MESOP : Islamic State releases photos of camp in Aleppo

The Islamic State’s Aleppo Division released three photographs of “the graduation of a new batch of Mujahideen” from a training camp in the eastern Syrian province.

The photographs were released on July 24 on the Aleppo Division’s Twitter feed. The exact location of the camp has not been disclosed. The photographs show scores of armed fighters sitting and standing in what appears to be a hangar.

Jihadist groups in both Iraq and Syria have promoted the existence of at least five training camps this year. The Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, al Qaeda’s branch in Syria and a rival of the Islamic State; Jaish al Muhajireen wal Ansar (Army of Emigrants and Supporters, or Muhajireen Army), a group of foreign fighters led by commanders from the Caucasus; an Uzbek jihadist group known as the Imam Bukhari Jamaat; and the Islamic State have all promoted propaganda that showcase their training facilities and graduates. [See LWJ report, Islamic State touts training camp in northern Iraq.]

Most recently, the Islamic State promoted images from its “camps” in Mosul, Iraq, which has been under the jihadist group’s control since June 10. [See LWJ report, Islamic State touts training camp in northern Iraq.]

The Islamic State has been destroying mosques, tombs, churches, and other religious sites in Mosul since the beginning of July.