Jihadists write letter to Muslim clerics, ask them to support terror group

oge okonkwo

May 22, 2015 9:39 AM

The letter, which was in the possession of satellite radio station Channel Islam International (CII) Broadcasting, was signed by "the brothers and sisters of your countrymen whom Allah has blessed with the honour of being citizens of the Dawlatul Khalifah [the state of the leader]"

ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

In a letter addressed to local Muslim scholars, purportedly written by South Africans who have joined the Islamic State (IS), they were challenged to visit the "state" to witness firsthand the conditions there.

According to reports, the letter, which was in the possession of satellite radio station Channel Islam International (CII) Broadcasting, was signed by "the brothers and sisters of your countrymen whom Allah has blessed with the honour of being citizens of the Dawlatul Khalifah [the state of the leader]".

The group is also commonly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). It has overrun large parts of both countries.

Local news site, News24 say they could not immediately independently confirm the authenticity of the letter but State Security Agency (SSA) spokesperson Brian Dube said the department was aware of it and was investigating.

CII said it confirmed that the letter was forwarded by a South African who was currently living in Syria, although that individual's name did not appear on the letter. The station also said it did not know whether the document carried any official weight with those running ISIS.

oge okonkwo