By now the operations of the jihadist group Ansar Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Squadron, which has focused on targeting the Turkish army in the Idlib region of northwest Syria, have become better known in media. I maintain an ongoing archive of all of the group's claimed operations.
However, many untrue accusations are thrown against the group, such as the claim that it is some front group for the Syrian government or the Russians. There is also the issue of others misattributing or misappropriating the claimed operations of the Ansar Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Squadron.
It is in light of these problems that the Ansar Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Squadron has issued a clarification statement. The statement affirms the group's independence and explains the rationale for targeting the Turkish army, accusing the insurgent factions that effectively implement the Turkish-Russian understandings over northwest Syria as being the real traitors as they are participating in a conspiracy to end the jihad in Syria. The statement also attacks those who misappropriate and misattribute the group's claimed operations. The statement concludes with a call for Muslims in the field of Syria to fight the 'apostates.'
The statement is translated in full below with the original text.
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Clarification Statement on Some Issues
Praise be to God who makes Islam mighty by His support, and lowers idolatry by His vanquishing, and disposes with affairs as He wills, and increases the blessings by thanks to Him. We bear witness that there is no deity but God alone, true to His promise, and who makes mighty His soldiers, and defeats the parties alone. There is nothing before Him and nothing after Him. And we bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. God sent him with the guidance and the religion of truth, to make it superior over all religion, even if the disbelievers dislike it, and even if the criminals dislike it, and even if the falsifiers dislike it.
As for what follows:
Amid the ongoing controversy about the operations that your brothers in the 'Ansar Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Squadron' have conducted by the grace of God and His blessing, we make clear to the Muslims the following:
1. The 'squadron' issues in its first statement on the operation of 'Sillat al-Zuhur' on date Monday 12 Muharram 1442 AH a clause in which the 'squadron' affirmed its complete independence from all organisations and groups, whether inside or outside al-Sham, and we affirm again our complete independence and our lack of affiliation with any side inside or outside al-Sham.
And we are not content with affiliation with sides that have squandered the fruits of the mujahideen and the Muslims.
2. We refute those who have accused us of collaboration with the Nusayri regime and the Russian army because our aim from fighting that the 'squadron' adopts as a program is to support the religion of God, and fight the apostates who go outside the law of the Lord of the Worlds. So we do not fight for nationalism, patriotism, revolutionism, or organisational partisanship.
And our fighting of these people is only done out of following the command of God (Almighty and Exalted is He): 'And fight them until there is no more fitna and religion belongs wholly to God. So if they desist, indeed God is well-aware of what they do'- al-Anfal 39.
So who is more deserving of this accusation of collaborationism?
The one who has fought the 'Turkish NATO' army that has only entered to implement the decisions of 'Astana and Sochi' that require destroying the jihad of al-Sham?!
Or the collaborationist factions that have inserted them, provided them protection and have been a deterrent force for them and have supported them against the mujahideen who reject these conferences of kufr and their invalid resolutions, and have pawned their decision-making on fighting to the disbelievers and the apostates and have submitted to them?
Those conferences in which the apostates of the 'Turkish NATO' army have conspired with the criminal Russians and Majusi Iran to put out the jihad of al-Sham, and hand over the field to the disbelievers and the apostates.
For the de-escalation agreements have greatly contributed to abandoning and handing over of the Muslims in various areas so that the Russians, Nusayris and heretics of the Rafidites should be free to deal with them. This is what happened in 'Ghouta,' 'Deraa,' 'Darayya,' 'Homs,' 'al-Raqqa,' and 'Mosul' and other areas. Also there has been the thwarting of the operations of the mujahideen like the 'Marwan Hadid battle' that reached the outskirts of 'Hama,' and then there was 'Aleppo' that was handed over to the Russians with Turkish oversight and control in which the collaborationist factions turned away from breaking the siege from the Muslims and headed to the Turkish borders to fight as proxies to implement the 'agenda' of the regional forces. And there have been other things besides them.
So who is more deserving and worthy of the accusation?!
Those who fight these apostates to thwart the conspiracies that have been devised to destroy the jihad of al-Sham?
Or the collaborationist factions that have agreed to the resolutions of these conferences and have striven and contributed to implementing them, in word, deed or both, and have deemed criminal those who reject them?!
'Those who have believed fight in the path of God and those who have disbelieved fight in the path of the Taghut, so fight the allies of Satan. Indeed the plot of Satan has been weak'- (al-Nisa' 76).
Indeed the agreement in word or deed to the resolutions of these conferences is betrayal of God and the Messenger and the disbelievers. We disavow these things in our duty to God.
3. The 'squadron' completely rejects some of the auxiliary media sides of some of the groups stealing some of its operations through releases or statements or the like, or hinting through misleading expressions to readers that the 'squadron' is affiliated with these sides in one form or another.
This is particularly so as these groups have not merely been content with their abandoning the command of God in fighting the apostates from the 'Turkish NATO' army, but also they have forsaken fighting the apostates, and they have made accusations against the brothers who have followed the command of God in fighting these apostates, claiming 'lack of wisdom, departing from the consultation of the theorists of the jihadist movement, and the commands and directives of the leaders of the jihad.'
And we affirm to the general Muslim masses our complete independence, and our lack of affiliation with any side, or media foundation or other such things, and the lack of affiliation of any side with us except what is issued officially from the 'squadron.'
The Almighty and Exalted has said: 'And do not reckon highly of those who rejoice in what they have done and love that they should be praised for what they have not done, so do not reckon them free of the torment and for them is a painful torment'- (Al Imran 188).
And the Messenger of God (SAWS) said: 'Whoso has made a false claim to bolster himself by it, God will only make him diminished.'[i] And on the authority of Asma' (may God be pleased with her) that the Prophet (SAWS) said: 'The one puffed up with what he has not been given, is like the one wearing the two garments of falsehood.'[ii]
So we seek refuge in God that we should attribute to ourselves deeds that the units of the 'squadron' did not implement, just as we are not content that our deeds should be stolen by any side, whether in misleading allusion or statement.
4. We urge our Muslim brothers in the field of al-Sham to obey the command of God and fight these apostates, and not to pay attention to the incitement of forsaking of duty by those who incite it, and the discouragement of those who cause discouragement, and we urge them not to care for the accusations that the ignorant throw.
'And had they gone out among you, they would only have caused more frustration among you and they would have hurried about among you seeking to cause fitna for you and among you are those who listen to them. And God is aware of the wrongdoers'- (al-Tawba 47).
And we warn the Muslims of the outcome of refraining from the command of God and turning away from it.
'If you do not go forth, He will torment you with a painful torment and He will put in place another people besides you, and you cannot harm Him at all. And God is capable over everything'- (al-Tawba 39).
And in conclusion:
We praise God (Almighty and Exalted is He) for His grace and blessings by which He has ennobled your brothers in the 'Ansar Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Squadron,' and we do not attribute that grace and granting of success to anyone except God alone with no partner for Him. And we ask God to accept it from us and remove our shortcoming from us and forgive us. Indeed He is the trustee of that and capable of that.
'Oh God were it not for you, we would not have been guided.
And we would not have given alms and we would not have prayed.
So bring upon us tranquillity, and plant firm the feet if we have an encounter with the enemy.
Indeed those who have transgressed against us: if they want fitna for us, we refuse.'[iii]
And praise be to God the Lord of the Worlds.
Ansar Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Squadron.
Published on Saturday 14 Sha'aban 1442 AH.
[i] Brought out by Muslim (1/73) with number (110) from the hadith of Thabit bin al-Dahhak (may God be pleased with him).
[ii] Agreed upon. Brought out by al-Bukhari (7/35) with number (5219) and Muslim (6/169) with number (2130).
[iii] Agreed upon. Brought out by al-Bukhari (5/110) with number (4106) (and the expression is his), and Muslim (5/187) with number (1803), from the hadith of al-Bara' bin Azib (may God be pleased with him).