The Salafi Jihadi Threat to the US from

Transcript:The Salafi Jihadi Threat to the US from:
The Salafi Jihadi Threat to the US from Afghanistan Karl Kaltenthaler University of Akron/Case Western Reserve University Prepared for SMA Reachback Cell Key Judgements Al Qaeda Core (AQC), Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), and ISIS-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) are growing threats to U.S. security interests . AQC is the greatest potential threat to the U.S. homeland emanating from Afghanistan. As the control of the Afghan government (GoIRA) over territory diminishes, the threat from these groups to U.S. security interests increases. A Taliban military victory would pose a very significant step in re-building the capacity of AQC, in particular. This would pose a very substantial threat to U.S. security. Salafi Jihadi Groups in Afghanistan Afghanistan has become a base of operations to several Salafi Jihadi groups outside of the home-grown Taliban. Al Qaeda Core (AQC) Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) ISIS Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) Pakistani Taliban (TTP) What Salafi Jihadis Share in Common All of the Salafi Jihadis in Afghanistan share the goal of creating a global Caliphate under a very austere, and punitive interpretation of sharia. Salafi: Create an Islamic state based on the model of the Prophet Mohammed and the first four caliphs (as they interpret it). Jihadi: Violent struggle will be central to creating such an Islamic state. There is much divergence over the strategy and tactics to get to the Caliphate and what the short-term goals should be. Al Qaeda Core The leadership core of the global Al Qaeda movement. A network around AQ emir Ayman al-Zawahiri. Estimated to have several hundred to a few thousand members in Afghanistan. In an intentional “re-building phase ”to regain capacity to attack the U.S.. Trying re-build the Al Qaeda brand as a more palatable form of Salafi Jihadi movement. Attempting shed image of brutality and extremism. Al Qaeda Core Focus is primarily on the “Far Enemy”, the U.S., and not the “Near Enemy,” i.e., attacking Muslim states to create Islamic states. Al Qaeda leadership has recently emphasized the “glocal” character of the movement. The Caliphate can be created after Muslims rally to the Al Qaeda cause and the U.S. withdraws from the Islamic world. Afghanistan is viewed as center of the eventual Caliphate. The Caliphate depends on Taliban victory. The Caliphate is viewed as a long-term goal. AQIS AQIS was created in 2014 by al-Zawahiri. It is a