Jabhat al-Nusrah: Infighting & Evolving Strategy

Sam Heller comes on the show to talk about infighting in Jabhat al-Nusrah, JaN’s evolving strategy in Syria, and their relationship with Ahrar al-Sham and other jihadi groups in Syria.

Sam’s recent posts on Jihadology.net:

• Recriminations on Social Media Shed Light on Jabhat al-Nusrah’s Inner Workings | JIHADOLOGY
• Muhammad al-Amin on Ahrar al-Sham’s Evolving Relationship with Jabhat al-Nusrah and Global Jihadism | JIHADOLOGY

Links:

• Sam Heller (@AbuJamajem) on Twitter
• Karl Morand (@KarlMorand) on Twitter
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Continuing Problems for the Iraqi Security Forces

Nate Rabkin comes back on the show to talk about the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF). We discussed the problems that were exposed by the ISIS advance this summer, efforts over the past few months to rebuild the ISF, the importance of Shiite militias in Iraq, the lack of cooperation between the ISF and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, what US airstrikes and military advisors mean for the ISF, current problems within the ISF, and more.

Nate is the managing editor of Inside Iraqi Politics, an excellent newsletter with in-depth information and analysis on Iraq.

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