I was very sorry to hear of the death of your friend in custody. It must have been a terrible shock for you and your family but I am sorry to say that we hear of many deaths through the Baghdad regime’s utter determination to keep control.
It was very kind of you to ask after my brother in the circumstances and I have to say that I am really worried about him. As I mentioned in my last letter he went a few months ago to help expand our work in the southern Philippines and I have heard nothing since then. As you know, the Marawi operation in 2017 was just the start of our long-term plans for the region and I am hoping that he has just gone underground to further our aims. Given his huge experience in Bangladesh, Egypt and elsewhere it would not be surprising if that was the case, but it is still a constant worry.
I know that you want me to say a little bit more about why I am so positive about our prospects given that our physical caliphate is no more, but let me first bring you up to date on what I am doing. When I wrote in November I had just started work with a security company in London that provides intelligence for banks, oil companies and the like, not to mention more private work for governments across the Middle East. This was following my postgraduate course and I now see why my superiors were so keen to embed me in an organisation like that since it gives them a real insight into the thinking of the far enemy. While I would much prefer to return to my country I have to admit that I can probably do far more for the movement here than I thought possible, so I will be here for many months if not years. Also, it helps a lot that my new arm is working so well, making my work very much easier.
