The Terrorist ‘Caliphate’ Declares War On India and Rome

BREAKING NEWS: IMPENDING CLASH WITH ISIS

               The Terrorist ‘Caliphate’ Declares War On India and Rome

 

                                   –   Ram Kumar Ohri, IPS (Retd)

 

Recently in an interesting analysis presented on the website of AfricaMetro it was pointed out by by Philip Rivers and Kent Underwood that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is determined to go ahead with his jihad against India, China and Rome.¹   This development highlights that time has come for the international community to realise that the establishment of the Islamic State has been the most significant development in international jihadism since 9/ 11.

ISIS Vows To Conquer Rome, India & China

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has already released a list of countries against which he intends to wage war in order to ensure complete Islamic domination of the world. The countries in the line of fire are Vatican (Rome), India, China, Israel, Somalia, Arabian Peninsula, Caucasus, Sham (the Levant), Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Libya and Algeria et al. According to al-Baghdadi, the rights of Muslims were being violated in all these nations. Many Indians, especially the secularized Hindus are totally clueless to the threat posed   by the ISIS and their global mission. Many others believe that the ISIS are just stupid and that they don’t represent the true Islam.²

Al -Baghdadi has asserted that the new Islamic State has replicated the 7th century Rashidun Caliphate ruled by Prophet Muhammad’s successors. The ISIS also says it is necessary for Muslims to subjugate the non-Muslims both in the east and west.  Apart from India and China, the self-proclaimed Caliph has also vowed to conquer Rome and called on Muslims to immigrate to the Islamic State to fight under its banner around the globe.

The Islamic State has released an e-book in which the group’s journey from al Qaeda to ISIS has been detailed and future goals enunciated, including a warning that it will expand to India.

A new book, titled “Black Flags from the Islamic State (2016)” was launched online by the Islamic State on December 1, 2015. It reads like a chronicle of the global Islamic militancy from the times of Osama bin Laden to the recent attacks in Paris by ISIS.³  The e-book warns that soon the caliphate will expand beyond Iraq and Syria to India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, China, Philippines and several countries of Middle East and the African continent. Claiming that a clash of civiiizations was in progress in non-Muslim countries between Muslims and the majority populations the book specifically targets India. Alleging that in India a campaign had been launched by Hindus to kill Muslims who eat beef, it refers to the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi as a right wing Hindu nationalist .   The book Black Flags accuses him of preparing   for a war against Muslims. After gloating about the successful killing 129 persons in the Paris attack of 13^th December, 2015, in a chapter titled ‘An Analysis of The Paris Attacks’ the e-book invites all Muslims to join the ISIS.

Naji’s Thesis of Management of Savagery

Abu Bakr Naji is a well known name in the Islamic world. He is the ideologue of the Islamic State. His celebrated tome, Management of Savagery, has been used as the bible of the global jihad launched by the ISIS. According to Naji, the ideal of education by example (i.e.,tarbiya bil-qudwa) is one of the two most effective methods of training the mujahideen. He devotes a great deal of space to elaborating on this method by stating that seeing someone else sacrifice his most valuable things in the path of God will have a strong inspirational effect on the individual.   The dazzling examples of the Prophet and his companions were the true exemplars for the faithful. When there are men in the ranks of Mujahids who sacrifice expensive and valuable things in response to Allah’s commands they become the best means of educating the believers in Islamic activism and for motivating the young. Prima facie ‘‘martyrdom’’ or suicide operations fall in this category.

The second important aspect of   jihadi training is education by staging momentous events’’, or spectacular attacks   ( called tarbiya bil-ahdath). Naji has emphasized the importance of staging spectacular attacks on the enemy. Together with recourse to savagery to subdue the infidels it is equally important to   stage   momentous events to motivate the Islamic warriors.   He considers the method of staging   momentous events as the most effective means for attracting the youth to the Prophet’s cause.     He proclaims that ‘‘terrible events’’ (i.e., spectacular strikes against infidels) which capture the imagination of the people, will have a greater learning effect than a hundred years of peaceful education.   Such ‘‘momentous events’’ tend to produce Islamic heroes and provide opportunities to demonstrate the resolve of jihadi warriors to win in the face of the horrors of war.

Tough Training Regimen for Jihadis

The theory and practice of the ISIS prescribes an overhelming emphasis on the physical fitness and training of the Mujahideen for shaping them into hardy fighters.   The e-book prescribes very high standards of physical fitness for the youth opting to join the ISIS for Jihad. The rigorous standards of physical fitness are described below.

 

1. Jog for 10 kilometers (about 6.2 miles) without stopping, and this should take the warrior no more than 70 minutes in the worst of cases.
2. Run a distance of 3 kilometers (roughly 2 miles) in about 13.5 minutes.

 

3. Run for a distance of 100 meters with only 12-15 seconds of rest in between.
4. Walk a long distance without stopping once for at least 10 hours.
5. Carry a load of 20 kilograms (around 44 pounds) for at least 4 hours straight.
6. Perform at least 70 push ups in one shot without stopping (one can start by performing 10 push ups at once, then increasing the number by 3 every day until eventually reaching 70).

 

7. Perform 100 sit ups in one shot without stopping (one can start by performing

10 sit ups at once, then increasing the number by 3 everyday until eventually

reaching 100).

8. Crawl using his arms for a distance of 50 meters in 70 seconds at most.
9. Perform the ‘Farata’ or speedy run (an exercise that combines speed

walking, jogging and running) the drill for which as follows:

1. a) The Mujahid begins by walking normally for 2 minutes, then he walks quickly for 2 minutes, then he jogs for 2 minutes, then he runs for 2 minutes, then he runs fast for a distance of 100 meters, then he returns to walking, and so on and so forth until he performs this exercise 10 times non-stop. And normal walking differs from quick walking, which differs from jogging, which differs from running. Normal walking is known to all, while quick walking is that one walks at a greater speed while making sure not to raise his feet from the ground for a greater amount of time than he would while walking normally.

 

1. b) As for jogging, it is required that one covers a distance of one kilometer (roughly 0.6 miles) in less than 5.5 minutes. As for running, it is necessary that one covers a distance of one kilometer in less than 4.5 minutes.  etc….. (pp.9-10 of the book, ‘The Black Flags of ISIS’)

 

Bomb-Making Technique For Suicide Attacks

 …     To give impetus to the cult of car bombings by the Jihadis against non-Muslims the ISIS e-book has disseminated the process to all Muslim outfits in their online venture. On page 74 of the e- book lucid instructions have given to guide how various cells of Mujahideen should work together to manufacture and hurl car bombs at kaffirs. They must follow the drill elaborated below.

 

1. The Cell No. 1 makes or gets its own bomb making materials (i.e. explosive powder) from the blackmarket and delivers it at a hidden drop off point (possibly even burying it underground). They will leave a secret mark there to show that the material has been placed and will send a secret letter/message to members of Cell 2 to show it has reached.

 

2. The Cell No. 2 will find out if the equipment is ready and go secretly to pick it up. They will then take it to their Garage (it looks like a normal garage but it is being used undercover by Mujahideen for Jihadi activities. Here they will put the explosive powder (usually fertilizer powder mixed with diesel [Technical name: Ammonium Nitrate + Fuel Oil = ANFO) in metal steel boxes and insert wires/detonating cables in the boxes. When the Fertilizer powder and diesel are put on fire (by the naked wires), they suddenly explode. In a normal car bomb, there is usually 1 tonne of ANFO. The ANFO explosive powder metal boxes might be inserted in the boot and bonnet of the car, or anywhere there is a gap.
3. The Cell No.3 will be informed through a secret letter or human

messenger (courier) that the equipment (car bomb) is ready and if they   need it, they can pick it up from a private location which they have already decided between themselves. For this purpose the Cell 3 might have members who are willing to undertake the martyrdom operations (‘suicide bombings’.) So the leader of Cell 3 will inform one of his men to pickup the car from the secret place and to bring it for the martyrdom operator. The martyrdom operator will then drive the car to a place where a number of the enemies have gathered and press the Button (Arabic name Doqma.) A full electric circuit will be made by the button-press, and electricity will pass through the detonating wires to ignite the main explosive powder (ANFO) in the metal boxes. One tonne of ANFO will explode, ripping through the entire car, killing the martyrdom operator and all the enemies surrounding the car.

 

• Each Cell will contain nearabout 5 members each, communicating in secret through secret messengers. These messengers will speak to the leader of the other Cell and no-one else. These secret communications make it harder for Intelligence agencies to know the secret of Cell groups because only one designated messenger communicates between 2 Cell leaders, and no-one else knows the secrets of other Cells’.

According to the e-book, the above mentioned technique should be used by the Mujahideen to transport weapons, to organise fighters and for sending money and supplies to each other while waging jihad. By imparting rigorous training to Mujahideen and recourse to limitless savagery the ISIS wants to accomplish its campaign to annihilate all non-Muslims from this world!

By spreading fear and lawlessness through ruthless killings the ISIS wants to accomplish its goal of annihilating all non-Muslims worldwide !  It therefollows that the Indian security forces will have to outdo and out-manouvre the jihadi warriors in physical fitness and professional competence.

Challenges Facing The Security Forces    

Briefly, the following important  aspects  of  India’s security preparedness should  be thoroughly analysed and debated by eminent security experts and intelligence agencies. Thereafter a multi-pronged strategy along the lines outlined below should be evolved to defeat the threat posed by the ISIS:

1. First and foremost, the Central and the State governments must undertake a data-based appreciation of the threat posed by the ISIS, Lashkar and allied groups, duly aided by Pakistan and multiple spynests embedded in India as well as the threats likely to emanate from our immediate neighbourhood as well as West Asia. The action plan should take into account the possibility of sudden eruption of jihadi attacks simultaneously in many sensitive locations.

 

1. There is an urgent need for the Indian police, including the State police as well as the para-military forces, to undertake a total overhaul of their physical fitness, strategic training and combat efficiency. They should be able to match and outdo the proficiency of the Islamic warriors being trained by the ISIS. Among other things, the tactical training should include the capacity to face the savagery and brutality being used by the ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Tayeba. Indian Mujahideen, et al. It

is a huge task – knowing as we do the present limited combat efficiency of our police ranks and security forces.

 

1. Elaborate short term as well long term Action Plans should be drawn up to counter the overall Islamist campaigns targeting India. In doing so tactical advice and technological help must be sought from the government of Israel which has a long and successful record of fighting the Islamic militancy on more than one front.

 

• A comprehensive evaluation of   the manpower available with the State Police forces and   Central Parliamentary  forces should be undertaken for winning the future war against multiple groups of   Islamic militants.

 

1. To defeat Abu Bakr Naji’s vile strategy of creating pockets of chaos and savagery, all ‘No-Go’ areas in every State and major city should bed identified and analysed   It should be followed by making a bold effort to effectively erase the locations where pockets of chaos and savagery could be established. Simultaneously steps should be taken to enforce strict police patrolling of all ‘No-Go’ zones.

 

 

1. Since there is a special emphasis in Naji’s war manual, Management of Savagery, and the tactics employed by the ISIS on staging ‘spectacular’ attacks, it is essential to evolve a proper methodology and response for anticipating and defeating all sudden spectacular attacks by jihadi groups.

 

1. To counter the preferred strategy of the ISIS for launching spectacular attacks suddenly and efficaciously all State police forces must prepare and keep handy districtwise lists of all important installations, religious institutions and   sensitive towns and locations.

 

• Time has come to review, revise and upgrade the architecture and modalities of intelligence collection and regular ‘threat analysis’ by the Intelligence Bureau, the Research & Analysis Wing, all para-military forces   and intelligence wings of State police forces.

 

• It is imperative to evolve a system of monitoring the day to day postings on the Jihadi website. This important task has to be performed by the intelligence agencies as well as the State Police forces. If necessary certain provocative posts on the Internet may be neautralised.

 

1. Equally important is the need to put in place a system of effective   scrutiny of the departure and arrival of all persons with suspicious antecedents by air or by train.

 

1. Evolve a system of post-operational debriefing of  arrested Jihadis and their accomplices and circulation thereof for planning the future action schedules by security forces against militant groups.

 

Now that India and our Prime Minister have been specifically added to the target list of the ISIS India will have to join the war against the Islamic State sooner than later. Looking to the massive use of barbarism by ISIS the Indian security forces will have to prepare for a merciless war against savage jihadi warriors.   By imparting rigorous physical training to Mujahideen and recourse to limitless savagery the ISIS wants to accomplish its campaign to annihilate all non-Muslims from this world!

We must learn some strategic lessons from the manner in which the Islamic militants have targeted France. Barely eleven months after the attack on Charlie Hebdo by Al Qaeda on 7^th January 2015, the multiple attacks across Paris by the ISIS on 13^th November, 2015, have proved that at global level the ISIS has become a powerful force to reckon with. Their remarkable success also demonstrates the organisation’s grit and resolve to execute their mission.

In the circumstances the repetitive threats issued by the Islamic State to attack India should not be considered as empty boasts. The danger is real and imminent and we must prepare to counter it. There is an urgent need for holding strategic discourses on the subject  at  selected forums for devising India’s response to the grave threat posed by the Islamic State and allied radical outfits. The Indian masses must understand that all jihadi groups, namely the ISIS, Al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Tayebba, Indian Mujahideen, SIMI, etc., have one common objective. Their goal is to defeat and destroy all non-Muslim nations and transform the entire world into Dar-ul-Islam. And for achieving that goal they might have already joined hands and closed their ranks!

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References / Endnotes :

1. Phillip Rivers & Kent Underwood, ‘Caliphate Declares War With China, India, Rome’, Africa Metro, December 18, 2015, www.africametro.com/…./terrorist-caliphate-declares-war-with-china-india…
2. 2. Ibid.

3: Mugdha Variyar, ‘ Black Flags From the Islamic State (2016)’, file:////C/Users/dell/videos/Black Flags%20 …………                       ……………]

 

 

 

 

Copyright @ Ram Kumar Ohri