Chechen apostate militias” into combat with the support of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Writes Bridget Johnson 

Calling Russia’s war on Ukraine “an amusing punishment,” ISIS weighed in on the escalating invasion by warning Muslims against siding with a “crusader” and predicting protracted, destabilizing conflict that will weaken their foes.

In a full-page article in its weekly al-Naba newsletter, the terror group predicted that “whatever the result” of the invasion “there is no doubt that there are major consequences of this war.”

The Russian attack on Ukraine was “not surprising,” ISIS continued, calling it part of “the state of the escalating competition between America and Russia to control the countries of Eastern Europe, especially after the policy of ‘support and containment’ that America pursued” was seen as a “major threat” by Russia.

“It’s an amusing punishment … upon them for their disbelief in God Almighty,” the article branded the war, adding that “the disbelievers struggle over the world and its wreckage.”

The terror group addressed the issue of taking a side in the war, saying that Muslims shouldn’t favor one over the other — or fight for one over the other — even as some “are waiting for clarity … to decide his position on taking sides for one of the two Crusaders!”

ISIS called it “unsurprising” that Putin brought “Chechen apostate militias” into combat with the support of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, “an apostate fighting on Putin’s platform.” The terror group compared Kadyrov to former Afghan President Hamid Karzai “fighting on Bush’s platform.”

“The ‘Crusader vs. Crusader’ is still in its infancy, so, O God, perpetuate their wars and break their hearts,” the article declared.

Social media discussions among Islamic extremists have ranged from hatred for Russia because of President Vladimir Putin’s alliance with Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and their brutal military campaign against Syrians, to not wanting to back Ukraine because President Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish, Ukrainians served as one of the largest Coalition forces contingents in the Iraq war, and the country is a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.

Terror groups ultimately root on the side of chaos and mutual destruction. Extremist groups have been known to insert their opinions or directives into domestic or international conflicts — and even clashes at a much smaller local level such as high-profile protests or battles with police — in the name of stoking that chaos and attempting to internally weaken their enemies.

After the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, al-Qaeda went so far as to declare that it was fortuitous that the fourth plane on 9/11 didn’t reach its Washington target, stating that an “impending civil war” can better destroy the country as they simultaneously urged Protestants to assassinate President Biden for being a “provocative” Catholic in the Oval Office.

“The drumbeats of an impending civil war can clearly be heard,” the video said. “It was a civil war that brought the mother of all evils into existence, and it shall be a civil war that marks its ultimate doom.”

Al-Qaeda then tried to stoke violence within Christianity, stating that “it is worth pointing out here that Biden is only the second Catholic president to make it to the White House” and “he insists in almost a provocative manner on putting the Pope’s picture on display on his office desk.” A picture of President Biden greeting Pope Francis was showed among the framed photos along the window behind the Resolute desk.

“Will Trump’s Protestant followers be amused by such a scene? Or will Biden meet the fate of his Catholic Democratic predecessor John Kennedy?” the terror group’s incitement continued. “This ladies and gentlemen is America … on the verge of collapse. In only one month we pass from America’s first… to America’s last.”

Bridget Johnson is the Managing Editor for Homeland Security Today. A veteran journalist whose news articles and analyses have run in dozens of news outlets across the globe, Bridget first came to Washington to be online editor and a foreign policy writer at The Hill. Previously she was an editorial board member at the Rocky Mountain News and syndicated nation/world news columnist at the Los Angeles Daily News. Bridget is a terrorism analyst and security consultant with a speciality in online open-source extremist propaganda, incitement, recruitment, and training.

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