Thread: The first partisan to arrive in Chechnya in 1995 was Emir Khattab, or Samir Saleh Abdullah al-Suwailim, a Saudi-Jordanian foreign fighter. He came from a religious and well-to-do family, and was captivated by the Mujahideen and traveled to Afghanistan in 1988. 2. Though capable, he got caught up in the infighting between the various Arab factions in Jalalabad. Seemingly dissatisfied with his jihad in Afghanistan, he started an insurgency in Tajikistan to try to remove the Soviet-backed communist government.

For the archives: Emir Ibn al-Khattab, Samir Salih Abdullah al-Suwailim, explaining why he made an incursion into Russian territory which sparked the 2nd Chechnya. war crushing any hope of an independent state. Irrespective of this miscalculation he is seen as an iconic figure 2. Ibn al-Khattab, Samir Salih Abdullah al-Suwailim, was a Saudi fighter of Arab Circassian descent. According to his brother he went to Afghanistan in 1987 at the age of 17. Here is an extract from To The Mountains: My Life in Jihad from Algeria to Afghanistan @HurstPublishers

1. 6 years ago I spent time with an AQ affiliated battalion in Idlib province Syria. Many of them were Muhajirs or foreign fighters. Whilst not relevant then, the 2 on the right claimed to be linked to Afghanistan, this is immensely relevant now given the Taliban take over. 2. 'Yusuf'- that is what he called himself- claimed to have fought against US forces - he says he fought with the Taliban and had come to Syria to fight Jihad. He struck me to be a Ronin-Jihadi (masterless and wandering and grizzled).

One for the archives: few people understand how important the Anti-Soviet Jihad was to the Muslim world. Here is Cat Stevens or Yusuf Islam talking about his aid work in Afghanistan to al-Jihad magazine. As you can see there were no repercussions from the state. 2. Cat Stevens converted to Islam gradually after nearly drowning, hearing the adhān (the call to prayer) in the city of saints Marrakech and his brother who converted to Judaism, gave him the Quran returning from a visit in Jerusalem.

1. This thread is probably for the post-9/11 generation. On September 11, 2001, the world changed. Four passenger planes were hijacked by al-Qaeda. Two crashed into the world trade centre in New York city indelibly imprinting itself into the consciousness of the world. 2. 3rd crashed into the Pentagon in D.C. 4th crashed in Pennsylvania when the passengers thwarted the hijackers. There were just under 3000 casualties and 6000 injuries. The casualties belonged to 80 nations. Read Esquire story about the Falling Man - bit.ly/3nnI8BC

Thread: Today is the anniversary of Ahmad Shah Massoud. He was killed by two AQ suicide bombers. In a famous obituary in the WSJ he was celebrated as the man who won the Cold War. He was a darling of the West and considered a national hero but his legacy is contested. 2. He famously warned about the 9/11 attacks- here is Ahmad Wali talking about his brother's assassination and warnings:

1. Remarkable statement by Anas Haqqani the 2nd in command of the Haqqani network. He celebrates the Taliban victory and says that there will be forgiveness and no revenge and the formation of government that solves the problems of Afghans. 2. The Haqqanis are a militant family- their father was a famous Mujahideen leader respected by the likes of Abdullah Azzam who considered him a symbol of jihad. He was a scholar fluent in Arabic, Persian and Pashto and a military commander. He also became close to Bin Laden

Former British citizen Tauqir Sharif has been arrested by Jolani’s HTS. The timing is interesting HTS has been arresting people over the past few days. There seems to be no apparent reason as to why he has been arrested though rumours abound on SM.

https://twitter.com/simonbhooper/status/1275227113931538432

2. I am speculating: Is this a new trend of of HTS trying to become a ‘respectable’ actor, as an outlier of Turkish power like Northern Cyprus? Is it cleaning house, removing and arresting those muhajireen it deems to politically undesirable so Jolani can get into a suit?

Found these rare photos of the Soviet fighters in the Panshir valley in 1982. Read To The Mountains: My Life in Jihad from Algeria to Afghanistan by @Abdullahanas58, me and @HurstPublishers 1. Just like all young men pose with their weapons in Afghanistan or Syria and then the bravado disappears - these boys wearing the spetznas vests

Exclusive: London Bridge killer penned letter in jail asking for deradicalisation course to be a 'good British citizen' - ITV News itv.com/news/2019-11-3… 1. letter obtained by ITV News, Khan said: “I would like to do such a course so I can prove to the authorities, my family and soicity (sic) in general that I don’t carry the views I had before my arrest...