Islamic Recruits Favor ISIS Over Al-Qaeda

Islamic Recruits Favor ISIS Over Al-Qaeda

אילוסטרציה (123rf)

This post is also available in: heעברית (Hebrew)

Illustration (123rf)
Illustration (123rf)

The appeal of Al-Qaeda is in a down slope while militant groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) recruit more members.

Within the social circles of potential militant recruits, al-Qaeda is increasingly seen as stale, tired, and ineffectual. Many Islamist recruits who were young at the time of the 9/11 attacks look to ISIS for inspiration, as the group has not only captured territories in Syria and Iraq, but has also declared a caliphate, furthering the battle for global Jihad, a future al-Qaeda’s former leader Osama bin Laden once alluded to.

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

Al Qaeda is an organization and we are a state,” said an ISIS fighter who gave his name as Abu Omar to the New York Times. “Osama bin Laden, God have mercy on him, was fighting to establish the Islamic state to rule the world, and — praise God — we have achieved his dream.”

According to Homeland Security New wire the majority of the 7,000 foreign fighters battling government troops in Syria are fighting in ISIS ranks, which also deploys them to Iraq.