The Syrian Jihad: Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and the Evolution of an Insurgency

516 Pages·2016·3.93 MB·English

by  Charles R. Lister

THE SYRIAN JIHAD

CHARLES R. LISTER
The Syrian Jihad
Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and the
Evolution of an Insurgency
A
A
Oxford University Press is a department of the
University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective
of excellence in research, scholarship, and education
by publishing worldwide.
Oxford New York
Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi
Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi
New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto
With offices in
Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece
Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore
South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam
Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press
in the UK and certain other countries.
Published in the United States of America by
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Copyright © Charles R. Lister 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press,
or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with
the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning
reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the
Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above.
You must not circulate this work in any other form
and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available
Charles R. Lister.
The Syrian Jihad: Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and the Evolution of an Insurgency.
ISBN: 9780190462475
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ix
Preface xi
Introduction 1
PART I
SETTING THE SCENE
1. Breaking Down the Barriers: Protest 11
2. Underlying Instability 19
3. Syria’s Flirtation with Jihadism 31
PART II
FIRST ON THE SCENE
4. March–December 2011: Jabhat Al-Nusra Forms 51
5. January–August 2012: Jabhat Al-Nusra Emerges 63
6. September 2012–March 2013: Jabhat Al-Nusra Rises 83
PART III
MAKING A SCENE
7. April–June 2013: The Islamic State Joins the Conflict 119
8. July–December 2013: Rising Tensions 151
9. January–April 2014: Turning Against the Islamic State 185
PART IV
CALIPHATES, EMIRATES AND DIVERGENCE
10. May–August 2014: Declaring a Caliphate 221
v
CONTENTS
11. The Islamic State 261
12. September–December 2014: Strikes and Divisions 279
13. January–June 2015: Tipping the Scales 319
14. The Syrian Jihad 369
Notes 395
Bibliography 431
Index 455
vi
T U R K E Y N
Gaziantep Dohuk
Kobane Qamishli
Jarablus Ras al-Ayn Al-Yaroubiya Irbil
Bab Al Salameh Tel Abyad
al-BHaabwa Al-Raqqah Al-Hasakah Sinjar Tal Afar Mosul 0 km 100
Idlib Aleppo Al-Raqqa Al-Hasakah Irbil
Aleppo Ninawa
LatakiaLatakia Idlib Kirkuk Sulaimaniyah
Hama Hama Deir ez Zour Kirkuk Al-Sulaimaniyah
Tartus
Tartus Deir Baiji
Homs S Y R I A ez Zour Salah ad Din Tikrit
Tripoli
BEIRUT ANON Homs Samarra Diyala IRAN
B
LE DAMASCUS Al-Anbar Ramadi Fallujah BAGBHaDqAuDbah
Rif Dimashq
Deraa
Quneitra
Al-Suwayda Wasit
Deraa I R A Q Karbala Babil
Karbala
West
Bank Najaf Al-Qadisiyah
Maysan
Dhi Qar
AEL Al-Najaf Nasiriyah
SR J O R D A N
I
Basrah
S A U D I A R A B I A
Al-Muthanna Al-Basrah
KUWAIT
© S.Ballard (2015)
© S Ballard (2015)
T U R K E Y
Gaziantep
Qamishli
Kobane
Kilis Jarablus Ras al-Ayn Al-Yaroubiya
y
Hata Afrin Azaz Manbij Tel Abyad Al-Hasakah
Reyhanli Al-Bab Al-Raqqah Al-Hasakah I R A Q
Aleppo
Idlib Aleppo Raqqah
LatLakaiatakQiaardaha IdMlairbat al-Numan Al-Tabqah Euphrates River
Deir ez Zour
Hama
Hama
Tartus Al-Mayadin
Tartus Deir ez Zour
Homs
Tripoli ON Al-Qusayr Palmyra Al-Bukamal
BAN Laboue Al-Qaim
LE Baalbek Homs
BEIRUT
Sidon
DAMASCUS I R A Q
Rif Dimashq
Quneitra
Deraa
Lake
Tiberius
Al-Suwayda
Deraa
Al-Suwayda
N
J O R D A N
AMMAN
0 75
km