Report: Islamic State Is Destroying Al Qaeda

Militant Islamic State fighters in a military parade in Syria’s northern Raqqa province. Photograph: Reuters

The Guardian: Al-Qaida 'cut off and ripped apart by Isis'

Exclusive: Insiders say group has been drained of Middle East recruits and that US wrongfooted by shift in balance of power between warring jihadi groups

Two of al-Qaida’s most important spiritual leaders have told the Guardian that the terror group is no longer a functioning organisation after being ripped apart by Isis. In a wide-ranging interview, Abu Qatada, a Jordanian preacher who was based in London before being deported in 2013, and Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, regarded as the most influential jihadi scholar alive, say the al-Qaida leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is cut off from his commanders and keeping the group afloat through little more than appeals to loyalty.

Senior insiders in Jordan add that al-Qaida around the Middle East has been drained of recruits and money after losing territory and prestige to its former subordinate division. The ongoing war between al-Qaida and Isis has left the US struggling to catch up with the tectonic shifts within the global jihadi movement, intelligence insiders told the Guardian.

WNU Editor: In the past year the Islamic State has clearly eclipsed Al Qaeda. While Al Qaeda's leadership .... or what is left of it .... is holed up in the mountains and tribal regions of Pakistan (and in a few places in Yemen) .... the Islamic State controls a territory that would rival a small country. The Islamic State also has the infrastructure and resources to run this territory .... coupled this with the perception that they are winning .... they have become an attractive draw to many of the world's Islamic radicals. Al Qaeda .... the perception of where the organization is going is the complete opposite.

More News On Reports That The Islamic State Is Draining Al Qaeda Of Recruits And Finances

How Isis crippled al-Qaida -- Shiv Malik, Ali Younes, Spencer Ackerman and Mustafa Khalili, The Guardian
Al Qaeda leaders say group near collapse amid rise of ISIS, report claims -- FOX News
Isis in the Levant: Islamic State is draining al-Qaeda of recruits and resources claim insiders -- IBTimes
Al-Qaeda fear of Islamic State after hate preacher Qatada reveals group ripped apart -- Express
Isolated al-Qaeda chief losing recruits, funds to Islamic State -- DNA
Al Qaeda Has Been 'Ripped Apart' By ISIS, Say Prominent Jihadi Clerics: Report -- IBTimes
ISIL Brings Al-Qaeda to Brink of Collapse – Jihadi Clerics -- Sputnik
Jihad 'mafia': ISIS draining Al-Qaeda recruits, top clerics complain -- RT
It's not looking good for the world's most distinguished terrorist group -- Global Post
Is this the end of al-Qaeda? Bin Laden's network is being destroyed by Isis, loyalists admit -- The Independent