Tonight my English translation of “For Allah and then for the Jihad” a testimony by Sultan al-Atawi on the fighting in Deir ez-Zour.

First a little glimpse on the writer. Sultan al-Atawi also known as Abu Layth at-Tabuki. From Tabuk, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

He was one of the main leaders of Nusra Front in the Eastern Regions (Hasaka and Deir ez-Zour) also called “Sharqiyah”.

He was one of the staunchest anti-ISIS members of Nusra and fought them both in the battlefield and on Twitter.

When the fight was over – Nusra split up into three groups. One group joined ISIS (Abu Kamal) – the other left for Daraa.

Once in Daraa some strange things started to happen, Nusra issued a statement that Sultan al-Atawi would be imprisoned for a while on several charges.

The strange thing was that it wasn’t Nusra’s main account that issued it but the Eastern Region branch even though they didn’t exist anymore!

After a while Sultan al-Atawi popped up on Twitter with a change of heart. Especially after the US bomb campaign started on Syria.

He believed that fighting ISIS was in no one’s interest, which lead many to believe he would join them.

This is his testimony on Deir ez-Zour and Abu Mariyah al-Qahtani.

Reading it will help you comprehend what happened in Deir ez-Zour and what’s happening in Daraa.

But at the same time there are those that are saying after he got kicked out he became bitter and started turning on his old friends.

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1. In the Name of God.

2. Mystery has enshrouded the Jihadi arenas and maybe built their positions on fake and wrong news.

3. Behind it (the false news) was love of power and revenge and ignorance.

4. So the people outside the Jihad were confused and did not know the truth which was hidden due to "Maslaha".

5. The Maslaha (interrest) which keeps you from talking about blood being shed and the Jihad being wasted.

6. The Maslaha which disunites the Mujahideen, and spreads hatred amongst them.

7. There is no place for silence, enough with lying to the Ummah. The issue is greater than people/groups.

8. This issue is an issue of religion and issue of the Ummah.

9. This Maslaha is treachery and betrayal. This Maslaha is the interrest of groups and can't beat the interrest of the Ummah.

10. How can I silence Haqq when Batil is spreading and being spread and repeated by Truthful men who don't know they're being used.

11. Here I will write what I owe to God. With no interrest other than for the Umma and religion and the people in Syria.

12. And also as an advice for the sincere Mujahidin that have no partisanship

13. And to put my hand on some bleeding wounds which were hidden and kept bleeding until it almost killed us.

14. There are certain things I have to alert to before delving in which will help you absorb my talk.

15. First of all, Nusra in Sharqiya was completely seperated from Jawlani's command

16. Secondly, many of Jawlani's decisions were not implemented in the area.

17. Thirdly, Al-Jawlani had only one channel with Abu Mariyah and his group.

18. Fourthly, it's important to know I was Shar'i then a Judge, then a leader of the Shami area then a military leader, and member of the Shura of Nusra in Sharqiyah.

19. Fifthly, I didn't take ISIS as an enemy but they were inciting against us (and so was JN against them).

20. Sixthly, I did not care for the problems between ISIS and JN but forced to later find out the reason for it.

21. Seventhly, Twitter had a big impact on the battle and on personalities outside Syria (Shaykhs and writers).

22. Eightly (is that even a word), many of the Da'is and Shaykhs and leaders received a wrong image and I swear on Allah on this.

23. Nightly, everything I'm going to write down I swear it on Allah as I've seen it and heard it myself.

24. Tenthly. I ask you by God to send this message to the Shaykhs and leaders in Sham and outside Sham.

25. What is happening in the JIhadi arena is suffering from two things. A) Hiding it and covering it B) Spreading it incorrectly and upside down and both these things killed the Jihad.

26. It is said to those who have to keep quiet that them talking will cause Fassad (Corruption).

27. While this is in fact only a Mafsada/corruption for the group.

28. What I will write down will be met with insults and accusations even though they used to praise me before.

29. My intention from the beginning was to wage Jihad and help the Syrian people.

30. So joining Nusra was not the goal rather it was the means to an end.

31. So when I was forced to choose betwene loyalty to the group or to the opressed people I decided to leave Nusra.

32. I left Nusra at the end of Sha'ban due to Manhaji, Shar'i and Military reasons after I the road of reform was closed in front of me.

33. I didn't come to support an organisation or tribe that wants power for itself.

34. I waged a ferocious war on an ideological and military level with ISIS, using both pen and sword due to their agression against us.

35. But there were secret I was not aware of and some of the news reached me upside down.

36. Meaning my reasons for fighting were different than the reasons the leaders were fighting.

37. A long time I was quiet, hopening that it would change. But it didn't.

38. The battle we waged against ISIS was not a fair, we lost many Martyrs and were let down by our leaders and other groups.

39. I wanted to make sure that JN in Sharqiya would be an example for the other areas but was surprised by the amount of treachery and lies.

40. The area is ruled by tribes and JN was under the protection of a certain tribe and this made it impossible for me to achieve what I wanted.

41. The tribes used to act tyranically as they controled the oil unlike the refugees and poor people.

42. The tribes became armed and tyranized. They become strong due to the oil.

43. Nusra could do nothing except court the tribe in Sheheel.

44. The Shar'i council of the Shaheel tribes was formed but could only enforce their rule in Mayadin and not in Shaheel itself!

45. al-Mayadeen did not have electricity while the electricity of the tribes in "Al-Jazira" was always on

46. Mayadeen was also humiliated as the tribal brigades used to raid it and even JN could say nothing because they were the ones funding these brigades.

47. Nusra gained a lot of money from the oil fields but to our surprise that during our fight with ISIS we didn't find any weapons and even the rifles were scarce.

47. Bad management and bad planning was the main reason for the fall of Sharqiyah.

48. As all the high positions was given to the tribe of Shaheel which hurt the soldiers.

49. I used to advice the leadership there and strongly renounce but what was proven to me was that they were not up to it.

50. ISIS was planning with accuracy while JN was stumbling around, the leadership had nothing but throwing their fighters into battle.

51. ISIS leaders used to come to the front line while the Sharqiya leadership didn't.

52. Jawlani sent messages to the 'Majlis Shura Mujahidin' which I was a part of and I didn't even know!

53. Majlis Shura received one million dollars to fight ISIS from al-Arour and the Majlis leader was Abu Muaz who JN considered a Murji!

54. THe man appointed to lead the battle against ISIS was the leader of Jabha Asala wa Tanmiya who withdrew a lot causing many deaths.

55. FSA was a misfortune on us due to their theft of the Ghanima and robbing houses and stealing ammunition and some insulted Allah.

56. Nusra's money was going to FSA groups who would come to the battle, take ammunition then leave and sell it.

57. FSA and Tribal brigades used to withdraw a lot which caused many deaths and I'm a witness to this.

58. I said in a meeting that we should not work with FSA due to its behavior but they refused it and called my opinion extremist!

59. Our fighters used to be happy if the FSA/Tribes ran as they saw them as misfortune but the leadership saw it otherwise.

60. When I was in battle with the soldiers the leaders of Sharqiya were fighting their wars on Twitter and even in meetings they were on Twitter.

61. The leadership was not ready for the battle but they were good in wailing on Twitter and accepting donations.