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.
On July 9, 2015, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released an audio message by its newly-appointed leader, Qassem Al-Rimi. Al-Rimi replaced Nasser Al-Wuhaishi, who was killed last month in a U.S. drone strike. Following Al-Wuhaishi's death, there had been some speculation in chatter, particularly coming from Islamic State (ISIS) supporters, that Al-Rimi might end up joining ISIS instead. However, in his message, Al-Rimi announces his bay'a (oath of allegiance) to Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, thus refuting any such speculation.
According to a jihadi blogger who switched his allegiance from the Afghan Taliban to the Islamic State (ISIS), Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the chief of Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan (HIA), has said that the Taliban "are trying to degrade HIA and the Islamic State in a bid to regain power and influence as a single jihadi movement in Afghanistan."
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
HIA is a major jihadi group present in Afghanistan. It also works as a political party and its representatives in Kabul have in recent year held peace talks with the Afghan government.
EXCLUSIVE: In-Depth Profile Of Demoralized Elite ISIS Fighter From Belgium
Western policy makers and security officials have expressed grave concerns about Europeans who are recruited by jihadi groups to join the jihad in Iraq and Syria, and are further radicalized and indoctrinated there as they receive military training and gain military expertise and experience.
The following is an in-depth profile of a Belgian citizen of Moroccan origin, Abu Islam (or Isleym) Al-Belgiki, who joined the Islamic State (ISIS) and became a battle-hardened fighter in an elite combat unit.
An examination of Abu Islam's Twitter account, where he has been active since April 2015 and on which he has posted over 1,000 tweets, offers unique insight into the thoughts and experience of a young European fighting in the ranks of ISIS. His messages paint a picture of a young European Muslim who has become part of the ISIS war machine, ready to carry out any operation in the name of his faith, and ready to lay down his life for jihad. However, some of them suggest that he may be having doubts and reservations, as he misses the comfort of Western life and desires more than perpetual struggle and hardship. He also changes his Twitter name and profile photo regularly.
EXCLUSIVE: British ISIS Fighter Offers Marital Advice To Wives Of ISIS Fighters
In a June 17, 2015 article on his Tumblr blog, "A Word of Advice to the Sisters in Sham [Syria]: Respect your Mujaahid Husband," British ISIS fighter Omar Hussain offered marital advice to the wives of ISIS fighters in Syria. In it, he explains the hardships the men face in jihad, and instructed their wives to consider what their husbands must endure on the frontlines. They may not realize, he said, that their husbands have seen their best friends killed, or have themselves been wounded. Wives should cook them their favorite meals when they return from extensive guard duties, he wrote, and should not complain about their living conditions or insist that they do repairs around the house. Hussain even goes so far as to claim that "some brothers end up wishing they could go for a martyrdom operation after marriage due to the stress some sisters cause them."
EXCLUSIVE: Israeli Imam Supports ISIS, Calls Netanyahu 'Jewish Dog'
During a sermon on July 2 at the Al-Tawhid Mosque in Umm Al-Fahm, Israeli Imam Muhammad Abd Al-Ghani called Netanyahu "that Jewish dog" and criticized Hamas, saying that it had "struck an alliance" with the Jews, who, he said, were "behind every catastrophe afflicting our Islamic nation." According to media reports, Abd Al-Ghani removed a sign bearing the ISIS symbol at the entrance to the mosque following repeated demands by the Israeli police. However, the symbol continues to appear on his Youtube account.
Following are excerpts:
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Muhammad Abd Al-Ghani: "Dozens of satellite TV channels have been exposed. They were founded and are funded by Jews, who control the media. When you ask one of these Jews what they are doing, he says: We donate enormous sums on a daily basis, in order to ensure the continuation of the Star Academy [music talent] show. Why are they spending all this money? Not just so that you can sit back and be entertained, but in order to destroy your mind, to destroy your home, and in order to turn your sons and daughters against you.
[...]
"First and foremost, you must know that there is a Jew behind each and every catastrophe afflicting our Islamic nation. Behind all the catastrophes, all the bloodshed, all the countries that have been invaded and their governments brought down, all the countries that have been burned down, along with their people, and all the blood that is shed in the streets... Behind all these is an accursed Jew. You should know that. This is divine law. In His beloved Quran, Allah mentioned 'corruption upon the land' only in reference to the Jews."
ISIS Youth Carry Out Mass Execution Of Syrian Soldiers In Palmyra's Amphitheater
The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On July 4, 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) information bureau in Homs province released a 10 minute video titled "Allah Heals the Believers' Chests". The video, distributed by the jihadi forum Al-Shumoukh and elsewhere, shows ISIS youth fighters executing 25 captives from Assad's army in historic Palmyra's ancient amphitheater. This most professionally edited video seeks to show how ISIS symbolically avenges the thousands of Sunnis who were imprisoned and tortured in Palmyra prison. The video ends with ISIS members blowing up the prison.
JTTM subscribers can view this clip, here. Note to media and government: For a full copy of this video, 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.
ISIS Nasheed Urges Uyghurs To Immigrate To The Caliphate
On July 7, 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS), via Al-Hayat media, released a music video titled "Come, My Friend", calling on Uyghur Muslims to join the Islamic State.
JTTM subscribers can view this clip, here. Note to media and government: For a full copy of this video, 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.
Pro-ISIS Media Group Tweets Video With Recycled ISIS Footage, Aimed At Francophones
On July 8, 2015, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media group, the Al-Wa'd Foundation, published an amateurish video featuring archive footage from ISIS videos aimed at Francophones. The video's title, "Message to Our Ummah [Muslim people] in France," was distributed on Twitter; it apparently is meant to be a recruitment video.
Iraqi Media Report: Tribes Armed By Iraq, U.S Give Thousands Of Weapons To ISIS
According to Al-Mustaqbal Al-Iraqi, a daily newspaper, Iraqi tribes which had been armed by the government and the U.S. to fight terrorism gave ISIS 7,000 machine guns known as PKS. The "senior security official" cited by the paper accused the tribes residing in Mosul, Al-Anbar, and Salah Addine of collaboration with ISIS which, he said, may have seized heavy weapons as well.
ISIS In West Africa Takes Responsibility For Deadly N'Djamena Attack
On July 8, 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) West Africa province released a statement taking responsibility for the double suicide attack against the police academy and the central police headquarters in the Chad's capital N'Djamena. The attack, ISIS noted, was carried out by two men, Abu Hamza Al-Ansari and Abu Al-Sadiq Al-Ansari, using explosive belts.
ISIS: We Destroyed 13 Warplanes In Libya
On July 6, 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed that it had destroyed 13 warplanes in an attack on the Air Academy in Misrata, Libya. During the Libyan revolution, the Air Academy sustained major damage during the fight over Misrata. The academy was controlled by Libya Dawn forces, a coalition of militias aligned with the Tripoli-based government that have engaged in deadly clashes with ISIS in recent weeks.
In New Jabhat Al-Nusra English Magazine, British Woman Shares Story Of Her Emigration To Syria
The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On July 4, 2015, a media group affiliated with the Al-Qaeda branch in Syria, Jabhat Al-Nusra, released the first issue of its English-language magazine Al-Risalah. The magazine strives to counter the ISIS narrative, which arguably has more media prominence.
Al-Risalah asserts itself as the voice of the mujahideen in Syria to their supporters across the globe. In one interview, a British widow, Umm Asiya Muhajirah, tells why she left the West and migrated with her family to Syria. She writes that she converted to Islam 13 years ago, that she has three children, and that her late husband had been imprisoned under the UK's anti-terror legislation. She adds that her husband eventually found a way out of the UK, and that he was killed fighting in Syria.
The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On July 4, 2015, a new jihadi media group, Al-Risalah Media, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda's Syrian branch Jabhat Al-Nusra (JN), published the first issue of its English-language magazine "Al-Risalah" (The Message).
A short unsigned article in the magazine, titled "Ramadan, The Month Of Striving," encourages readers to join the jihad and achieve martyrdom during the month of Ramadan. It calls upon readers who cannot physically join the jihad to participate by financially supporting the struggle. The author stresses that jihad is such an important ritual in Islam that it even renders the Ramadan fast insignificant. Moreover, according to the article, Ramadan provides a special opportunity for supporting jihad, or for immigrating to join it, because those doing so during this holy month gain greater spiritual reward. The article backs up its argument with numerous quotes from hadiths and the Koran.
TIP Publishes Photos Of Uyghur Fighters, Including Children Bearing Arms, In Syria
On July 4, 2015, the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), an Uyghur jihadi organization, released a video containing a sequence of photos showing its fighters and members in Syria. Released by Sawt Al-Islam, TIP's media wing, the photos document some of the Uyghur fighters' activities in Syria, and show, among other things, TIP fighters participating in battles and using a variety of weapons. In one photo, TIP fighters are seen with a number of prisoners, believed to be Syrian soldiers.
Jihad Organizations Establish Joint Operations Room In Preparation For Taking Aleppo
In a communique issued on July 2, 2015, a group of 13 Islamist jihad organizations, including Jabhat Al-Nusra and Ahrar Al-Sham, announced the establishment of a joint operations room, called Ansar Al-Shari'a, in preparation for taking over Aleppo and its environs. The communiqu├® was posted on the operation room's Twitter account; the groups also posted a video, 1:30 minutes in duration, in which the new organization's spokesman reads out the communiqu├® in the presence of the participating organizations' representatives.
