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OPINION OCTOBER 15, 2021 | The Indian Eye 14

malhama tactical:

now jihadiStS for hire

Malhama Tactical has paid its core members and purchased arms and necessities
using bitcoin and other forms of cryptocurrency, which are non-conventional tactics of finance

terrorism for carrying out its objectives

Saman ayeSha kidwai

conglomerate of elite
jihadists, referred to as
A Malhama Tactical, has
emerged as a serious threat. It
was formed by an Uzbek mili-
tant, Sukhrob Baltabaev or Abu
Rofiq, in 2016,1 and is believed
to be the first for-hire terrorist
group, which has trained Is-
lamist militants, including the pan-Islamic leaning, it remains campaigns. Combined with the ian jihadist), this call refers to
East Turkistan Islamic Move- ideologically opposed to groups word “tactical”, the attempt to a global jihad being fought by
ment fighters, and those who like Islamic State. invent a catchy brand that be- a loosely connected network of
participated as mercenaries in It is also considered exclu- comes popular among impres- fighters instead of a centralised
the Syrian war. sive due to the military exper- sionable radical youth is obvi- organisation. It encompasses
It has therefore gained no- tise and guerrilla warfare tac- ous, even though the name in four crucial features, such as
toriety as the “Blackwater of tics passed on by the trainers and of itself makes little sense. spontaneity, autonomy, decen-
Jihad”. Blackwater (renamed (battle-hardened and former Its emergence and increas- tralisation and situationist out-
Academi) is an American pri- Chechen militants) and Abu ing numerical strength could be look.
vate military company whose Rofiq, who was a member of attributed to the collapse of ter- Malhama Tactical has posed
contractors have infamously the Russian Airborne Troops, rorist groups like Al Qaeda and multiple challenges for global
participated in conflict-ridden an elite group within the armed the Islamic State. As a result of security. Hostile states can now
states like Iraq, as part of Amer- forces. The training modules this development, extremist ji- rely on plausible deniability
ican security operations. Jeremy also incorporate lessons from hadists could seek an alliance while conducting asymmetrical
Scahill, an investigative journal- the strategic tactics of foreign with terrorist groups like Mal- war against actors perceived as
ist, has attributed Blackwater’s armies. Its trainers and recruits hama Tactical. Making exten- oppressors, infidels or contend-
catapulting rise to American have easy access to a wide array sive use of forums like Telegram, ers for dominance.
demobilisation in the post-Cold of extravagant arms and ammu- the organisation advertises its Secondly, it has resulted in
war era. nition, such as the Rocket Pro- propaganda videos and training an additional problem for states
Unlike the conventional ter- pelled Grenades, that amount programmes, and has even con- that cannot associate Malhama
rorist groups, Malhama Tactical to no less than $800 per round. ducted Q&A sessions about the Tactical with a specific terror-
is a commercial enterprise driv- Its recruitment process is selec- type of weapons preferred in ist group and, consequently, an
en by a for-profit agenda and tive where trusted associates armed conflicts. ideological underpinning, the
is not constrained by a specific provide a reference for the in- Notably, Malhama Tactical base of operations, leadership
ideology and defined enemies. coming training recruits. has paid its core members and and recruitment methods. Such
Today, the market for private The militants have derived purchased arms and necessities factors have long allowed them
contractors is flourishing with a the word Malhama from Had- using bitcoin and other forms to formulate broadly coherent
vast supply of cash and weapon- ith literature prophesizing end- of cryptocurrency, which are counter-terrorism initiatives by
ry and earnings far better than time events. They consider non-conventional tactics of fi- tracing past and current activi-
that of ordinary soldiers. These Al-Malhama Al-Kubra to be the nance terrorism for carrying out ties.
factors have given Malhama fiercest apocalyptic war, even its objectives. Furthermore, it could fo-
Tactical much leeway in carry- though descriptions of the event Equally significant is the ment the growth of similar ex-
ing out its objectives, and asso- are highly abstruse and have concept of Nizam La Tanzim, tremist organisations worldwide,
ciating with a broad spectrum been subject to varied interpre- from which this group could potentially taking advantage of
of radical and violent groups tations. Although mainstream be deriving its strategies and the security vacuum in the terri-
including Hayat Tahrir al-Sh- Islamic theorists have advised gaining mounting prominence. tories experiencing turmoil.
am, Jabhat al-Nusra and Ajnad against taking Malhama myths Tracing its origin to Abu Musab Although it primarily came
al-Kavkaz. Although the organ- literally, jihadists use the term al-Suri (affiliated with Osama to the fore to oust President
isation reportedly has a Sunni as part of their propaganda bin Laden and a prominent Syr- Continued on next page... >>

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