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 [email protected] with "Membership" in the subject line.)
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On March 29, 2015, an American ISIS fighter who is currently in Syria, tweeted that a friend of his in the United States is preparing to carry out a suicide operation there.
He appears to be a rising star in the jihadi community. A photo of him appeared in the recent issue of ISIS's English-language magazine Dabiq, and according to a recent message he posted, he also features in an upcoming ISIS video. On his Twitter account, which currently has 1,093 followers, he posts many threats to the West, as well as information on the fighting in Syria. He also has a VK page, as well as a Facebook page.
The following are details on him and on some of his posts on social media.
Threats
Abu Khalid apparently maintains contact with extremists in the U.S. On March 29, 2015 he tweeted, "One brother said to me he is ready to carry out istishadee [martyrdom] operation in America. So I said to him Bismillah Sheikh. Rock them hard."
In a tweet from the same day he wrote, "Send all the F16 2 drop bombs on us what preventative do you hav[have] to protect the streets of Washington DC from a wave of martyrdom operations."
Screenshot from the ruling
On January 4, 2011, Malik Mumtaz Qadri, an elite security commando deployed to protect Salman Taseer, the liberal Governor of Pakistan's Punjab province, shot and killed him for advocating reforms to Pakistan's blasphemy laws, which carry the death penalty, and for campaigning for the release of Asia Bibi, a destitute Pakistani Christian woman jailed after being sentenced to death for committing an act of blasphemy, which she has denied.
On April 4, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban's leadership organization) released a biography of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, to mark the anniversary of his appointment as Emir-ul-Momineen (Leader of the Faithful Muslims) in 1996. This is perhaps the first biography of Mullah Omar published by an official Taliban website; its publication to commemorate his appointment is notable.
The significance lies in the fact that the title Emir-ul-Momineen - and there can be only one such leader in the Islamic world - was assumed by Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) in late-June 2014 and jihadists across the world have since offered bai'yah (oaths of fealty) to him. Ever since Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi assumed the title, the Taliban in Afghanistan has refrained from commenting on him.
It should be noted that Mullah Mohammad Omar is accepted as the Emir-ul-Momineen, not only by the Taliban groups but also by Al-Qaeda and its different affiliates. In the short biography, the Taliban website which published it goes on to claim that even today, Mullah Mohammad Omar continues to supervise the day-to-day jihadist operations in Afghanistan while simultaneously noting that Omar's Deputy - who is not identified - presides over all important meetings where executive decisions are made. For now, the publication of this biography will quell rumors that Mullah Omar may not be alive.
Following are excerpts from the biographical report:
"[On April 4, 1996]] One Thousand And Five Hundred Scholars, Dignitaries And Jihadi Leaders Of Afghanistan Approved Mullah Mohammad Omar 'Mujahid' As The Leader Of The Islamic Emirate [Of Afghanistan], Gave An Oath Of Allegiance To Him And Conferred The Title Of 'Emir-ul-Momineen' On Him"
"16th of Aries 1375 AH (solar) i.e. 4th April 1996 AD is a momentous day in the history of our Muslim people. Nearly two decades ago on this same faithful day, one thousand and five hundred scholars, dignitaries and jihadi leaders of Afghanistan approved Mullah Mohammad Omar 'Mujahid' as the leader of the Islamic Emirate [of Afghanistan], gave an oath of allegiance to him and conferred the title of 'Emir-ul-Momineen' on him, i.e. leader of the pious believers. In the official almanac of the Islamic Emirate, this day has its own significance due to that historical event which subsequently is being commemorated by the Cultural Commission of the Islamic Emirate [of Afghanistan, the Taliban's umbrella organization] by publishing special articles and essays on this auspicious occasion."
British Islamists Anjem Choudary, Abu Izzadeen, and Abu Baraa held a press conference on March 23, 2015, following British Home Secretary Theresa May's speech, in which she vowed to tackle Islamist extremism. Abu Izzadeen said that Theresa May and David Cameron could "go to Hell," and Abu Baraa said that Theresa May could "pack her bags and leave" if she did not like them preaching there and that "if they deport us to Al-Raqqah, I'm sure we would all be very happy." The press conference was posted on the Internet.
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AQAP Offers Prize For Anyone Who Kills Or Captures Former Yemeni President And Houthi Leader
On April 8, 2015, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) posted a message announcing a prize of "twenty kilograms of gold" to anyone who kills or captures former Yemeni president 'Ali 'Abdallah Saleh and Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Badrudin Al-Houthi.
AQAP said the two were the "heads of evil" in Yemen, and that they represented the "Iranian Safavid tide" in the country; the prize, it noted, came in support of the jihad in Yemen, and as a "motivation" for the mujahideen who were combating this tide.
The announcement was published in English and Arabic on AQAP's Twitter account, as well as in a video posted on YouTube.
AQIM Leader Praises Jaysh Al-Fath Coalition And Its Recent Victories
On April 8, 2015, Al-Andalus, the media company of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), released an audio message by the group's leader, Abu Mus'ab 'Abd Al-Wadoud. In it, he welcomes the recent victories of Jaysh Al-Fath - a reference to the takeover of the town Idlib in northwestern Syria - and calls upon the mujahideen there to remain united. 'Abd Al-Wadoud also praises the address given by Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani, the leader of Jabhat Al-Nusra (JN), following the takeover of Idlib, in which he welcomed the victory in Idlib and also called upon the mujahideen to remain united.
Ajnad Misr Confirms Death Of Its Leader, Appoints New Emir
On April 9, 2015, the Egyptian jihad group Ajnad Misr confirmed the death of its leader Majd Al-Din Al-Masri, and appointed 'Izz Al-Din Al-Masri as the new emir.
Majd Al-Din, whose full name is Humam Muhammad Ahmad Ali 'Atiyya, had been killed several days earlier by Egyptian security forces, according to a statement by Egypt's Ministry of Interior.
On April 4, 2015, the press office of the Somali jihad group Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen released a statement regarding the group's deadly attack two days earlier on Garissa University College in Kenya. The attack killed at least 147 people and wounded scores of others.
The statement was released in English. Below are its main points:
Al-Shabab denounced Kenya's persecution of and crimes against Muslims in East Africa, including, what it said was their "systematic persecution" in Kenya, which had "left deep psychological scars" in the hearts of many Muslims. It also denounced the crimes committed by the KDF against Muslims in Somalia, accusing it, inter alia, of engaging in the systematic rape of Muslim women, and causing the displacement of thousands of Muslims from their homes. "Throughout East Africa, the Muslims were stripped of all their dignity and subjected to the most inhuman treatment for failing to succumb to the subjugation of the disbelievers," it noted.
The attack on the university was thus a retaliation for those crimes, it noted.
Detailing the attack, Al-Shahab said that around 3am on April 2 its fighters stormed the university compound and swiftly proceeded to the halls of residence where they gathered "all the occupants." Al-Shahab noted that the attack targeted non-Muslims only, and that all Muslims were allowed to safely evacuate the premises "before executing the disbelievers." "The Muslim blood is inviolable whereas the blood of a kafir [disbeliever] has no protection except by Iman [belief, i.e. converting to Islam] or Aman [covenant of security]," it added.
On April 4, 2015, the information office for the Islamic State (ISIS) in Dijla province, Iraq posted a video titled "Smashing the Idols." The video, which is about 7:30 in duration and was also posted elsewhere, including on the Shumoukh Al-Islam jihadi forum and on social media, documents ISIS members' destruction of ancient statues at the archaeological site of the historic city of Al-Hadhr in northern Iraq because, it said, they were being used for idolatrous ritual. Speakers in the video claimed that by smashing the statues they were following in the footsteps of Abraham and the Prophet Muhammad, both of whom, in their day, had removed all signs of idolatry. The video documents ISIS members using hammers to shatter ancient sculptures of heads at the site, in addition to firing rifles at them.
WARNING - GRAPHIC: Islamic State (ISIS) Stones A Man Accused Of Homosexuality And Bestiality
On April 8, 2015, the Homs province of the Islamic State (ISIS) published a collection of images showing the stoning of a man convicted of homosexuality and bestiality.
The images noted that ISIS was "implementing the hadd [Koranic punishment] of stoning on a man who committed the act of the people of Lot [i.e. homosexuality], and [engaged in] bestiality."
The blindfolded man is seen standing in an open field next to a hole that was dug in the ground. About a dozen men are seen throwing large rocks at him.
Iraqi army soldiers about to be beheaded
On April 5, 2015, the Al-I'tisam media foundation, which is associated with the Islamic State (ISIS), released a graphic 22-minute video titled "Halting the Safavids [Iranians] at Salah Al-Din." The video, which was posted on jihadi forums and on Twitter, covers a number of operations carried out in recent weeks by ISIS against the Iran-backed Shi'ite Iraqi army and the Popular Mobilization Force, a coalition of Shi'ite militias, in Salah Al-Din province. It features, inter alia, messages by two fighters from France and Qatar before they set off on a suicide attack against Iraqi army outposts, as well as documentation of ISIS battles against the Iraqi Army in Salah Al-Din province. Also in the video is an oath of fealty to ISIS by a group of Kurdish fighter. The video ends with the beheading of four Iraqi soldiers captured by ISIS.
WARNING - GRAPHIC: In Video, ISIS Beheads, Crucifies Criminals In Ninawa, Parades Their Bodies
On April 6, 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) released a six-minute video showing the beheading and crucifixion of four men convicted of theft in Ninawa.
The four, it says, operated as a gang that raided Muslim homes and shops, while pretending to belong to ISIS, in order to steal their money. Later on in the video, during the men's sentencing, a speaker notes that a Muslim woman died during the gang's operations.
The convicted men
The video also shows three men who were victims of the gang. One man thanks ISIS for its actions in bringing the men to justice. "We faced a theft by a gang, and by Allah, we would like to thank the Islamic State and its efforts in capturing this gang, [whose members], thank Allah, reaped their retribution," he says.
Two of the victims are seen getting their stolen money back, while an ISIS representative documents the process.
On April 6, 2015, the Shumoukh Al-Islam forum published a letter by Sheikh Abu Al-Hassan Al-Azdi, a writer on the forum and a supporter of the Islamic State (ISIS), in which he called upon ISIS supporters to use the forum as their "launching base" before using Twitter.
Islamic State (ISIS) Supporters Announce New Website For Disseminating ISIS Releases
On April 3, 2015, a member of the Jihadi Media Platform forum (mnbr.info/vb) announced the launch of a new pro-Islamic State (ISIS) forum.
The forum, alansar.islamichost.org, will host ISIS's various releases, and will allow members to upload whatever ISIS releases they have, the member said.
Jihadi Media Company Reveals Names, Presence, Function Of Jihadi Groups In Tunisia
On April 6, 2015, the Twitter account of Ifriqya Lil-I'lam, which publishes news about the mujahideen from North Africa in particular, released information detailing the names and functions of the jihadi groups currently working in Tunisia. The account revealed the presence of two Islamic State (ISIS)-affiliated groups in Tunisia, one of which, it says, carried out the deadly attack at the Bardo National Museum on March 18.
The account noted that the information released was meant as a "clarification" regarding the Tunisian front. Despite not having divulging the reasons or need to issue such clarification, this is presumably a response to the relative confusion among jihadis following the Bardo attack. That attack, for which ISIS claimed responsibility, was attributed by some media reports to the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)-affiliated 'Uqba bin Nafi' Brigade. Further, additional questions, particularly regarding ISIS's actual presence and operations in Tunisia, might have been raised after the group claimed responsibility for the assassination of two Tunisian politicians back in 2013. One of those attacks occurred well over a year before ISIS officially spread to Libya and Algeria, and before a Tunisian group pledged allegiance to it.
