“al-qaeda’s governance strategy in raqqa,” by chris looney

8/12/2019 Al-Qaedas Governance Strategy in Raqqa, by Chris Looney

1/6

Al-Qaedas Governance Strategy in Raqqa, by ChrisLooney

Posted by Joshua on Sunday, December 8th, 2013

Al-Qaedas Governance Strategy in Raqqaby Chris Looney (Syria analystworking in DC: [email protected] twitter @looney_89 !or Syria CommentDece"ber 8#$%&'

r"enian Church in )a**a con+erted into an ,sla"ic -issionary Center.

/+ery &0 "inutes so"eone 1oured water on "e# electrocuted "e# kicked "e#and then walked out#2 says one acti+ist in an inter+iewwith CNN.

3hey beat "e with a ri4le and with their hands when they arrested "e#2 says

another in a con+ersation with BBC. nd they threw a wheel on "y backso , couldn5t "o+e.Such is the situation in )a**a# a city in northeastern Syria with a11ro6i"atelyone "illion inhabitants now under control o4 the ,sla"ic State o4 ,ra* and al7Sha" (,S,S# the "ost 1ower4ul l aeda ( a44iliate currently o1erating inSyria.

Since ,S,S ca"e to 1ower in -ay# its abuse o4 )a**a5s citiens has been well
http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/al-qaedas-governance-strategy-raqqa-chris-looney/http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/al-qaedas-governance-strategy-raqqa-chris-looney/https://twitter.com/looney_89http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/05/world/meast/syria-al-qaeda-town-walsh/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-24926584https://twitter.com/looney_89http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/05/world/meast/syria-al-qaeda-town-walsh/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-24926584http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/al-qaedas-governance-strategy-raqqa-chris-looney/http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/al-qaedas-governance-strategy-raqqa-chris-looney/


2/6

docu"ented. ,t has begun to en4orce its e6tre"e inter1retation o4 ,sla" u1onthe city5s residents# 4orcing wo"en to co+er their beauty#2banning tobacco1roducts# and brutally re1ressing dissident +oices.

n the sur4ace# this +iolence a11ears to be indiscri"inate and irrational. ;et#it is also organied and tactical. !or a grou1 that has ne+er be4ore 4ully

controlled a large city# the transition 4ro" insurgent to ad"inistrator hashardly been s"ooth. Still# ,S,S has "anaged to de+elo1 a robust# syste"icstrategy o4 go+ernance 4or )a**a that links the city to sister strongholds in,ra*. 3hrough the control o4 goods and ser+ices# ,S,S has "ade the city5sresidents de1endent on it. s intricate as it is o11ressi+e# this strategy isser+ing ,S,S well< ,S,S has consolidated its authority in )a**a as it e61ands itsreach o+er "uch o4 eastern Syria and ,ra*.

ISIS Gains Control

)a**a re"ained relati+ely cal" throughout the 4irst two years o4 there+olution. city with roughly $=%#%%% residents be4ore the war# the1o1ulation *uickly swelled to one "illion as re4ugees 4led the escalatingcon4lict. Still# strong tiesbetween local tribal leaders and the regi"e ensuredstability in the 1ro+ince# allowing ssad to retain control des1ite co""itting"ini"al 4orces to the region. 3hus# as su11ort 4or Da"ascus eroded and rebel4orces began to "o+e in towards )a**a in late !ebruary# they were able totake the city with relati+e ease.

s the 4irst 1ro+incial ca1ital to 4all 4ully into rebel hands# the -arch =

takeo+er o4 )a**a was a signi4icant ste1 4orward 4or the o11osition. 3he+ictors were a contingent o4 rebel battalions that included h4ad al7)asul# a"oderate,sla"ist grou1 with strong ties to the >estern7backed Su1re"e-ilitary Council (S-C# ?abhat al7>ahdet al73ahrir al7,sla"iyya# a s"allregi"ento4 local "ilitias# and hrar al7Sha"# a 1ower4ulSala4ist brigade.

Loo"ing a"ong the" was another grou1 acti+e in the ca"1aign to liberate)a**a that was 1erha1s "ore 4or"idable than the other three co"bined.?abhat al7usra (?# at the ti"e the only a44iliate 4ightingin Syria# wouldsoon e6ert its authority in the city.

Aolstered by dee1 1ockets and a strong alliance with hrar al7Sha"# ? 1ushed4orth a strict ,sla"ic agenda. Des1ite this and its subse*uent record o4 ci+iland hu"an rights abuses# the grou1 at least "anaged to a+oid alienating theentire co""unity. S1eaking to The Telegraph# one storeowner1ut it si"1ly. ,like ?abhat#2 he said. 3hey are better than the regi"e at any rate.

big reason 4or this was ?5s dee1 local ties. /+en with its links to # which
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/10463017/Al-Qaedas-battle-for-hearts-and-minds-in-Syria.htmlhttp://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/opposition-takeover-al-raqqahttp://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/the-non-state-militant-landscape-in-syriahttp://www.joshualandis.com/blog/capture-of-raqqa-daraa-offensive-schooling-crisis-kerry-supportive/http://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/opposition-takeover-al-raqqahttp://www.npr.org/2013/04/01/175891884/syrian-government-stronghold-raqqa-falls-to-rebelshttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10051207/Under-the-black-flag-of-al-Qaeda-the-Syrian-city-ruled-by-gangs-of-extremists.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/10463017/Al-Qaedas-battle-for-hearts-and-minds-in-Syria.htmlhttp://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/opposition-takeover-al-raqqahttp://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/the-non-state-militant-landscape-in-syriahttp://www.joshualandis.com/blog/capture-of-raqqa-daraa-offensive-schooling-crisis-kerry-supportive/http://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/opposition-takeover-al-raqqahttp://www.npr.org/2013/04/01/175891884/syrian-government-stronghold-raqqa-falls-to-rebelshttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10051207/Under-the-black-flag-of-al-Qaeda-the-Syrian-city-ruled-by-gangs-of-extremists.html


3/6

were not "ade 1ublic until 1ril# "any o4 the grou15s 4ighters were stillSyrian# so"e e+en 4ro" )a**a 1ro+ince. 3hus# they were able to 4orge "oreinti"ate connections a"ong the co""unity. 3hey don5t wear 4ace "asks#2said one resident while s1eakingwith Syria Deeply. Beo1le ha+e 4riends whoare in al7usra.2

;et usra5s rule in )a**a would be short li+ed. ,n 1ril# bu Aakr al7Aaghdadi#head o4 what was then known as the ,sla"ic State o4 ,ra* (,S,# announced that? would be "erged with ,S, to 4or" ,S,S.

?5s leader# bu -uha""ad al7olani# reected this union# asserting hisgrou15s inde1endence and# 4or the 4irst ti"e 1ublicly# swearing allegiance toy"an al7Eawahiri# the head o4 . Des1ite al7Eawahiri5s ?une order that thetwo re"ain se1arate# al7Aaghdadi 4orged ahead in his atte"1t to integrate thegrou1s.

,n )a**a he was 1articularly success4ul. ? had been 4or"ed with strongsu11ort 4ro" ,S,# and a signi4icant nu"ber o4 its 4ighters had 4ought in ,ra* andre"ained loyal to al7Aaghdadi.

Ay -ay# ,S,S had luredaway "any o4 ?5s 4orces in )a**a. 3his# co"bined withan in4lu6 o4 4oreigners as ,S,S "ade its way into Syria# ce"ented al7Aaghdadi5stakeo+er. 3he grou1 celebratedits +ictory with the e6ecution o4 three lawitesin a town s*uare on -ay &=.

3he ar7)a**a e6ecutions F Con4ir"ation o4 the ,sla"ic State in ,ra* and as7Sha"
http://beta.syriadeeply.org/2013/09/raqqas-fsa-brigades-join-jabhat-al-nusra/http://eaworldview.com/2013/08/syria-feature-islamic-state-of-iraq-jabhat-al-nusra-and-the-story-of-raqqa/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbhspbVmL5A&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DcbhspbVmL5A&has_verified=1http://beta.syriadeeply.org/2013/09/raqqas-fsa-brigades-join-jabhat-al-nusra/http://eaworldview.com/2013/08/syria-feature-islamic-state-of-iraq-jabhat-al-nusra-and-the-story-of-raqqa/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbhspbVmL5A&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DcbhspbVmL5A&has_verified=1


4/6

s ,S,S solidi4ied its authority# the +iolence only increased. Brotests beca"e anightly ritual throughout the su""er# reaching a crescendo in "id7ugustwhen ,S,S res1onded to a gathering by 4iringrocket71ro1elled grenades intothe crowd. >hile ? had clashedwith the "ore "oderate brigades in )a**a#,S,S turned these dis1utes into a +eri4iable war. 3he grou1 used a series o4 4our

suicide car bo"bings to take out the leadershi1 o4 h4ad al7)asul# a battalionthat enoyed strong su11ort 4ro" the local 1o1ulation. ,t e+en s*uabbledwith? in an atte"1t to assert itsel4 as the sole legiti"ate a44iliate in the city.

Ay late Se1te"ber# "any battalions had resortedto an alliance with ?#belie+ing it to be the only 4orce le4t in the city still ca1able o4 countering ,S,S.Aut this had little e44ect# as ,S,S retained control and by o+e"ber hadrecei+ed1ledges 4ro" &= local tribes# 1resu"ably out o4 4ear. s one acti+istglu"ly 1ut it in an inter+iewwith Syria Deeply >e ha+e a saying in rabic.3he hand that you cannot beat: kiss it# and 1ray that it breaks.2

The Governance Strategy of ISIS

,S,S shows no signs o4 weakening in orthern and /astern Syria. n thecontrary# because o4 its strategy o4 go+erning ,S,S has grown stronger in the4ace o4 increased o11osition to its rule.

,S,S 1laced greater i"1ortance on asserting 4ull control o+er the city than onwinning the goodwill o4 the 1o1ulace. ,t solidi4ied its rule throughinti"idation# rather than the "ore di1lo"atic "eans that ?abhat al7usra (?had e"1loyed. 3his strategy was e+ident by the 1ublic e6ecutions o4 -ay &=

that the grou1 used to announce its 1resence. !ro" that day# ,S,S began toarrest dissidents. ,t currently holdsa11ro6i"ately %% 1risoners in )a**a#o4ten "istreating and torturing the".

1illar o4 this crackdown has been the ,sla"i4ication o4 the city. Christians#who ha+e a long history in )a**a and who "ade u1 &%G o4 its 1o1ulationbe4ore the war# were not aggressi+ely 1ersecuted under ?. 3hough churcheswere closedand ser+ices sus1ended# 4a"ilies were able to re"ain andcontinue their li+es un"olested.

;et as ,S,S gained control# +iolence against Christians increased. 3he grou1held1ublic bible burnings# destroyed churches# and kidna11ed 1riests# causing"ost o4 the city5s Christians to 4lee.

Des1ite the ensuing backlash# these actions did achie+e a signi4icant strategicobecti+e 4or ,S,S# an organiation that "akes no 1retense about 1reser+ing"inority rights. Ay e61elling Christians# it has 1a+ed the way 4or a series o4indoctrination 1rogra"s that ai" to 1ro"ote both religious 1urity and the
http://beta.syriadeeply.org/2013/08/raqqa-islamist-rebels-form-regime/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10051207/Under-the-black-flag-of-al-Qaeda-the-Syrian-city-ruled-by-gangs-of-extremists.htmlhttp://eaworldview.com/2013/08/syria-feature-islamic-state-of-iraq-jabhat-al-nusra-and-the-story-of-raqqa/http://beta.syriadeeply.org/2013/09/raqqas-fsa-brigades-join-jabhat-al-nusra/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Nov-04/236758-isis-receives-pledges-from-14-raqqa-tribes.ashx#axzz2lZQ1dhoehttp://beta.syriadeeply.org/2013/09/raqqas-fsa-brigades-join-jabhat-al-nusra/#.Upn3_JGQfHghttp://www.aawsat.net/2013/11/article55323968http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10051207/Under-the-black-flag-of-al-Qaeda-the-Syrian-city-ruled-by-gangs-of-extremists.htmlhttp://www.aleteia.org/en/world/article/christian-book-burning-in-raqqa-7954003http://beta.syriadeeply.org/2013/08/raqqa-islamist-rebels-form-regime/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10051207/Under-the-black-flag-of-al-Qaeda-the-Syrian-city-ruled-by-gangs-of-extremists.htmlhttp://eaworldview.com/2013/08/syria-feature-islamic-state-of-iraq-jabhat-al-nusra-and-the-story-of-raqqa/http://beta.syriadeeply.org/2013/09/raqqas-fsa-brigades-join-jabhat-al-nusra/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Nov-04/236758-isis-receives-pledges-from-14-raqqa-tribes.ashx#axzz2lZQ1dhoehttp://beta.syriadeeply.org/2013/09/raqqas-fsa-brigades-join-jabhat-al-nusra/#.Upn3_JGQfHghttp://www.aawsat.net/2013/11/article55323968http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10051207/Under-the-black-flag-of-al-Qaeda-the-Syrian-city-ruled-by-gangs-of-extremists.htmlhttp://www.aleteia.org/en/world/article/christian-book-burning-in-raqqa-7954003


5/6

1rinci1les through youth reeducation and a care4ul "ani1ulation o4 ci+ilsociety.

!or ,S,S# this is a long ter" strategy. 3he grou1 see"s con4ident in its ability to"aintain 1ower 4or an e6tended 1eriod o4 ti"e# and while it is co"4ortablesustaining its rule through coercion in the short ter"# ,S,S has also engineered

a series o4 initiati+es ai"ed at rebuilding its re1utation a"ong the co""unity.

,n addition to writingte6tbooks 4or schools# ,S,S has sought to re4ra"e itsel4 as1art o4 the "ainstrea" re+olution# countering the widely held belie4a"onglocals that it either collaborates with the regi"e or is "ade u1 1ri"arily o44oreigners who ha+e no connection to Syria. -any o4 its 1risoners are labeledas regi"e sy"1athiers# and the lawite 1o1ulation has been dri+en4ro" thecity.

,n addition# it has targeted "edia outlets in an atte"1t to control the 4low o4

in4or"ation. ,n early o+e"ber# the )a**a ,n4or"ation Center (),C shut itsdoors a4ter one o4 its corres1ondents was beatenand accused o4 treason andes1ionage.2 ,n casting the ),C as hostile towards the re+olution and i"1lying aconnection with the regi"e# ,S,S has continued in its bid to re1osition itsel4 asliberators "o+ing the city 4orward into the 1ost7ssad era rather than as anoccu1ying 4orce regressing to autocracy.

3he shutdown o4 the ),C and other "edia outlets has also ser+ed to so"ewhatisolate )a**a 4ro" the rest o4 Syria. 3hough residents still ha+e "any otherways to access in4or"ation# the "edia blackouts ha+e been rein4orced by

other actions designed to create an en+iron"ent where )a**ans areincreasingly de1endent on ,S,S 4or basic goods and ser+ices. ,n Se1te"ber# ,S,Sclosedthe only re"aining 4oreign e6change o44ice in )a**a# which hadallowed "oney to be sent into the 1ro+ince 4ro" abroad. 3he grou1 alsocontrolsthe "aority o4 wheat and oil co"ing into the city and 1ro+ides 4oodrelie4 1ackages to 4a"ilies throughout the region. s this de1endenceincreases# ,S,S undoubtedly ho1es it can trans4or" it into loyalty and gain1o1ularity a"ong the co""unity.

,n i"1le"enting this strategy o4 de1endence# ,S,S has also e61anded theconnection between the territory it controls in eastern Syria and itsstrongholds in ,ra*. !or an organiation that does not recognie colonialborders# 4using the two regions is o4 key strategic i"1ortance as it workstowards the establish"ent o4 an ,sla"ic e"irate. 3he 4low o4 4unding 4ro",ra* into Syria has been a source o4 strength 4or ,S,S# allowing it to out1aceri+al o11osition grou1s. 3hrough e6tortion and other cri"inal techni*ues# ,S,Sis able to raisean esti"ated H8 "illion a "onth in -osul alone.
http://www.ansar1.info/showthread.php?t=47059http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/09/19/202655/us-backed-syrian-rebels-being.htmlhttp://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2013/08/02/syriafiling/the-last-alawite-in-raqqa/http://syriafreedomforever.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/statement-of-the-raqqa-information-center-in-protest-of-the-continued-harassments-by-isis-islamic-state-in-iraq-and-syria/http://beta.syriadeeply.org/2013/09/raqqas-fsa-brigades-join-jabhat-al-nusra/#.Up-kxcRDvmshttp://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/10/10/al_qaeda_s_syrian_strategy?page=fullhttp://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/al-qaeda-mosul-iraq-sunnis-minorities.htmlhttp://www.ansar1.info/showthread.php?t=47059http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/09/19/202655/us-backed-syrian-rebels-being.htmlhttp://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2013/08/02/syriafiling/the-last-alawite-in-raqqa/http://syriafreedomforever.wordpress.com/2013/11/04/statement-of-the-raqqa-information-center-in-protest-of-the-continued-harassments-by-isis-islamic-state-in-iraq-and-syria/http://beta.syriadeeply.org/2013/09/raqqas-fsa-brigades-join-jabhat-al-nusra/#.Up-kxcRDvmshttp://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/10/10/al_qaeda_s_syrian_strategy?page=fullhttp://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/10/al-qaeda-mosul-iraq-sunnis-minorities.html


6/6

Ay using this 4unding to take ad+antage o4 1oorly go+erned territories in)a**a# eastern Syria# and nbar 1ro+ince# ,S,S has car+ed out a sa4e ha+en4ro" which it has the abilityto conduct e6ternal o1erations. lthough ,S,S "aybe 4ocused on consolidating its rule locally and e61anding its sway within Syriaand ,ra* 4or the ti"e being# attackingthe >est re"ains a long ter" strategic

obecti+e.Conclusion

Since its takeo+er o4 )a**a in -ay# ,S,S has e"1loyed a go+ernance strategythat has 4ocused on solidi4ying its rule through inti"idation# creating anecono"y o4 de1endence# and seeking to integrate eastern Syria with itsstrongholds in ,ra*

,n this regard it has been highly success4ul. ;et its hostility towards "inoritygrou1s# draconian legal syste"# and brutal re1ression o4 dissidents has

generated a signi4icant backlash# se+erely under"ining the grou15s credibilityand kee1ing it 4ro" being seen as a legiti"ate 1art o4 the o11osition. Aecauseo4 this# ,S,S5 current go+ernance strategy is likely unsustainable.

Still# ,S,S thri+es on instability# and as the Syrian war reaches its %%% thdaywith no end in sight# the grou1 is likely to be able to "aintain its hold in)a**a. >hether it can learn 4ro" its "istakes re"ains to be seen# but absenta dra"atic shi4t in the traectory o4 the con4lict# ,S,S is here to stay.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/22/rep-rogers-al-qaeda-allies-fighting-syria-also-plo/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10495894/Britain-holds-first-face-to-face-talks-with-Islamists-fighting-Assad.htmlhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/22/rep-rogers-al-qaeda-allies-fighting-syria-also-plo/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10495894/Britain-holds-first-face-to-face-talks-with-Islamists-fighting-Assad.html

“al-qaeda’s governance strategy in raqqa,” by chris looney

Documents