Tag Archives: Adnani

Replacing Al-Adnani

“If you can kill a disbelieving American or European – especially the spiteful and filthy French – or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever…then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner…Smash his head with a rock or slaughter him with a knife or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him.”

– Abu Mohammad al-Adnani in announcing the caliphate of the Islamic State

With statements like these, the Islamic State’s chief spokesman, Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, demonstrated a level of charisma and zeal which will be difficult to replace. His death in a U.S airstrike on August 29 marked the loss of a major cog in ISIL’s proselytizing and terrorizing machine.

Adnani was more than just ISIL’s official spokesman. He was a senior leader in the caliphate’s organization, a member of the Shura council, and chief of Amn al-Kharji – IS’s foreign intelligence and operations branch.

His role in the caliphate cannot be underestimated. Several captured and defecting IS members have identified Adnani as the “big man behind everything” and that “everything goes back to him”.

From 2000 until his demise, Adnani climbed the ranks of Al-Qaeda, and eventually became second-in-command for IS. Adnani’s expansive resume and celebrity status within the organization made him the premier successor to the caliphate, after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

His death will set back IS’s military and terrorist operations until a replacement can be found. Strategically speaking, Baghdadi should consider splitting the role of his previous second-in-command into two parts: the chief spokesman for the recruitment campaign and the tactician coordinating ISIS sponsored terror across the globe.

However, the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant is an ideologically fueled organization that will put more emphasis on the theology and fundamentalism inherent to the caliphate. The Islamic State is governed by the Shariah law, as interpreted from the Koran, the Haddith, and the Surah.

This means that Adnani’s position is likely to remain singular. While there are several contenders for Adnani’s position, there are two potential candidates: Turki al-Binali (a.k.a Abu Safyan al-Salami) and Abu Luqman (a.k.a Ali Moussa al-Shawakh).

Born in 1984 and raised in the Al-Bousaiteen District in Al-Murraq, Bahrain, Binali came from a well-to-do environment.He had several privileged education opportunities such as studying at the College of Islamic & Arabic Studies in Dubai.

After the United Arab Emirates forcibly removed/banned Binali from the country, he studied under authoritative Islamic scholars such as Abdullah Ibn Jibreen, Zuhayr al-Shawish, Abu Mohammad al-Magdisi, and Omar al-Haddouchi.

After education, Binali led an extensive recruiting support network in the Gulf region and met with several members of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. After Muammar Gaddafi’s death in 2013, Binali gave a series of recruitment lectures in Libya.

Turki al-Binali joined IS in 2013 and wrote several theological treatises that still serve to guide the caliphate’s direction. By 2014, he was appointed as the chief religious adviser to IS.

His education and scriptural experience makes him the prime contender for the position of chief spokesman. Compared to Adnani, Turki al-Binali demonstrates evident zeal and an intimate understanding of Shariah law and the purpose of the Islamic caliphate.

On the other hand, Abu Luqman is another potential candidate for Adnani’s position. He served as the Islamic State governor of Raqqah in Syria. He also studied law at the University of Aleppo.

After Bashar al-Assad imprisoned him, Luqman adopted the Salafi manhaj (methodology) of Islamic law. Rather than appealing to a specific school of thought established by precedent, Salafis believe in returning to the original ways of Islam based on the precedent laid down by Mohammad and his earliest companions.

Luqman has served in a security capacity throughout most of his terrorist career, including notably executing rival jihadist group Jabhat al-Nursa’s commander in the Raqqah province. Shortly after, he became the chief interrogator and emir (military commander) of the Raqqah region.

As chief emir he appointed subordinate emirs, distributed Islamic State fighters across borders, publicized IS’s military operations, and functioned as a senior figure in charge of detaining captured westerners.

Abu Luqman’s experience in structuring the Raqqah province’s emirate and coordinating soldiers qualifies him to undertake Adnani’s position as the chief of the IS’s foreign intelligence operation.

Each candidate has a strength that could half-way fill the shoes Adnani left behind. Turki al-Binali can inspire the masses to “kill a disbelieving American or European”. Abu Luqman can direct them to “smash his head with a rock or slaughter him with a knife”. In the end, whoever will replace Abu Mohammad al-Adnani will have to demonstrate a similar balance of charisma, passion, and strategy.

The Death of Abu Mohammad al-Adnani

“Today, they rejoice for the killing … and then they will cry much when Allah will overpower them, with His permission, with affliction of the worst torment by the soldiers of Abu Muhammad and his brothers.” – The Islamic State eulogy for Abu Mohammad al-Adnani

The United States-led coalition in Syria killed Mohammad al-Adnani in an airstrike on August 29, 2016. Adnani, born in Syria in 1977, was the most senior Syrian in ISIS leadership and suspected to be the head of Amniyat – ISIS’s main intelligence and foreign service apparatus.

Fair Bouchrane and Reda Hame, the two terrorists captured after the 2015 Paris bombing, identified Adnani as the main operative planner behind many of ISIS-affiliated terrorist attacks around the world. In addition, Mohammad al-Adnani’s propaganda campaign has inspired smaller, individualized acts of terror. Therefore, his death marks a significant step in diminishing the influence of the Syrian-based caliphate.

According to both Russia and the United States, Adnani was conducting a survey of military operations in the Aleppo region when he was terminated in a air strike. ISIS confirmed Adnani’s death through Amaq, the designated news agency for the Islamic State.

Both the U.S-led coalition and Russia are claiming responsibility for the airstrike, each having completely different accounts. A Russian official claims that military operatives conducted an SU-34 airstrike eliminating the second head of the Islamic State.

The United States routinely raids ISIS safe houses, capturing computer hard drives and cellphones that provide intelligence on movements, communication networks, and plans. This actionable intelligence informs location tracking for U.S Reaper drone/precision airstrikes on high profile Islamic State leaders.

In contrast, Russia has not actively targeted ISIS leadership or used precision weaponry in the region. The Pentagon stated that it did not have any intelligence confirming a Russian airstrike against Adnani. The Department of Defense has confirmed that a Reaper drone fired a Hellfire missile on a vehicle transporting Adnani in northern Syria. It is reasonable to assume that Russia is just claiming responsibility in order to increase influence in the region and possibly prop up the Assad regime.

Either way, Mohammad al-Adnani is dead and his shoes must be filled. Adnani served dual roles in the State – lead spokesman and head of ISIS’s intelligence operation. He brought strategy, unity, and precision to ISIS.

Whoever succeeds Adnani will need to posses a similar ability to foster cohesion and cult-like devotion to the leadership, if the caliphate is to maintain its influence. In addition, the most likely candidate will also need to have combat-related experience and history with the caliphate’s precursors.

ISIS depends on personality cults and celebrity-like leadership. The top two anticipated successors both have extensive backgrounds with the Islamic State. Turki al-Binali joined ISIS in 2013 and wrote several of the Islamic State’s eloquently worded theological treatises that have guided the state’s direction.

Abu Luqman, otherwise known as Ali Mousa Al-Shawwakh, was the first ruler of post-ISIS al-Raqqah and led much of ISIS’s 2015 caliphate strategy. He holds a law degree and is an eloquent speaker. Luqman, served time in Syrian captivity prior to the civil war and spent the majority of the U.S – Iraq occupation recruiting for the precursor to ISIS.

Both candidates are qualified to fill the gaps left by Abu Mohammad al-Adnani. It is possible that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi will split up the role of his second in command. If so, Binali would fit in as the spokesman and Luqman would adequately serve as head of the Amniyat. The United States should anticipate such leadership changes and be prepared for the “affliction of the worst torment by the soldiers of Abu Mohammad and his brothers.”