Islamic State Baghdadi foils attempted coup
Islamic State Baghdadi foils attempted coup
The first attempted coup against IS leader Baghdadi has been foiled and 13 of the group's senior leaders have been executed, reflecting growing divisions within the group.
2 min read
The coup was caused by disagreement over the group's military operations [Anadolu]
An attempted coup against the Islamic group's leader, Ibrahim Awwad al-Badri, better know as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was recently foild by the extremist group, Iraqi and Syrian sources have told al-Araby al-Jadeed.
The attempt failed and 13 leading members from Morocco, Syria, Yemen, and Kuwait, as well as a Chechen and a Kurd were all killed by the group for involvement in the abortive coup.
They included five well known senior figures in the group's General Military Council.
Reportedly the coup was due to intense disagreements over the group's military operations, its decision to expand and include jihadist groups in Syria, Libya and Afghanistan, and last month's Saudi mosque bombings.
"The coup was foiled a few days before it took place. The plan was to target Baghdadi's convoy with improvised explosive devices south of the Syrian city of Raqqa and kill him," an anonymous source from the Iraqi city of Mosul told al-Araby al-Jadeed.
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IS's leaders no longer unanimously support Baghdadi. |
The source said Baghdadi had monopolised decision-making within the militant group and transformed its Sharia Committee into a ceremonial body with no real say. They explained this contradicts the concept of shura (consultation) that has been used to govern the group over the past three years.
A traitor reportedly revealed the coup two days before it was due to be carried out. Baghdadi arrested the plotters, beheaded them, and hung their heads in one of the group's main training camps until Ramadan began.
A Syrian fuel merchant who deals with the IS reported that the group's leaders no longer unanimously support Baghdadi.
"Baghdadi said the 13 leaders were beheaded because they were US and Saudi spies. In reality they were found guilty of taking part in a well-planned assassination attempt," the merchant added.
A tribal source from Iraq's Anbar governorate told al-Araby al-Jadeed it was hoped this meant the group was beginning to disintegrate earlier than expected.
"It is natural that there are disagreements and divisions within the group, because it grew rapidly and expanded over large areas in a short time period," said retired General Mohammad al-Khalidi, an expert in Iraqi armed groups.
This article is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.
