Terrorism rivals and allies
by digby
If you are a bit confused about the supposed nexus between Al Queda in Yemen and ISIS and Anwar Awlaki in the Paris attacks, this article from Jeremy Scahill sorts it out for you. I had been under the impression that the two groups were rivals and thus unlikely to have coordinated but it’s a lot more complicated than that. A whole lot more complicated than that. Scahill writes:
AQAP and ISIS have been engaged in a very public and bitter feud on social media and through official communications for the past year. While not impossible, it is unlikely that AQAP and ISIS at a high level agreed to cooperate on such a mission. An AQAP source told me that the group supports what Coulibaly did and that it does not matter what group — if any — assisted him, just that he was a Muslim who took the action. ISIS, clearly seeking to capitalize on the events in Paris, has now reportedly issued a call for its supporters to attack police forces. Of course, it is also plausible that all three of the men received some degree of outside help, but created their own cells to plot the Paris attacks. Whether Coulibaly was actually working with the Kouachi brothers or was inspired by their attack is also unknown.
For now, we have little more than verified statements from an AQAP source, a claim of responsibility from an ISIS figure and words of praise from both ISIS and some key AQAP figures. Taking responsibility for the attacks, whether true or not, could aid either group in fundraising and in elevating its prominence in the broader jihadist movement globally.
One thing to keep in mind: at least 90% of what you might be hearing on cable news is probably bullshit. But you knew that.
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