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January 8, 2016 JTTM Weekly No. 195

Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Weekend Summary

January 8, 2016
JTTM Weekly No. 195

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.

 

EXCLUSIVE: In New Video, Members of Al-Qaeda In Islamic Maghreb-Sahara Region Promise To Expel The Foreign Enemy And Invade European Cities - And Call On Muslims In Mali To Expel The French

 

On January 7, 2016, the Al-Andalus media organization, which belongs to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), released a 13-minute video titled "From The Depths Of The Sahara - 1"; the video was disseminated via the AQIM Twitter account. The video is divided into a number of segments documenting the organization's activity in the Greater Sahara. One of the fighters promises that one day the mujahideen will expel the foreign enemy from the land of the Sahara, and will also attack it in its own land, in Naples, Madrid, and Rome.

 

EXCLUSIVE: ISIS Supporters Provide Rationalizations, Encouragement Following Loss Of Ramadi

In light of recent setbacks for the Islamic State (ISIS), especially in the battles around the city of Ramadi in Iraq, supporters of the organization scrambled to rationalize the situation and encourage their fellow supporters to not be discouraged. Writing on jihadi forums and social media, writers stressed that the fight for Ramadi was merely one battle in a large war, and that the setback was a test of faith for the jihad fighters and their supporters. One writer rationalized the loss of Ramadi by saying that in military terms, an organized retreat was tantamount to a military victory. Further indication of the need for encouragement were the many calls to offer prayers for the jihad fighters on the front lines.

Following are several examples of this trend:


ISIS fighters on the front lines in the North Baghdad province

"An Organized Retreat Is A Military Victory"

Writing on the leading pro-ISIS forum Shumoukh Al-Islam, user Abu Al-Qa'qa' Al-Zubaidi posted an article on December 30, 2015 titled "Do Not Weaken and Do Not Grieve... An Organized Retreat is A Military Victory". He wrote: "Yes, do not grieve. I say this not to boost your morale, which is, Allah willing, already high, nor as an emotional reaction. I say this from a military perspective to those who have no military knowledge and understanding of military operations, basing [my analysis] on the worst case scenario..."

 

EXCLUSIVE: Following Executions, Jihadists Issue Threats Against Saudi Regime

On January 2, 2016, Saudi Arabia executed 47 individuals on terrorism charges, most of them radical Sunnis, members of an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group that operated in the kingdom in 2003-2006. The most prominent figure among them was Fares Al-Zahrani, aka Abu Jandal Al-Azdi, who was one of the group's major ideologues. The executions touched off tempestuous reaction amongst jihadists, and supporters of jihadist organizations as well as several calls for revenge on the Saudi authorities. It is noteworthy that a few weeks ago Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) explicitly threatened to harm Saudi Arabia if it went ahead with the executions. The calls for vengeance are coming from Al-Qaeda and supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS) alike.

Below are a few representative reactions:

Al-Munasiroun, a media group devoted to supporting jihadist prisoners incarcerated in Saudi jails, condemned the execution of the jihadists, and announced: "This crime will not be passed over in silence. If vengeance is not exacted for the religious scholars and the righteous [who were executed], than [being buried] underground is preferable to life."

An AQAP militant nicknamed Mawlawi 'Abdallah posted Fares Al-Zahrani's picture on his Twitter account, and wrote: "We swear to avenge [your death]. We prefer to die rather than abstain from vengeance." 

A Twitter user who calls himself Muraqib 'Aam posted a short video showing two armed men, apparently ISIS fighters, driving in a car, threatening the Saudi royal family and especially the crown prince Muhammad bin Na'if. Muraqib 'Aam commented: "By Allah, we enraged you with words and we will enrage you with deeds. O Ibn Hayef ['corrupt', derogatory nickname for Muhammad bin Na'if] expect the worst. The lions [ISIS warriors] have reached you."

 

EXCLUSIVE: Social Media Groups Raising Awareness Of 'Muslim Prisoners' Have Radical Islamist Links

Groups that raise awareness of the alleged plight of jihadi prisoners are very active across a range of social media platforms. The two groups that appear to be the most popular groups are Free Our Sisters and Muslim Prisoners. Although the names of the organizations might imply interest in Muslims who are incarcerated simply for being Muslim, they seem to focus on individuals who have been detained for or convicted of jihadi terrorism or extremism.

The two groups share a similar objective, calling on Muslims to write to jihadis in prison in the West. Free Our Sisters posts photos of the colorful cards and letters sent to inmates, and Muslim Prisoners provides, on its own website, addresses of prisoners to whom interested individuals can write.

Muslim Prisoners is also active on Twitter and Instagram; Free Our Sisters is active on Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook, where the German-language page has 1,740 "likes." As of this writing, Free Our Sisters has 1,277 followers on Twitter, among them many ISIS members and supporters. Muslim Prisoners boasts many of the same supporters, however, the group has nearly 10 times more Twitter followers, 11,300 as of this writing.

 

ISIS Supporters Tighten Security Measures To Join ISIS Channels On Telegram

Supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS) are turning more creative in order to stop their channels on the secure communication app Telegram from being reported and shut down.

One pro-ISIS blog is now only allowing people to join the English Nashir channel, a top disseminator of ISIS content in English on Telegram, by submitting their request online.  

 

ISIS Threatens Britain And David Cameron, Executes 'British Spies'

On January 3, 2016, the Islamic State (ISIS) in Al-Raqqa province, Syria, published a 10:30 video titled "They Are The Enemy So Beware Of Them - 3" (a reference to Koran 63:4) - the third in a series of videos depicting ISIS exposing and executing spy cells. The video, which was also posted on the jihadi forum Shomoukh Al-Islam, documents the execution of five men accused of spying on ISIS members in Al-Raqqa.

Click here to view this clip on MEMRI TV

 

Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade: We Are An Independent Organization, Not Affiliated With ISIS

In a communique it issued on December 31, 2015, the general command of the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade (Liwa Shuhada Al-Yarmouk), a jihad organization operating in southern Syria, denied rumors that have been circulating in the last year that it is affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS). The communique, posted inter alia on the jihadi form Al-Shumoukh (shamikh1.biz), stated emphatically that the brigade is independent and is not affiliated with any organization or state.

 

Jihadi Eulogizes ISIS 'Governor' In Libya, Killed In November 2015 In U.S. Airstrike

On January 5, 2016, a eulogy for Abu Al-Mughira Al-Qahtani, leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Libya, was posted online. Al-Qahtani, whose real name is Wissam Najm Abd Al-Zayd Al-Zubaydi, was ISIS's wali (governor) in Libya. He was killed in November 2015 in the U.S.'s first airstrike against an ISIS leader in Libya, near the coastal city of Derna.

 

Al-Qaeda-Affiliated Group's Video Shows Beheading Of Al-Qaeda Facilitator Who Spied On Adnan Al-Shukrijumah

The Ittehad-e-Mujahideen Khorasan, an alliance of jihadi groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, has released a video showing their fighters beheading an alleged spy who had tipped off Pakistani security forces to the location of senior Al-Qaeda member Adnan Al-Shukrijumah.

 

Al-Shabab Recruitment Video Showing Donald Trump Urges African-Americans To Convert To Islam, Join Jihad, Make Hijra

On January 1, 2016, the Somali-Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen released a recruitment video aimed at African-Americans, urging them to convert to Islam and to either make hijra or wage jihad where they are. Titled "The Path to Paradise: From the Twin Cities to the Land of the Two Migrations [i.e. Somalia] 2," the video is the second in a series featuring Somali-Americans from Minnesota who have joined Al-Shabab in recent years. Part 1 was released over two years ago, in August 2013. A number of the Somali-American Al-Shabab fighters appearing in it appear in the current video as well.

 

New TIP Film Documents Organization's Battles South Of Aleppo

On January 6, 2016, the Voice of Islam, a media body identified with the Uyghur organization TIP (Turkestan Islamic Party), released an 11-minute video titled "And Victory Is Only from Allah" (Koran 8:10). The video, posted on the Voice of Islam Twitter page and elsewhere, documents a battle fought by TIP and by the Salafi- jihadi Jund Al-Aqsa organization in Aleppo's southern outskirts against forces supporting the Assad regime, mostly pro-Iranian Shi'ite militias.

 

Turkestan Islamic Party Mourns Death Of AQIM Official

On December 31, 2015, the Syrian branch of the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), an Al-Qaeda affiliate consisting mostly of Uighur fighters, published a statement mourning the death of Abd Al-Hassan Rashid Al-Bulaidi, the head of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) Shura Council. Al-Bulaidi was killed recently by Algerian forces in the Bu Nu'man area in Tizi Ouzou province.

 

Urdu Daily: ISIS Emir For Islamabad Arrested By Pakistani Officials

According to an Urdu-language daily, a militant commander working as the emir of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Islamabad has been arrested in the town of Sialkot in Pakistan.

 

Pakistani Daily Report Reveals Pakistan Is In Denial About Pakistani Women, Men And Children Moving To Syria Via Iran And Joining ISIS, Lahore Is Major Recruitment Center

Following are excerpts from a Pakistani media report indicating that the Pakistani government is clueless about Pakistanis moving to Syria to join the Islamic State (ISIS):

In South Waziristan, the above message in Urdu reads: "[We] offer praise to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the chief of the Daesh [ISIS] organization in Syria."

"The Female Principal Of A Lahore-Based Islamic Center Left Home Along With Her Four Children, Telling Her Husband That She Was Going To [The Town Of] Kasur"

"On the morning of September 12, the female principal of a Lahore-based Islamic center left home along with her four children, telling her husband that she was going to [town of] Kasur for Dars-e-Quran [a lesson in Koran] but never returned.

"A week later, Khalid felt relieved on receiving a call from his wife. Bushra was in Quetta. However, the conversation that followed was not music to Khalid's ears; she was on her way to Syria through Iran to join Daesh [ISIS] along with the kids. The eldest among them is 15 years old and the youngest is nine years old."

 

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