Zawahiri: ISIS Leader Has Given Iran and Its Agents in Iraq an Excuse to Eliminate Sunnis

Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda, urged Sunnis in Iraq to prepare for a long "guerrilla war" and blamed the ISIS leader for giving Iran and its agents in Iraq an excuse to eliminate Sunnis. In a video message released on Thursday, September 4, he stated that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's extremist interpretation of Islam and his "bloodshed" have provided "Safavid Iran and its puppet government in Iraq an excuse to massacre Sunnis." According to Reuters, he said, "Sunnis in Iraq should not surrender their cities to the Safavid Shiite army," referring to Iraqi Shiite militias fighting alongside government forces against the Islamic State group in the north and east of the country. Zawahiri emphasized that they (Sunnis) must prepare for a long guerrilla war to end the new Crusader-Safavid occupation of their lands. He also called on "Islamic heroes among the Syrian Mujahideen" to assist their "brothers in Iraq in organizing, as they are fighting on the same front." He did not specify which Syrian rebel groups he was referring to, as the al-Nusra Front severed its ties with al-Qaeda last month and changed its name to Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. Zawahiri's message coincided with remarks from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who announced the capture of the oil region of Qayyarah, located 60 kilometers south of Mosul. Mosul is the capital of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS), and the Iraqi government has promised that operations to liberate it will begin soon. Over the past year, ISIS has lost half of the territory it seized in 2014 and 2015 due to attacks from the Iraqi army, Iranian-backed Shiite militias, and U.S.-backed Kurdish forces. The group has also retreated from many positions and cities in Syria due to attacks from U.S.-backed Kurdish forces and the Syrian army, which is supported by Iran and Russia. In 2014, ISIS severed its ties with al-Qaeda, with al-Baghdadi stating that he did not recognize Zawahiri's leadership over al-Qaeda. Zawahiri became al-Qaeda's leader after Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in 2011. Abadi stated that "liberating Qayyarah is an important step towards achieving the larger goal of retaking the city of Mosul." Iraqi forces captured the Qayyarah airbase last month, which can be used to support operations to liberate Mosul. The Iraqi Prime Minister hopes that the recapture of Mosul will be achieved within this calendar year, which would mean a significant defeat for ISIS. Mosul is Iraq's second-largest city, where al-Baghdadi announced the establishment of the "Islamic Caliphate" two years ago in its Grand Mosque.