Islamist website issues travel warning for Syrian mujahideen crossing into Iraq

On March 10, the website administrator for the online forum, www.nnuu.org, flagged up important instructions for mujahideen transiting the country on their way to Iraq. He warned them how the Syrian regime is “up to its ears in its work for the Americans” and has set up checkpoints on roads to Iraq in the Qameshli and Deir ez-Zor zones, arresting anyone not from the area; orders, he explains have also been distributed to hotel owners near the frontier to declare the presence of any Arab guest. A subsequent commentary to this posting advises mujahideen “not to display a beard or wear a long thawb, to avoid praying in mosques or go to border zones without a guide in order to avoid the checkpoints.” He counsels recruits “not to stay long in Syria and to follow instructions to the letter,” observing that most youths are arrested due to over enthusiasm. He went on to note that those unfortunate enough to be arrested will be transferred to the Mukhabarat, or Syrian Intelligence, and while those from Jordan or the Arabian Peninsula will likely not be incarcerated for more than a month, others, such as North Africans, maybe incarcerated for up to ten months before being sent home.