Group Profile:
Jund al-Sham
Mothertongue Name
ÌäÏ ÇáÔÇã
Aliases: Army of the Levant, Soldiers of Greater Syria
Base of Operation: Afghanistan; Lebanon; Syria; West Bank/Gaza
Founding Philosophy: Jund al-Sham (Army of the Levant; Soldiers of Greater Syria) is a title claimed by several Sunni Islamic extremist entities, all or none of which may be tied together. Despite variations in their origin and focused area of operations, these elements were founded upon the common goal of establishing an Islamic caliphate in the greater Syrian region.
The first incarnation of Jund al-Sham occurred in Afghanistan in 1999 when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi led exiled militants and recruits from Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine in planning and training for operations to be conducted in the Levant.(SNIP)
The final appearance of the Jund al-Sham moniker surfaced in statements claiming responsibility for several terrorist incidents, the most notable of which was the March 2005 bombing of a theater in Doha, Qatar near a British school and popular among Westerners.
*******Statements were also issued touting Jund al-Sham's involvement in several bombings in Lebanon and a blast at a Texas oil refinery that same month. More claims followed, citing a blast outside the British consulate in New York two months later******...(SNIP)
http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=4503
Thank you Velveeta.
Remember that successor of Zarqawi as head of al Qaeda in Iraq is al-Masri (al-Muhajir) who issued the 15 day deadline starting 9/7 and ending 9/22.
The attacks carried out by Jund al-Sham in Syria are likely connected to al-Masri's deadline. and remembering that the Canadian cell recently arrested was also connected to al Qaeda in Iraq, it is highly plausible that the global network continues to work itself deep into the United States.
Bin Laden's order to Zarqawi to prepare operations in the United States back in early 2005 is also likely connected to the attacks inside the United States that have been repeatedly threatened by UBL and Zawahiri over the past eight months.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=610353&page=1
The New Head of Jihad Inc.?
Intelligence Officials Say Jordanian Terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi May Be Emerging as Osama Bin Laden Successor
By ALEXIS DEBAT (snipped)
March 28, 2005 — - However big a shock a recent suicide bombing in Doha was to the Qataris, it was far from unexpected in Western capitals, where intelligence agencies had discreetly put out a travel warning through their respective embassies.
The emirate, a key ally in the Bush administration's war on terror, has been high on the terrorist target list ever since it became home to the U.S. Central Command's operational headquarters in early 2003. Just five days before the March 19 blast, which killed a British teacher and wounded 12 others, the State Department issued a general warning to all Americans travelling in the Gulf that "extremists may be planning to carry out attacks against Westerners and oil workers" in the region. What did surprise intelligence officials was the name of the group which claimed responsibility for the bombing: Jund al-Sham ("Soldiers of the Levant").
Although the group said that this was its first statement, Jund al-Sham is the same name as a group started by the Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Intelligence officials believe it may be a sign that Zarqawi is beginning to attack targets outside Iraq, and may, in fact, be emerging as a replacement to Osama bin Laden as the operational leader of the global jihad. Analysts are concerned that Zarqawi may now begin to redeploy his cadre of militants who, having gained important combat experience in Iraq, are capable of carrying out deadly missions elsewhere. . .