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.)
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EXCLUSIVE: Alleged American ISIS Fighter Carries Out Suicide Attack In Iraq
On March 2, 2015, jihadi sources reported that an American Islamic State (ISIS) fighter named Abu Daoud Al-Amriki had carried out a suicide attack using an explosive-laden truck against a gathering of Iraqi soldiers and Shi'ite militia on the outskirts of Samara', Iraq.
The next day, March 3, a photo of Al-Amriki was circulated on pro-ISIS Twitter accounts.
EXCLUSIVE: American Fighter In Somalia Describes Transition From The 'Hood' To Jihad
The seventh issue of the Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen-affiliated magazine Gaidi Mtaani, which was released online on February 27, 2015, features an article titled "From The 'Hood' to an Eternal Paradise." The article is written by an American Al-Shabab fighter named Abu Abdulluh Al-Muhajir, who tells the story of his journey to join the jihad in Somalia after experiencing life in the inner-cities in the U.S.
Al-Muhajir writes about the "evil" and "immoral" gangster street culture that pervades many inner-city neighborhoods in the U.S., while pointing out that this lifestyle has even spread to areas of the Muslim world, and that it is appreciated and emulated by its admirers.
EXCLUSIVE: Islamic State (ISIS) Releases A Number Of Assyrian Christians
On March 2, 2015, pro-Islamic State (ISIS) sources reported that ISIS had released some of the Assyrian Christians it had recently took hostage in Al-Baraka (Al-Hasaka) province.
Between February 23 and 24, ISIS attacked a number of Assyrian villages in Tell Tamer, where it reportedly took over 200 Assyrians captive. Only 24 Assyrians have been released so far.
Those released, according to pro-ISIS sources, were set free because they weren't involved in fighting ISIS.
The fate of the remaining captives is unknown.
Pro-ISIS Group Threatens Twitter Founder, Employees
On February 28, 2015, a group of Gaza-based media activists called "Al-Nusra Al-Maqdisiya" posted a message threatening Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey and his employees. The post, titled "Twitter in the Crosshairs of the Caliphate", comes in response to Twitter's clampdown on pro-ISIS accounts. It promises that ISIS soldiers and supporters will punish Twitter for preventing ISIS from spreading "the Caliphate's sacred message".
Image of Twitter founder Jack Dorsey in crosshairs
The following are excerpts from the message, posted on the group's own Twitter account which has since been shut down:
"You are the ones who started this losing war. We told you from the beginning that it is not your war, but you didn't understand. [When] our accounts were closed down we soon returned, but when our lone lions stop you from breathing you will not return."
ISIS-Affiliated News Agency A'maq Remains Active On Facebook Despite Consecutive Shutdowns
The ISIS-affiliated A'maq News Agency remains active on Facebook following recent shutdowns of its Facebook pages. On February 16, MEMRI reported on A'maq's presence on Facebook; shortly thereafter, the page was shut down. A'maq immediately launched another Facebook page, as well as a backup page.
Promotion of backup page while main page was still active (image captured March 4, 2015)
As of this writing, A'maq's main Facebook page has been shut down as well, and A'maq's previous backup page has become its main page. A'maq also launched a backup page for its main page.
In an article posted February 26, 2015 on his Twitter page, pro-ISIS Yemeni Sheikh 'Abd Al-Majid Al-Hitari rejected the criticism against the Islamic State (ISIS) for destroying ancient artifacts in the Mosul museum. He said that the smashing of idols and tombs was in line with the Prophet's heritage and an inevitable part of founding the Islamic caliphate.
He wrote: "The shattering of the idols by the members of the Islamic State was a perfect implementation of the message of the Prophet, who once replied, when asked why Allah had sent him, '[I was sent] to shatter the idols and care for my people." He added that ISIS was facing an all-out religious war led by the Muslim Brotherhood and by Egyptian sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi, who, he said, once traveled to Afghanistan at his own expense to denounce the Taliban's destruction of the Buddha statues there."
Islamic State (ISIS) Expands Its Outreach Efforts With Mobile Media Points
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The Islamic State (ISIS) appears to have expanded its outreach efforts to include the use of mobile media points - ISIS propaganda vans that broadcast its releases and disseminate da'wa materials as well.
So far, media points have been confined to stationary booths scattered across ISIS-controlled areas. Recently, ISIS announced at least two such media points in Al-Falluja.
WARNING - GRAPHIC: Islamic State Executes Homosexual By Throwing Him Off A Roof
On March 3, 2015, the Al-Raqqa province of the Islamic State (ISIS) published images showing the execution of a man convicted of homosexuality in the western sector of the province.
The blindfolded man is placed on the edge of high building with several masked ISIS men by his side. One man is seen holding a camera documenting the act.
WARNING: GRAPHIC - Islamic State Cuts Off A Thief's Hand In Al-Raqqa
On March 2, 2015, the Al-Raqqa province of the Islamic State (ISIS) released several images showing a man having his hand amputated after being convicted of theft.
On February 17, ISIS carried out similar sentence against two man in Aleppo province.
In Video, Al-Shabab Documents June 2014 Attack On Kenyan Coastal Villages
On March 2, 2015, the Somali Al-Qaeda affiliate group Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen released a video documenting its bloody June 2014 attack on several Kenyan coastal towns. The nightly raids, which took place on June 16 and 17, targeted the towns of Mpeketoni, Poromoko, and Pandanguo, and had left scores dead along with massive damage to property.
Mpeketoni (Source: Google Maps)
The video taunts Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta for denying that Al-Shabab was behind the attacks, and for claiming that it was a "politically motivated ethnic violence" instead.
Al-Shabab's raids, according to various reports, targeted non-Muslim men in particular. The video confirms these reports and shows how Al-Shabab engaged in the systematic killing of anyone discovered to be a non-Muslim. In one scene, for example, a man is dragged onto one of the streets in Mpeketoni, and is shot dead after revealing that his name is Jehova. Other men next to him face similar fate. The video, on the other hand, notes how Muslims' lives and property were spared. In one scene in the village of Pandanguo, the third village to be reached by Al-Shabab's fighters, an fighter is seen talking to a local Muslim, emphasizing to him that Al-Shabab had no intention in targeting Muslims, and that it in fact came to reclaim Muslim lands that were taken by Kenya, and to drive the unbelievers out of them as well.
Boko Haram Releases Video Showing Execution Of Two 'Spies'
On March 2, 2015, a six-minute video on behalf of the Al-'Urwa Al-Wuthqa, the media wing of the Nigerian jihadi group Jama'at Ahl Al-Sunna lil-Da'wa Wal-Jihad (aka Boko Haram), was released online. The video, titled "Harvest of the Spies I," shows the confessions of spies captured by the group, and their execution.
It is noteworthy that the video is of a better production quality than the typical grainy videos released by Boko Haram. It was also accompanied by English, Arabic, and French subtitles.
In the video, two men are walked to an undisclosed location where a number of masked and armed Boko Haram men await them.
The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
A page from the magazine
Given below are excerpts from an article written by a leading Pakistani Taliban commander in the second issue of an English-language jihadist magazine.
The English-language magazine Ihya-e-Khilafat is published by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaatul Ahrar (TTPJA) led by Omar Khalid Khorasani, a leading Taliban commander who broke away from the TTP over issues of leadership. The article, titled "Our Right To Spread Terror", is written by Khorasani himself and is noteworthy in light of the savagery shown by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria.
The second issue of the magazine, dated December 2014, was published some time ago and posted on various social media sites. The TTPJA began publishing the English-language magazine in the summer of 2014, edited by Dr. Abu Obaidah Al-Islamabadi, a Pakistani surgeon who was educated in England and moved to Pakistan along with his comrades last year.
"Much Of The Kuffar's World Order Stands Upon The Foundation Of Terrorism That Was Created During World Wars By Using Nuclear And Other Weapons Of Mass Destruction"
"Terrorism, i.e. to spread terror, is actually an essential element of warfare. No nation or army in history has ever been successful in totally annihilating another nation or army in a war; rather the wars are won by maneuvers like making the opponent's economy weak, disrupting the enemy's discipline or by terrorizing the enemy into submission."
A page from the magazine
Below is the second part of an interview given by leading Pakistani Taliban commander Omar Khalid Khorasani, who split from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on the issue of leadership rivalry and formed his own group called TTP Jamaatul Ahrar (TTPJA).
The first part of the interview was published in October 2014, when the TTPJA launched the first issue of Ihya-e-Khilafat (Revival of Caliphate), an English-language magazine aimed at attracting jihadists from the West to Pakistan. The magazine is edited by Dr. Abu Obaidah Al-Islamabadi, a Pakistani surgeon educated in England who returned to Pakistan to join TTPJA last year.
Following is the text of the interview:
"We Consider Jihad In The Entire Subcontinent, Including Jihad-e-Kashmir And Jihad-e-Pakistan, As The Best Jihad"
Question: "Mohmand Agency is under your command. There were some disputes between you and other groups and these disputes eventually turned into a conflict. It is being alleged that one of the reasons for this war was some sectarian elements being involved. What do you say?"
Khorasani: "It is not true. We do not fight on the basis of sectarian issues. We cannot even imagine targeting anyone due to their sect. In truth this conspiracy was actually a part of enemy's propaganda and our enemy's wish to divide Muslims, especially mujahideen, on [the] basis of the sects had been foiled, Alhamdolillah [Praise be to Allah]. People belonging to any sect now are in our movement whether they are Salafi, Deobandi or come from the sect of Isha'at-u-Tawheed [Propagation of Monotheism]. We have been blamed of having disputes with mujahideen related to that sect. They are part of our movement in the Kunar province of Afghanistan and secondly our central council consists of members from every sect. When that incident took place in 2008, it was not on the basis of sect. Actually we had negotiations with that organization seven times."
A page from the magazine
The second issue of the English-language jihadist magazine published by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaatul Ahrar (TTPJA), a major faction of the Pakistani Taliban, urges Muslim youths, especially those who are members of the Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, to join the group.
On Facebook, Pakistani Taliban Group Creates New Pages To Publish Jihadist Content
Ihyaekhilafat Media Library Facebook post dated January 18
Despite Facebook's atempts to proactively eliminate jihadi pages from its platform, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaatul Ahrar (TTPJA), a leading faction of the Pakistani Taliban, has been creating new pages on Facebook to publish jihadi content.
A page from Roznama Jehan-e-Pakistan
Following is the text of an interview with Maulana Abdul Aziz, the leader of Islamabad's Red Mosque, which was the site of the 2007 Pakistani military operation against the jihadists hiding there. Recently, Maulana Abdul Aziz has expressed support for the Islamic State (ISIS), led by Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, while the girls of the Jamia Hafsa madrassa associated with the Red Mosque have offered their bai'yah (oath of fealty) to Al-Baghdadi.
"Our War Also Is For The Enforcement Of An Islamic System; The Country [Pakistan] Is Being Run Under The British System; In The Courts Too, Judgements Are Being Delivered Under The British Law"
"[First Headline:] ISIS Flag Will Unfurl On The World, Our War Is Also For The Enforcement Of Islam - Maulana Abdul Aziz
"[Second Headline:] ISIS Wants The System Of Shari'a And Caliphate; We Are With It; That Is Why The Female Students Expressed Good Wishes [By Pledging Allegiance To ISIS]
"[Third Headline:] The Atmosphere Is Being Damaged By An Assault On Madrassas In The Name Of Reforms; Problems Will Be Created For Government If I Am Arrested
"Islamabad: The khateeb [mosque leader] of the Red Mosque, Maulana Abdul Aziz, has said that very soon ISIS will unfurl the flag of victory on the whole world because ISIS wants the implementation of the system of Shari'a and Caliphate in the world. The female students consider ISIS as their messiah. [He also said:] That is why our female students have expressed pious wishes and sentiments for them; and we are with anyone who will implement the Koran and Sunnah [traditions of Prophet Muhammad] in the world. Our war also is for the enforcement of an Islamic system. The country [Pakistan] is being run under the British system [inherited from the colonial era]; in the courts too, judgements are being delivered under the British law."
A Taliban militant shown in the video
A new one hour and 23 minute long video shows Taliban militants blowing up NATO and Afghan military vehicles and mounting suicide attacks in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, and features the Afghan Taliban saying that regaining freedom through talks is nothing but a dream.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban shadow government) has released two Pashtu-language videos which reveal its intensified propaganda campaigns and attacks, including urban combat, against the Afghan security forces in the country.
First Video: "We Will Not Rest Until We Enforce Shari'a And Caliphate In The Whole Of Afghanistan; Our Sole Aim Is The Implementation Of Allah's System On Allah's Land"
The first video is 41 minutes long and titled "The Victory of Dangam". It features an interview with the Taliban shadow governor for Kunar province, Maulvi Muhammad Omar Mukhlis (pictured above). The video shows the militants launching attacks against Afghan security forces in the strategic Dangam district of Kunar province, bordering Pakistan."
American Weapons Captured By Syrian Mujahideen
On March 3, 2015, a jihadi twitter account posted a document containing a series of images of loot allegedly captured by mujahideen after defeating the Western-backed Al-Hazm movement in Al-Atareb in Aleppo province. The document did not mention which group the mujahideen belonged to, but it should be noted that in January 2015, Jabhat Al-Nusra (JN) attacked Al-Hazm posts in Aleppo, forcing the movement to join Jabha Al-Shamiya (a union of five large Islamic organizations established on December 24, 2014, and operating in the Aleppo province).