Thread: In the editorial of its weekly paper #AlNaba, #ISIS welcomes the death of #Soleimani in a US drone strike, but is careful not to openly credit the US for his demise but portrays it as an act of God to support IS and Muslims more broadly. 
Editorial doesn’t even mention US, but gloats Soleimani (whom it also doesn’t name) was killed at the hands of his “allies”.
It draws on historical examples from the early days of Islam when, IS said, Muslims’ enemies fought and broke each other, allowing Muslims freedom to organise their ranks and activities and eventually capture territory and expand. Gives example of “Roman-Persian wars”.
It welcomes IS enemies being busy fighting each other, saying it distracts them away from “Muslims” and drains their energy which, it adds, benefits jihadists.
The killing of Soleimani “has created changes in the path of the Crusader campaign against the Islamic State and its soldiers, which we believe is part of God’s support for His patient mujahidin”.
It says, thanking God, US and Iran are today busy targeting each other “indifferent to the impact it has on their mutual fight against the Islamic State”.
Elsewhere in al-Naba, IS factually reports on US suspension of its operations against IS in Iraq, and notes “European” concern about the impact it may have on empowering IS
This is the typical position of jihadists in such situations: they gloat and pray that God weakens their enemies’ at the hands of one another, for the benefit of jihadists
