Ayman al-
Zawahiri... Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as
the real brains of the outfit.Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area. That is not a horn growing from the middle of his forehead, but a prayer bump, attesting to how devout he is...
, in a message to Al-Nusra chief Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, ordered that "all soldiers of the front immediately cease fighting" other jihadist groups.
Instead, he urged him to "devote himself to combat the enemies of Islam, specifically Baathists, Shiites and their allies."
The Baath is the party of Syrian
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
Despoiler of Deraa...
. Al-Qaeda is a hardline Sunni organization that considers Shiite Moslems, including the many volunteers from neighbouring Iraq and Leb fighting alongside Assad's forces, to be heretics.
Powerful rebel groups in Syria, including Al-Nusra, have been locked in fierce fighting with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original...
since January that has killed thousands of fighters.
ISIL was initially welcomed by other rebels, who have been fighting to topple Assad since 2011, but allegations of brutal abuses against civilians as well as rival opposition fighters sparked a backlash.
Zawahiri was among the critics, and ordered ISIL chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to restrict the group's activities to its home base in Iraq.
In his latest message, he renewed that instruction, urging him to "devote himself to maimed Iraq, which needs you to redouble your efforts" there.