Just a week after the ISIS attacks in Paris, an affiliate of al-Qaeda opened fire on tourists
in a Mali hotel. Although both groups seem to have the same broad goal of destabilizing
and terrorizing Western supported nations, they are actually bitter rivals. In 2015,
al-Qaeda’s leader said that ISIS they did not represent all Muslims, and were illegitimate,
which some referred to as a declaration of war. The latest attack on Mali is considered
a continuation of this back and forth battle. So we wanted to know, why do ISIS and al-Qaeda
hate each other?
Well, ISIS was actually born directly out of al-Qaeda. The terrorist group’s original
goal was to popularize and expand the idea of global jihad, instead of having numerous,
weaker groups. But after 9/11, al-Qaeda was forced to hide, and its leader Osama bin Laden
was killed. Meanwhile, an al-Qaeda affiliate in Iraq, called AQI, saw greater and greater
success by using outright brutality to shock and attract potential recruits. When the Syrian
Civil War broke out, the Iraqi affiliate made moves into Syria. This angered al-Qaeda leaders,
who wanted a different affiliate, the al-Nusra Front, to head the conflict. By February 2014,
infighting led to al-Qaeda denouncing their relationship with the AQI, which was now known
as the Islamic State of Iraq and ISIS.
Since then, the two groups have terrorized and killed huge numbers of people. And although
it may seem like their goals differ based on which one wants more power in the global
jihad, they are actually seeking very different outcomes.
Al-Qaeda is predominantly focused on taking down the United States, which they see as
the main backer of anti-Islamic or falsely-Islamic groups in the Middle East. Their broad goal
is to force the US and its Western allies out of the region, to allow their envisioned
Islamic government to operate freely.
ISIS, on the other hand, is considerably less focused on attacking the United States. Their
goals are primarily domestic. They involve taking over Iraq and Syria in order to establish
the basis for their global caliphate. However, recent threats, and the attacks in Paris,
suggest that their terrorism targets are expanding. Effectively, al-Qaeda wants to destabilize
the West, while ISIS wants to stabilize their portion of the East.
Their tactics differ radically as well. Although both commit acts of terrorism, ISIS uses terrorism
as a weapon of war, which they are actively engaged in as they move through Iraq and Syria.
However, al-Qaeda uses terrorism as more of a propaganda tool, bombing foreign countries
to incite allied Muslims, and frighten western forces. Additionally, while al-Qaeda sees
non-Sunni Muslims as not true believers, they are not focused on killing them. However,
ISIS has intentionally targeted non-Sunnis, and other religious minorities, in an effort
to “purify” the Muslim community. The rivalry has even reportedly led to recent
suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against ISIS.
In short, ISIS and al-Qaeda are not only attempting to be the default leaders of the Muslim world,
but their approaches are distinctly opposite, and incompatible. So which is the greater
threat? Well, ISIS has seen considerably more success in their goals. They’ve been able
to control their territory, institute a government, bolster an organized army, and they pose a
huge threat to neighboring Middle Eastern countries. Still, some security analysts say
that this rivalry makes both groups weaker, and ultimately easier to defeat.
Another terrorist group rivaling ISIS in the Middle East may be more powerful than you
think. To find out whether ISIS or the Taliban are a greater global threat, check out this
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