Intel Brief: New Ethics, Same Jihad

The external pageCorrective Studiescall_made, a new ethical code for jihad released in September by the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), is unlikely to have much of an impact on the current level of violence and the tactics al-Qaida and the Taliban use in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

While attacking their central position on jihad, the document is more likely to have a strategic rather than tactical affect on current war efforts and Islamic extremism.

Ostensibly based on the religious conviction of war hardened terrorists, the 417-page document says that jihad should be governed by a moral code, which forbids targeting women, children, the elderly as well as certain professions including priests, messengers and traders. It also prohibits maltreatment of prisoners of war and body mutilation – ethics the authors say  would distinguish Muslim jihad from external pageother warscall_made.

Question of legitimacy

However, at the forefront, the new code of ethics  faces questions of legitimacy,  as it was created over a two-year period of intense negotiations between the imprisoned leaders of the LIFG and the country’s security authorities, led by external pageSaif al Islam al Gadhaficall_made, the son of General Muammar Ghaddafi.

The involvement of Libyan security staff in its creation could suggests that the publication is in part an attempt by the government to limit the number of radicalized youth in the country as well as to prevent a new wave of resistance from foreign fighters returning from Iraq.

Limited outreach

The limited role of foreign fighters in the southern border region of Afghanistan and the dissemination method of the new code will also lessen its impact.

Despite the new code’s revolutionary challenge to an al-Qaida-led jihad, which primarily targets civilians, the real impact is more likely to be felt in academics and political debate rather than on the battlefield. Circulated largely via the internet and external pagelocal distributions in Libya and the UKcall_made,  the document is unlikely to affect the tactics and level of violence used in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

As the document fails to physically reach the battlefields of Central Asia, its audience will remain limited to foreign fighters and those who peruse electronic jihadist material.

Although Afghanistan is known to have foreign fighters on its territory, external pagerecent reports from the US militarycall_made indicate their presence is limited. Foreign fighters accounted for at present are external pageprimarily Uzbek and Arabcall_made, recruited by veteran external pagemujahideen from their respective countriescall_made and highly dedicated to the use of force. They are not likely to be persuaded by the new code.

While the Corrective Studies may at first appear to be  a major development as the external pageSinjar Recordscall_made identified the Libyans as the primary foreign fighters in Iraq in 2007, behind Saudis, they are no longer a significant force in Afghanistan or Pakistan As such, the new ethical code is unlikely to be a determining factor to the conflict in that region.

Failed precedents

The inadequate success of previously released books written by former Islamic extremists and insurgents also suggests a similar outcome. The Corrective Studies is one of numerous attempts in the last few years to preach nonviolent or ethical jihad that goes against the tactics used by the Taliban and al-Qaida.

In 2007, Sayyid Imam al Shariff, former leader of al Zawahiri’s jihad in Egypt, wrote external pageRationalizing Jihad in Egypt and the Worldcall_made, in which he argued that al-Qaida’s version of jihad was not compliant with Sharia law.

In 2009, in an attempt to reverse its domestic standing, the Taliban developed the external pageTaliban 2009 Rules and Regulations Bookletcall_made. The book called for all Taliban fighters to protect civilian populations and to avoid killing local people. Within this set of rules, Taliban fighters are forbidden to forcefully collect taxes, kidnap for ransom, collect footage of executions and unlawfully conduct house searches. However, according to several NATO and International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) officials, the Taliban have not honored these new rules.

Civilian targeting, unabated

And so far, the latest jihad code of ethics has not had any significant influence on the conflicts in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The violence and the type of casualties indicate that civilians will likely remain the main target of terrorist and insurgent attacks.

This year, deadly tactics used by al-Qaida and the Taliban have increased. external pageFacing a decrease in civilian popularitycall_made and intensified NATO-led operations in the border region, al-Qaida and the Taliban have had to adopt more violent measures  in order to counter the offensives.

In Afghanistan, the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by the Taliban is responsible for the same number of external pagecivilian and ISAF casualtiescall_made. In 2009, during a six-month period, both groups were responsible for over 90 suicide bombings, claiming the lives of over 200 civilians and external pagetargeting 40 schoolscall_made.

The day after President Hamid Karzai’s second inaugural address in November, a suicide bomber in Farah killed 16 civilians, including two children, while a roadside bomb in Khost, in southern Afghanistan, wounded three traders and an a suicide bomb claimed the lives of seven civilians and external pagethree children in Zabul provincecall_made.

Also this year, Pakistan experienced a similar increase in violent tactics by insurgents and terrorists in the Federal Administrative Tribal Areas (FATA) and North-West Frontier Province (NWFP). In North and South Waziristan, the increased use of armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by the US has led to heightened levels of retaliation by the Taliban and other extremist groups.

One form of retaliation has been the targeting of prominent pro-government tribal elders which have been executed in external pagealarming numberscall_made. In October, suicide bombers were responsible for over 100 civilian deaths, including external pagefive UN aid officerscall_made.

So far, this month alone, the Taliban have been responsible for attacking schools and mosques. On 4 December, four insurgents attacked a mosque in Rawalpindi frequented by military officials. The attack resulted in the death of 36 people including nine military officials and external page17 childrencall_made.