http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/hollande-convenes-emergency-meeting-police-killed-39836570 The timing may not have been coincidental: The killings came after IS urged supporters to act in Europe or America during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which is currently under way.
Abballa made the declaration of allegiance to Islamic State in response to IS calls to "kill non-believers where they live," and with their families, Molins said.
Salvaing, 42, was a police commander in the Paris suburb of Les Mureaux; his partner has not been identified. Authorities have not said whether there was any link between Abballa and the victims.
It's not coincidental, this was ISIS's strategy change after they got hammered by the Kurd/Syrian/Russian/Turkish onslaught. If they cannot hold ground then they shall be as a liquid
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who has been deemed by his fighters to be the first Caliph since the Ottoman empire, aims to extend an ‘Islamic State’ into Europe.
Rush O Muslims to your state. It is your state. Syria is not for Syrians and Iraq is not for Iraqis. The land is for the Muslims, all Muslims. … This is my advice to you. If you hold to it you will conquer Rome and own the world, if Allah wills,”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jul/2/islamic-state-vows-conquest-rome-soldiers-islamic-/#ixzz36Q5ZI5FF
ISIS's strategy to stop focusing on Syria and Iraq and have their foreign fighters try to start global jihad on their homefronts is one of necessity; they are losing ground in Syria and Iraq and cannot hold ground there even in spite of foreign fighters. ISIS does not care about portraying themselves as victims on their magazine covers (or twitter posts in this case), they want to appear as victors - only with victory can they prove their legitimacy. Losing ground and getting reamed by aerial bombardment does not reek of victory and is not a very appealing recruitment message, one need only look on youtube to see very sad jihadists weeping as their foritified positions are vaporized by several thousand pounds of explosives to see how worried they are about demoralization. So attack everywhere across the world - cheap, governments are much less capable of air striking an enemy they must first find amongst their own subjects or citizens, and it draws attention away from the fact that the global state they're trying to build grows smaller and more broken every day.
This pattern is reflected across the world where ISIS affiliates like Boko Haram or Al-Shabab have changed strategy from holding ground to just inflicting as much damage as possible on soft targets. Think of how an invasion of Rome or Paris would be fatally impossible for ISIS, but an attack much simpler with pretty much the same morale boost to their fighters and their global image in the Sunni world. ISIS is weak, grows weaker - so it must appear strong. It's pretty much devolving back to its insurgency phase.
I was watching some Canadian news people laughing at American press releases from the Obama administration saying that ISIS was losing, when they were conducting more attacks on the West. They are indeed, but are also losing, as attacks do not a conquest make. That's just some penny thoughts though
Some thoughts on this attack in particular:
The main question for anti-terrorism investigators now is whether Abballa had accomplices or was part of a larger network. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said late Tuesday on France 2 TV that it appeared at this early stage "most probable" that Abballa acted alone, though that must be confirmed by the investigation.
Earlier in the day, three people —ages 27, 29 and 44 — were detained in the investigation, Molins said. Two had been convicted with Abballa in 2013 for involvement in a network recruiting for jihad in Pakistan, a French official said.
One does wonder what most of the cells in Europe are up to, it is rather unusual to have terrorist groups willing to be political and militiant. More dangerous imo when they get more sophisticated
Abballa was from the western Paris suburb of Mantes-la-Jolie, and lived in a well-kept, working class neighborhood where shaken residents described puzzlement at the attack. Another neighbor, Henriette Yenge, said she would say hello to Abballa when he went to the mosque around the corner.
"He was a neighborhood kid," she told The Associated Press. "I was surprised it was him. It's sad to see things like that."
Interesting that it comes up again and again, how they seemed like normal and friendly people. The most puzzling thing is I don't think any of them are lying, so one does wonder why normal seeming people take up the sword to kill their fellow man, even taking into account religious doctrine. There's plenty more religious people not killing everyone on the streets for example
Hours before the killing, Abballa went to his neighborhood mosque and prayed so long that mosque employees had to make him leave. Rector Mohamed Droussi said Abballa was reading the Quran for hours and was the last to leave. "I took the key and I said, 'we are closing,'" Droussi said.
Then again it is a bit absurd when people say religion has nothing to do with these attacks. Hmph, something worth discussing I reckon?
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Topic: Jihadi stabs Police Officer in France (Read 7041 times)