The following are some of this week's reports from the MEMRI Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Project, which translates and analyzes content from sources monitored around the clock, among them the most important jihadi websites and blogs. (To view these reports in full, you must be a paying member of the JTTM; for membership information, send an email to jttmsubs@memri.org with "Membership" in the subject line.)
Note to media and government: For a full copy of these reports, send an email with the title of the report in the subject line to media@memri.org. Please include your name, title, and organization in your email.
In a new video, Ustad Usama Mahmood, the spokesman of the newly created terrorist group "Al-Qaeda Jihad Organization in South Asia," states that the group's "first objective" is to wage jihad against America and the international order of kufr (unbelief) established under its patronage.
In a new video, Maulana Asim Umar, the emir of the newly created terrorist group "Al-Qaeda Jihad Organization in South Asia," cites numerous verses from the Koran to highlight the Islamic legacy of qital fi sabeelillah (fighting in the path of Allah) for the enforcement of Islamic sharia rule and establishment of the global caliphate.
According to an Indian media report, at least 23 Muslim youths from India's northeastern state of Manipur have left home to join the Indian arm of Al-Qaeda. The state of Manipur is situated along the international border with Myanmar (formerly Burma) and is not far from India's Assam state. Both Myanmar and Assam have witnessed anti-Muslim conflicts over the past few years.
In an audio recording titled "Message of Support for Our Brethren in Gaza," released August 31, 2014 by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated media company Al-Sahab, Al-Qaeda official Abu Dujana Al-Basha calls upon Muslims everywhere to come to the aid of their fellow Muslims who are suffering in Gaza.
Jihadi Forum Member Posts Alleged Photos of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, Abu Anas Al-Shami
On August 31, 2014, a member on a jihadi forum, which supports the Islamic State (IS), posted the photo below, which he claimed was a current photo of IS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi (in the center, armed with a rifle).
Group Called 'IS Supporters In Yemen' Pledges Allegiance To Al-Baghdadi
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In a YouTube video posted on September 3, 2014, a group called "Supporters of the Islamic State In Yemen" pledges allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State (IS), Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. The video is significant since the Yemeni jihadi scene has been dominated by supporters of Al-Qaeda, with only a few exceptions (such as preacher Mamoun Hatem who has expressed support for the IS). The emergence of this group may indicate that the IS is beginning to penetrate the Arabian Peninsula in general and Yemen in particular.
On August 29, 2014, the Islamic State (IS) issued a circular to all educational facilities under its control, in which it instructed them to eliminate all traces of secularism and nationalism from the curricula and textbooks and introduce IS-approved content instead. The circular, headed "Memo No. 1," was issued by the "Curriculum Directorate" of the IS's "Bureau of Education," and was circulated in the IS-controlled city of Al-Raqqa in Syria.
On August 29, 2014, the Islamic State (IS) released the third issue of its English-language magazine Dabiq. The issue, which is called "A Call To Hijrah," focuses primarily on Western Muslims and calls upon them to promptly make hijra (emigrate) to the caliphate. The magazine also touts James Foley's killing, while blaming the Obama administration for his death. It includes Foley's supposed full message, portions of which he delivered in his execution video.
Kurdish Jihadi Group Ansar Al-Islam Announces Its Dismantling And Merger With Islamic State (IS)
On August 28, 2014, the Islamic State (IS) announced that the Kurdish jihadi group Ansar Al-Islam has joined its ranks. Images of the ceremonial joining of the two groups as well as the statement about the merger by Ansar Al-Islam were posted on Twitter and alplatformmedia.com respectively.
A document posted August 30, 2014 on the Jihadi Media Platform forum, which supports the Islamic State (IS), contains instructions for disrupting and downing the drones employed by the U.S. in Iraq. The document, originally posted on a Twitter account, in response to the renewed U.S. bombings of IS targets and the provision of air support to Kurdish forces combating the organization's advance.
A jihadist account on Twitter has confirmed the killing of one of the four Indian Muslim youths from Mumbai who joined the Islamic State's jihad in Iraq recently.
In Video, Islamic Front (IF) Tours 'Liberated' Quneitra Border Crossing Near Golan Heights
On August 29, 2014, the Islamic Front (IS) released a short video featuring the Quneitra border crossing near the Golan Heights, which the group, together with other Islamist factions, took control of recently. The video shows the deserted location, with a number of men, believed to be IF fighters, sitting and walking around leisurely. A group of IDF (Israel Defense Force) soldiers are also seen on the Israeli side of the border crossing.
Jabhat Al-Nusra: We Arrested The UNDOF Soldiers In Response To UN's Collaboration With Assad Regime
On August 30, 2014, Jabhat Al-Nusra (JN) published an official communiqué about the 45 UNDOF truce supervisors from Fiji that it had arrested. The communiqué claims that the supervisors were arrested because the UN had not sided with the Syrian people, had included JN on the list of the terrorist organizations and had collaborated with the Assad regime. The communiqué claimed that all the supervisors are in a secure place, their health is good and they receive all their needs. It did not, however, stipulate the organization’s demands for their release.
Omar Khalid Khorasani (center)
Recently, Omar Khalid Khorasani, a leading commander of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), established a new terror group called Jamatul Ahrar, but also noted that he will continue to remain in the TTP. Khorasani, who is known for his ties to Al-Qaeda, is the TTP's emir for Mohmand Agency, a Pakistani tribal district.
In a recent article, noted Pakistani analyst Muhammad Amir Rana examined the factors behind the formation of Jamatul Ahrar, noting that such splits are due to "ideological purification" as well as inspiration by the rise of the Islamic State led by Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.
Omar Khalid Khorasani (center)
Below are excerpts from a Pakistani media report that examines factionalism within the ranks of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) after its emir Maulana Fazlullah expelled Omar Khalid Khorasani, who had been TTP's emir for Mohmand Agency but had recently established and associated with several new terror groups:
"The strife in the ranks of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) escalated on Thursday [September 4] as its head Maulana Fazlullah and his shura expelled the Mohmand Agency chapter chief Omar Khalid Khorasani and terminated his membership for indiscipline and for patronizing 'suspicious' militants groups such as Ahrarul Hind and Junood Khurasan."
ISIS militants carrying out mass executions
Following are excerpts from a media report on a fatwa issued by noted Indian cleric Shaikh Abu Bakr Ahmad against the Islamic State (IS), formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) led by Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.
"Kozhikode [southern Indian state of Kerala]: A noted Muslim cleric in Kerala today [August 30] issued a fatwa asking his community members to boycott the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other terrorist organizations. In his religious decree, General Secretary of All India Sunni Jam-e-yyathul Ulema, Sheikh Abu Bakr Ahmad said favoring the extremist organizations is antithetical to the Islamic Sharia."
An India-specific group uses Justpaste.it to convey jihadist messages
Jihadist organizations across the Middle East and elsewhere are using European content-publishing website Justpaste.it on a large scale to publish and disseminate jihadist content, especially reports on suicide attacks and other jihad-related news stories, official statements by jihadist commanders and other such material that is intended to radicalize Muslim youths.
