"Al Qaeda would present itself as the smart, methodical and persistent jihadi movement that, in contrast to the Islamic State, had adopted a strategy more aligned with everyday Sunni Muslims," Lister wrote.Al-Qaida and the Islamic State have the same ultimate objective to create an Islamic state, but they have used different tactics, Lister and other scholars said. The Islamic State moved quickly to impose harsh, unilateral control over territory in Iraq and Syria and declare its independence. Many of the Khorasan operatives, including their leader, Muhsin al-Fadhli, have been killed in eight US airstrikes in northwest Syria since September 2014.The Islamic State has between 19,000 and 25,000 fighters, roughly divided between Iraq and Syria, US intelligence analysts estimate. These officials say al-Qaida operatives in Syria are determined but largely contained. "It would be ironic for al-Qaida to declare an emirate while there's a caliphate that it rejects."

Source: Times of India May 16, 2016 02:10 UTC