HARD TIMES FOR THE PIJ
Quite suddenly, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is in the throes of a serious - and worsening - financial crisis. The militia, a proxy of Iran which has long relied almost exclusively on the Islamic Republic for its operating finances, now faces a bleak economic future following a falling out with Tehran over the political direction of Yemen. The group, which is Sunni, has reportedly refused to endorse the Iranian-supported Shi'ite Houthi takeover there, leading Iran to substantially decrease its donations. The crisis, which mirrors thevery-public falling out that took place between Iran and Hamas over Syria between 2011 and 2014, has left the PIJ in dire financial straits; without Iranian funds, and with only minimal ability to raise donations in the Palestinian Territories, the organization has been unable even to pay the salaries of its personnel for a quarter of a year now. (Kofia Press, May 26, 2015)
WESTERN STRATEGY AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE: MORE OF THE SAME
The international coalition against the Islamic State is still fumbling for a new and improved strategy. In their first meeting since the Iraqi army's defeat at Ramadi last month, the foreign ministers of the twenty-five nations now cooperating in their counterterrorism efforts against the group vowed to craft a "long term" approach. For the moment, however, the tactics that the countries plan to implement consist of little more than those already being employed: stabilizing reclaimed IS territory, airstrikes and the provision of weapons and training to the Iraqi army. The one thing coalition members did appear to agree upon was how best to spin the Islamic State's stunning recent battlefield victories in Ramadi andPalymra: as simply a tactical "setback" for the West. (Berlin Deutsche Welle, June 3, 2015)
TURKEY CHANGES TACK
After years of laissez faire policy toward instability in Iraq and Syria, the government of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan appears to be gravitating toward a more active role in fighting the Islamic State. According to foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish government has begun a training program for Kurdish militias operating in northern Iraq. The training, taking place outside of Mosul in northern Iraq, is intended to strengthen the capabilities and resolve of Kurdish peshmerga now actively involved in the fight against the Islamic State terrorist group in Iraqi Kurdistan, and beyond. (Sputnik, June 4, 2015)
A BALKAN ANTI-ISLAMISM EFFORT
In the small Balkan nation of Kosovo, a significant effort is underway to combat radical Islamic ideas and organizations. Writing in the Huffington Post, Islamic expert Stephen Schwartz notes that the government of Isa Mustafa in Pristina has committed itself to "a consequential struggle" against radical Islam, enacting measures ranging from criminalization of participation and recruitment for jihad to the apprehension of some 100 suspected foreign fighters, as well as the incarceration of imams supportive of the Islamic State terrorist group. These efforts have been mirrored by the rise of a new organization, dubbed Interfaith Kosovo, aimed at the development of "cutting-edge tools in promoting interfaith dialogue... to resolve religious differences that in recent years evolved into violent extremism." In these ways, Schwartz notes, the organization - and the country - is "leading the way in responding to radical Islam and other problems of religious life." (Huffington Post, June 2, 2015)
ISIS TAKES AIM AT THE TALIBAN...
The competition between the Islamic State and its ideological competitors is becoming more and more heated. In a new video, the group's Afghan branch - dubbed the "Khorasan Province" - has issued its most extensive attack on the Taliban to date. The video reportedly features an extended speech by a "Khorasan" spokesman debunking the Taliban's claim to Islamic legitimacy, and accusing the Afghan movement of serving as a proxy for Pakistan'sInter Services Intelligence (ISI) in its attacks on the group. Among other things, the "Khorasan" spokesman has claimed that Taliban leader Mullah Omar lacks religious authority because there cannot be two caliphs at one time, and the title is already occupied by ISIS head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who declared himself the emir of the caliphate last June. (Long War Journal, June 4, 2015)
...WHILE THE RIFT WITH AL- NUSRA DEEPENS
Meanwhile, Syria's al-Qaeda affiliate, the Al-Nusra Front, is waging its own campaign against the Islamic State's ideological narrative. In a recent appearance on al-Jazeera, Al-Nusra Front leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani labeled the group's 2014 declaration of a caliphate as illegitimate, and charged that its members have strayed from the true path of Islam. "We hope that they repent and return to the Sunni people," al-Golani said. (Agence France-Presse, June 5, 2015)
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