Jihad: Al-Qaida Leader Tells Fighters to Prepare for Syria holy War

Last updated: April 24, 2017 4:54 pm

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In this Friday, March 301, 2017 frame grab from video provided by the government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media, Syrian army rocket launcher fires at insurgent groups position, in Hama, north Syria. Warplanes pounded rebel-held areas north of the Syrian city of Hama on Friday, as pro-government forces continued to reverse gains made by insurgent groups in the area. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Syrian troops and allied forces captured at least three rebel-run villages in Hama’s northern countryside, following an airstrike campaign on the area. Arabic reads, "Central Military Media, Hama, Syria." (Syrian Central Military Media, via AP)

Al-Qaida’s leader has urged his followers and all militants in Syria to unite ranks and prepare for protracted jihad, or holy war.

Ayman al-Zawahri tells the jihadis to remain steadfast and change tactics to a guerrilla war. His remarks came in an audio message released on Monday by al-Qaida’s media arm As-Sahab.

Al-Zawahri says an “international satanic alliance” will never accept Islam’s rule in Syria. He says the war isn’t an exclusively nationalist Syrian cause but a campaign by the entire Muslim nation that seeks to establish divine rule.

Al-Qaida’s Syria branch – formerly the Nusra Front but now known as the Fatah al-Sham Front – has come under increasing attack from the U.S.-led coalition in recent months and some of its most senior leaders have been killed in airstrikes.

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