10 - Sealed with a Thumbprint: The Hybrid Politics of a Martyrdom Contract

Summary

Introduction: A Dispirited Mujahid in a Dreary, Peculiar Desert

As Iraq descended deeper into the chaos of sectarian violence and civil strife that defined the post-2003 invasion years, the militant outfit Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) faced a profound human resource challenge. Would-be volunteer suicide bombers, the vast majority of whom were non-Iraqi and were brought into Iraq surreptitiously by the organisation, would suffer a change of heart when confronted with the practical reality of their charge. An ISI strategy document written by an anonymous, but assumed to be leading, militant speaks to the profound isolation and mental fatigue that would accompany the martyr's early days, often leading them to renege on their pledge. Entering Iraq, the strategist writes, the mujahid arrives first in al-Anbar from Syria, a ‘dreary, peculiar desert’, and spends months moving from safe house to safe house, often left idle in camps, cut off from their handlers and other fighters (Unknown Author, 2008a). When the local Emir finally determines the martyr's mission, his morale deteriorates when he learns that the mission is not as spectacular as they might have hoped, perhaps only against a few Iraqi security or coalition outposts. Or, the author of the document notes, the increasingly demoralised fighter hears of a prior brother's unsuccessful operation, where the mujahid triggered their explosives too early, or too late, or just as often as not were stopped by security forces before they could carry out the operation. ‘Depression’, the author writes, ‘crawls into his heart […] the brother decides to transfer from suicide bomber to fighter, but his request will be rejected by the Emirs, as it is considered the state's decision’ (Unknown Author, 2008a, p. 6). Although the precise process is unclear, it would seem from other documents recovered in US military raids that the dispirited jihadist would be forced to return to their home country before being recruited again as a fighter, a time-consuming, costly and inefficient practice.