When HTS and Syrian Rebel groups conquered the city of Homs, it was a lightning offensive that shocked much of the world. It also particularly shocked and upset the Daesh remnants that are left in Syria, likely disappointed that even at the height of their “Caliphate” they had been able to topple the Assad regime. This follows a theme of the group trying to stay relevant in the Jihadist scene, following the ideological setbacks of defeat in Syria in 2019, the success of the Taliban and the events in Gaza. They are now confronted with a resurgent Al-Qaeda backed group successfully toppling another regime to become the head of state.
As a result Daesh representatives in Syria sought to fake wider support for their own group amongst rebel forces. The Daesh representative of the Media Office of the Levant, Abu Muhammad al-Husseini runs a telegram channel called Al-Raed. Here he published videos of the liberation of Homs that were modified by adding voices chanting for the organization in order to give the viewer the illusion that the supporters of the “state” are present on the front lines and that their caliphate is “remaining”. No doubt they are particularly bitter that Jolani, (once one of the most senior lieutenants of Daesh and now seen as a traitor), may now be viewed as one of the most successful jihadists of all time.
This evidence comes from a group calling themselves قناة فضح عباد البغدادي والهاشمي (Channel to expose the worshippers of Al-Baghdadi and Al-Hashemi) or EXISIS. The group seems to be made up of Daesh defectors who now align themselves broadly with AQ. They have become a thorn in the side of Daesh leadership over the past few years and continue to release internal information from Daesh’s own leadership.
