Islamic State Editorial on the Anniversary of the Fall of the Assad Regime

Whereas many cities and towns in Syria saw widespread celebrations to commemorate the first anniversary of the downfall of the Assad regime, the Islamic State, which has recently begun to claim more attacks against the new Syrian government, has rather predictably put out an editorial for the occasion to re-emphasise its opposition to and denunciation of the government.

The editorial lambasts the Syrian revolution and anniversary as a typical example of modern Arab revolutions and ‘days of liberation,’ while also highlighting in particular the relations that Syria’s president Ahmad al-Sharaa has forged with the United States and the conditions stipulated for the lifting of the Caesar sanctions. The editorial concludes by repeating a previous line of attack on al-Sharaa as one of the foremost examples of a traitor to Islam, and noting that Syria has only been ‘liberated’ from the rule of Islamic law, which the Islamic State’s fighters commit to uphold.

Below is the editorial fully translated by me. I have also inserted some annotations for context.