NormanT.Lihou
The Incompetency of Jihad: Information Operations Failures
June 13, 2008
 

In this case, the great informational operation failure was the lack of any videotaping of the attack. AQ wanted the USS Cole attack videotaped so they could use it in their propaganda and recruitment videos. The IO was so important to AQ that they procured an apartment overlooking the harbor to capture the event. Al-Quso was trained to videotape the terrorist’s triumphant moment, but slept through his alarm. Taking a taxi to try and get into position to film the event proved too little, too late as al-Quso actually missed the bombing.[3]

Egyptian Jihad

As evidenced by the number of questions that Zawahiri chose to respond to in his “town hall” Q&A session, Egypt is a matter of concern for the greater Muslim community. The country of Egypt has been under attack by Islamic militants since the inception of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in 1928.

The founder of the organization was a school teacher named Hassan al-Banna. Al-Banna’s message was one of Islamic revival calling for a return to the version of Islam as practiced by the first followers of Mohammad. The Brotherhood pushed an idea of nationalism, which would erase class divisions in Egypt while instilling Islamic values. The MB is responsible for establishing a Sharia compliant finance system. Prior to the 1930s, no such system existed. Here is the creed of the MB:

Allah is our objective.

The messenger is our leader.

Quran is our law.

Jihad is our way.

Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.[4]

The Brotherhood stood up social and educational programs to indoctrinate members throughout Egypt. By 1939, the organization had become a political entity advocating for a government based solely on Sharia law. In 1945, the Brotherhood’s Parliamentary candidates were defeated in an election that the MB claimed was rigged.[5] During this time, the group expanded its branches and membership beyond the Egyptian borders. However, its downfall in Egypt occurred in 1948 when the Brotherhood assassinated the Prime Minister and was outlawed in the country soon after. The MB gained favor from the Egyptian government when it supported Gamal Abdel Nasser’s Free Officer’s overthrow of King Farouk. However, the new relationship was doomed when Nasser did not implement the Sharia law as his government’s foundation. The MB tried to assassinate Nasser, which led to yet another banning of the organization. One of the leaders of the Brotherhood, Sayyid Qutb, wrote a number of books calling for the destruction of any government that is secular. This infusion of violent ideology, coupled with the idea that Muslims where supposed to be the saviors of mankind, provided a higher, more spiritual calling for the MB. The crackdown on the Brotherhood lasted until the death of Nasser and the appointment of Anwar Sadat as the Egyptian President. Sadat released the MB members still in jail in 1971. President Sadat’s moves towards stabilized relations with the Israelis, reliance on U.S. economic aid and expulsion from the Arab League provided the MB with the reasons it needed to oppose his government.[6] The MB assassinated Sadat in 1981 and was supposed to overthrow the government as it was recoiling from the plot. The coup did not happen and the MB was quickly rounded up and jailed. One of the members at the time was Zawahiri. The assassination resulted in the ascendancy of Mubarak and another crackdown on the organization. Since that time, the Brotherhood has been in disarray and has theoretically abandoned its militant ways to pursue a more modernized political agenda.

This is why Zawahiri is answering so many questions about possible Egyptian jihad. Egypt represents Zawahiri’s personal vendetta. By “selecting” so many Egypt related questions, Zawahiri is trying to show that there is an active need for jihad in Egypt. This is probably one of the best hoaxes in AQ’s IO. Zawahiri is reinstilling the “plight” of the Egyptians into the global jihadi mindset. This will allow him to call for jihadis to go to Egypt to help out their brethren later on. When Zawahiri was a part of the MB, he believed that Egypt would be the epicenter of the Islamic world in the fight against the West.[7]

Using Unaware Jihadis

A disturbing tactic has emerged among AQ and its franchisees. A good illustration of the method is found in the use of Rabah Bechla as a suicide bomber by AQ in Africa (called Al-Qaeda Committee in the Islamic Maghreb or AQCIM). Bechla, a 64-year old terminal cancer patient, drove a pickup truck laden with explosives into a UN building. Rabah Bechla’s body was so ravaged by cancer that he may have had only days to live.[8]

The recent use of two mentally disabled women, who were remotely detonated in Baghdad markets, shows the level of "courage" being exhibited by al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). Reports are circulating that these pawns were unaware that they were being used as weapons.[9] This revelation comes on the heels of Bhutto’s assassination by 15-year old suicide bomber, Aitezaz Shah. Shah had already been planning a bombing attack on a religious festival.[10]

So the once "great warriors" of AQ and it's franchisees have been reduced to carrying out operations with cancer-ridden old men, handicapped women and children. Where are the throngs of young men that Bin Laden had promised would swell his ranks to challenge the evil West? The use of the men, women and children was an effort to demonstrate the undying Muslim commitment to the AQ terrorist ideology. The people in these cases were supposed to generate a litany of discussion that would once again give Al-Qaeda unprecedented media coverage. The outrage that should have accompanied the use of the handicapped women would have made good propaganda fodder for AQ. Unfortunately for them, it was only a blip in the media ocean.

Afghanistan Mujahideen

One of the greatest Information Operations that AQ ever pulled off was stealing the credit for the Afghan Mujahideen.

The Soviet Union invaded the country of Afghanistan in 1979 and fought a costly war for 10 years before retreating in defeat. The countrymen of Afghanistan fought the Soviets with guerilla warfare and the latest in American technology. The foreign fighters that went through the camps that Bin Laden was associated with were focused on training and not necessarily on participating in the conflict. Most of the Saudis that went through the camps used this as a way of proving their manhood but left after only a couple of months.

In speeches given since the Afghan victory, Bin Laden always uses the term Mujahideen to describe his terrorist fighters. The Mujahideen were the Afghanis that actually fought the Soviets and liberated the country. One of the few times that AQ committed forces to the Mujahideen was in support of the Taliban’s civil war against other Afghan warlords after the Soviet departure.

While UBL has always claimed that the victory over the Soviets was because of his Mujahideen, it should be recalled that he was a low level financier responsible mainly for housing and feeding non-Afghan participants. Although he was a regional commander at one time, he was minimally involved in firefights. Given that the liberators of Afghanistan were the native Mujahideen backed by the latest in American weaponry and intelligence, UBL’s claim of AQ liberating the country is a lie that perpetuates itself and serves to reinforce terrorist propaganda to this day.

Osama bin Laden and Zawahiri Split

While there has been no overt announcement of a split between the leaders of AQ, careful examination reveals a deepening schism.

The belief about AQ is that the two leaders are united in their ideology and support each other unquestioningly. Zawahiri has been a vital part of the AQ organization since its inception and has been an important ally of bin Laden since 1986. The Egyptian doctor became the de facto 2^nd in command through years of operations with Al-Qaeda.

What most analysts have failed to recognize is the significance of a couple items in the IO campaign of AQ. The first is that every time UBL releases a tape, Zawahiri seems to immediately follow up with his own message. This keeps the focus on the message of Zawahiri and moves UBL out of the spotlight. Second, in Zawahiri’s Q&A session, he mentions his writings on twenty-one separate occasions. He refers to these writings to clarify answers that he is providing. The mention of his writings is being used to establish a scholarly expertise for the Ummah to recognize. By referring to the publication of his new book 14 times, Zawahiri is trying to influence a potential future global jihad. It can be surmised that Zawahiri is usurping the ideology of AQ from UBL by publishing the book. The third item is that the AQ leader and his deputy do not agree on how to handle the followers of the Shi’a religion. UBL has supported and taken support from Iran in the past while Zawahiri calls the Shi’a nation the Ummah’s greatest traitors. Expect this particular rift to continue as sides will have to be chosen when it comes to the Shi’a.