In an editorial in the terrorist group’s magazine Al Naba, members of the Islamic State are celebrating the crisis in Ukraine, calling it a “divine punishment” against infidels and expressing hope that the war will spread to other European countries.
“What is happening today, the direct bloody war between the Orthodox crusaders – Russia and Ukraine – is but one example of God’s punishment for them, as described in the Qu’ran,” the author of the editorial said.
“Whether long or short, this Russian-Ukrainian war is but the beginning of the next wars between the Crusader countries, and the images of destruction and death we see are but a small scene of the situation in which the great wars begin,” the editorial stated, going on to condemn foreigners fighting for Ukraine as “infidel militias.”
A prior report from the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) claimed that Islamic State chat servers have urged supporters in both Russia and Ukraine to carry out attacks in retaliation for the countries’ roles in defeating the group in the Middle East.
Another Telegram channel said to be linked to an al-Qaeda sympathizer from Jordan commented on the conflict saying: “Let Muslims see this war as a Divine gift to the Muslims there [in Ukraine], in Russia, and in the entire world. For those who contemplate it, there are indications that it will change the face of the world, and if the Muslims take advantage of it, it will be a large building block that will advance them towards the renewal of their glory.”