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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| 'The sopranos of Gaza city' turn to Jihad |
| 2007-06-01 |
| The Army of Islam is a shadowy but powerful group that is wielding increasing control in Gaza. It is headed by a powerful Gaza clan, the Dagmoush, who are thought to have kidnapped BBC journalist Alan Johnston for use as a bargaining chip. Known as Jaish-e-al-Islam, it is thought to be influenced by, but not affiliated with, al Qaida and seeks liberation of Palestine and an Islamic state. The clan is a led by a Gaza-based Palestinian family affiliated with local terrorist organisations and ideologically aligned, at least, with global jihad groups. Some members of the clan lead the "Saladin resistance department" of the Popular Resistance Committees, a coalition of terrorist organisations operating in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The clan is thought to have several thousand members and has been described as "the Sopranos of Gaza City". Up to now the clan's activities have been described by Palestinian officials as largely criminal, involving extortion, smuggling, arms dealing and the ruthless dispatch of rivals. It remains unclear whether the group already has al Qaida links, or whether it is merely trying to attract the international jihadist groups' support. The Dagmoush used to support Yassir Arafat's Fatah movement but switched their allegiance to Hamas, with whom they claimed responsibility jointly for the kidnapping last June of the Israeli soldier Gilat Shalit. It has kidnapped journalists and Western aid workers before for that purpose, but has never held them long. The Israeli government is among those who believe that the Dagmoush clan has embraced a more radical al Qaeda style ideology. Professor Paul Wilkinson, from the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at St Andrews University, also said the group seemed to be "jihadist", and was clearly not a mainstream Palestinian movement. "We don't know of their precise connections. But I think what we may be seeing is a group that is moving from support and sympathy for jihadic operations to active operations." He understood the group's demands had included the release of prisoners in the UK, which could explain the release of today's video. He said: "This again demonstrates that they are connected to broader jihadism. We desperately need to know more about this group. But you have to realise that they are very skilled at keeping a low profile in their area. Their constant attention to secrecy surrounding their movements and communication makes it very difficult for governments to learn about them." He urged caution about assumptions that their main aim was to secure the release of prisoners here, saying they could be trying to send a broader message to the Muslim world about their involvement in jihad. "They seem to be part of the wider jihad phenomenon. We just don't know enough about them to know what their full agenda is." |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #3 Shock chlorinate the entire Dagmoush gene pool. Problem solved. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-06-01 23:10 |
| #2 The only funding source large enough would be skimming the $1.2 billion jizya paid by western governments last year. In effect we are funding a war against ourselves. I say a good place to start would be to pick up a Gaza phone book and put a 2000 pounder into each Dagmoush address. |
| Posted by: ed 2007-06-01 15:15 |
| #1 Unlike the Professor, I can tell you terrorism is a business like any other. If "the Sopranos of Gaza City" are into it, then there is money to be made, which begs the question, where is it coming from? |
| Posted by: phil_b 2007-06-01 13:12 |