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Jihadist 'report' questions Damascus bombing

Al-Yaqeen Logo.gifThe jihadist al-Yaqeen media center recently distributed a report on internet forums questioning Syria's claim that last weeks bombing in Damascus was carried out by extremists, suggesting it may have been a 'staged incident’. In it's conclusion, it describes the Syrian regime has one that has long fabricated terrorist events in order to suppress Islamist groups.

The report, which was also covered by a Arabic language news network, argues that there are some questions that can be discerned from the events that followed and preceded the incident. They are:

Why did the state-run media not report the 'terrorist attack’ incident until 2 hours after the explosion? Why was the car that the alleged suicide bomber drove removed from the scene?  How were investigators able to determine the size of the explosive so quickly?

The report presents contradictory eyewitness accounts, with some claiming that a traffic collision sparked the explosion, putting into question the bombing was in fact detonated by an individual. It  also alleges that only state-run television was able to film the scene.

In addition to the report, one comment posted on a forum asserts that the scene was effectively sealed off at a distance of 400 meters around from journalists, and that the pictures that have appeared in news reports have been those permited by the Syrian government. It's perhaps worth noting that no group has yet to take responsibility for the attack, while many have cited the Syrian regime's air-tight control over internal security matters.

Given the high loss of civilian casualties, this could also be seen as an effort by the jihadist online community to distance itself from an unpopular event that has subsequently bestowed sympathy from the international community upon the al-Assad regime.

One might also question what exactly is al-Yaqeen's affiliation. Aside from being associated with Jihad Press, to my knowledge it has yet to disclose any direct ties to one organization or theater of operations. From what I’ve seen it has released media reporting on developments in Iraq, Gaza, and now Syria, from an investigative perspective. These aspects of jihadist media outlets have perhaps facilitated the perception of Al-Qaeda as constituting a global movement, one in which affiliations and localities overlap.

 

Author

Pete Ajemian

Pete Ajemian is a New York-based analyst who has written on topics of political violence, terrorism, and Arab media politics. He has conducted research for US law enforcement and recently completed graduate studies at the University of St. Andrews where his dissertation research examined issues dealing with new media, politics and security in the Arab world. His interest in Arab political media developed over the course of his Arabic language studies in Lebanon and the US. He has also written previously on the subject for issues of Arab Media & Society.

Areas of Focus:
New Media; Politics; Security;

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