Shrouds on the Ground Striking Fear Within ISIS ranks

Determination and raw courage of ‘Shrouds on the Ground'

Shrouds on the Ground Striking Fear Within ISIS ranks

The dithering U.S.-led ‘Coalition of the Reluctantly Willing’ has been left in the back seat by small groups of Syrian guerillas successfully hunting down and eliminating the terrorists of ISIS.


For the worried watching world it’s no longer the frustration of No Boots on the Ground in a non-war operation with no name,  it’s the determination and raw courage of ‘Shrouds on the Ground’.

Shrouds on the Ground are what the masses have long wanted, someone, for once and for all, to terrorize the head-chopping terrorists of dreaded ISIS.

There are no pussyfooting tactics in use by White Shroud who give new meaning to the word ‘vigilante’.

“White Shroud”—which takes its name from death shroud—has left the 60-country Coalition, including five Arab nations—sending airstrikes over Syria and Iraq talking among themselves,  while its dedicated members continue to go for the ISIS jugular.

That’s because White Shroud doesn’t speak the language of do-nothing rhetoric.  Its members don’t tarry to make pretty,  pacifying political speeches while innocents are being beheaded.  They just hit the ground running and get out to get the job done.

They’re taking down ISIS, one terrorist at a time.

Meet their group leader, the mysterious Abu Aboud—not his real name—who was a fully-fledged commander in an anti-Assad insurgent group crushed by the better armed and financed ISIS as it seized almost full control of Deir al-Zor earlier this year.

In his own words, the number one aim of White Shroud is to generate fear in ISIS’s ranks.

Aboud owns up to the fact that the small band he now leads is in no position to deal a major blow to ISIS—but they’ve proved focused success in taking down ISIS one terrorist at a time.

“Terrorist organisation Islamic State is now under attack from guerrillas itself, it was revealed today. (Daily Mail, Oct. 13, 2014). “Small groups of Syrians are hunting down ISIS fighters in one of their main strongholds in eastern Syria in a new guerrilla campaign that has emerged as a response to the Islamists’ growing brutality.”http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2791307/now-isis-attack-guerrillas-ultra-secret-white-shroud-group-strike-fear-terrorists-picking-fighters-one-one.html

We don’t know how many ISIS terrorists the U.S.-led Coalition has eliminated, but we can count the more than 100 killed by White Shroud in Deir al-Zor province in recent months.

There are no generals among the ranks of White Shroud, no military brass to argue which way next and certainly no “latte-coming-right-up-Sir” pow-wows like the one held in Maryland yesterday.

“Military chiefs from the United States and 21 other countries convened Tuesday for an unusual session at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to discuss the campaign. The day-long event, hosted by Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, included an appearance by President Obama — part of an effort by his administration to dispel doubts about Washington’s long-term commitment to the region.

“In his remarks to a room filled with military brass from around the world, Obama cited some preliminary “important successes” against the Islamic State but warned that “this is going to be a long-term campaign” with “periods of progress and setbacks.” (Washington Post, Oct. 14, 2014)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/serious-disagreements-remain-in-us-led-coalition-battling-the-islamic-state/2014/10/14/69772516-53cd-11e4-809b-8cc0a295c773_story.html

Incredibly, the talking Pooh-Bahs of the Coalition have stood in courageous White Shroud’s way:

“The U.S.-led air strikes are not making White Shroud’s job easier, said Mr Abu Aboud. Where ISIS fighters once used to gather in large numbers, they now move in small groups, often at night, using motor bikes.(Daily Mail)

White Shroud members have no military experience to speak of and no time whatsoever to talk about it.

“They have all taken similarly menacing names. These include the ‘Phantom Brigade’ and ‘The Brigade of the Angel of Death’, said Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which says it gathers information from sources on all sides of the conflict. (Daily Mail)

“One such group killed no fewer than 10 ISIS fighters in a nighttime gun attack on a checkpoint in the town of Al Mayadin in Deir al-Zor province last Thursday, the Observatory reported.

“In a separate attack, a gunman on a motor bike opened fire on another ISIS checkpoint.

“As the US advances plans to train and equip the moderate opposition to President Bashar al-Assad as part of its strategy to tackle ISIS, these groups shows how there are new enemies on the ground.

“Together with Raqqa province further north, Deir al-Zor forms the bedrock of ISIS’s influence in Syria.

“White Shroud shows no mercy to ISIS: when it manages to abduct one of its members, it is only to ‘liquidate’ him later on, said Mr Abou.

“It operates in and around the town of Al Bukamal at the Iraqi border, an area of crucial importance to ISIS as the link between the territory it controls in Syria and Iraq. The group currently numbers 300 members, said Mr Aboud.

“He added: ‘Eighty per cent of the members of White Shroud did not take part in combat before (ISIS) came. We trained them and they joined White Shroud because of the great oppression they felt after Islamic State took control.’

“ISIS has made plenty of enemies during its conquest of Deir al-Zor, an oil-producing region.

“It expelled most other insurgent groups from Deir al-Zor in July, emboldened by rapid gains in Iraq where it seized the city of Mosul in June, capturing with it Iraqi army equipment that has been deployed in Syria.

“Mirroring its approach elsewhere, ISIS has used crucifixions and decapitations to suppress all opposition in Deir al-Zor.

“It executed 700 members of one rebellious tribe, the Sheitaat, in August, the Observatory reported.

“Members of anti-Assad armed groups loosely referred to as the ‘Free Syrian Army’ had the choice of fleeing, submitting to ISIS rule, or death.

“The Nusra Front, Al Qaeda’s official affiliate in Deir al-Zor, withdrew from the province. The Syrian government still controls a portion of Deir al-Zor city and its airport.

‘Secrecy is the most important element of White Shroud’s work,’ said Mr Aboud. The group comprises four-man ‘cells’ that work independently of each other, he added.

“One of White Shroud’s biggest operations was an attack on an ISIS position in Al Bukamal in which around 11 ISIS fighters were killed, according to the Observatory and Mr Aboud.

“White Shroud’s spokesman said the group is using weapons that formerly belonged to anti-Assad rebel groups.

“The spokesman, who gave his name as Abu Ali Albukamali, claimed that despite its modest resources, White Shroud had achieved its goal.

“He said: ‘The aim of this group - spreading fear among Islamic State members - has been realised. Today, you never meet them walking alone. They mostly move in groups, afraid of abduction.’

Meanwhile, citizens of a world that must depend on dithering governments for their safety from terrorism owe White Shroud their gratitude.

White Shroud is doing something the U.S.-led Coalition, for all of its multi-nation might, has not been able to do:  strike fear in the hearts of heartless ISIS.

By Judi McLeod