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February 18, 2016 JTTM Weekly No. 201

Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Weekend Summary

February 18, 2016
JTTM Weekly No. 201

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.

 

EXCUSIVE: Shi'ite Militia In Iraq Threatens Rocket Fire On U.S. Embassy In Baghdad

Media outlets in Iraq have reported that Kataeb Sayyid Al-Shuhada, an Iran-backed Shi'ite militia which is one of the organizations that make up the Popular Mobilization Forces, has issued a communiqu├® in which it threatens to fire rockets on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. According to the report, the threat comes in response to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's demand that Hizbullah and the Iraqi militias (meaning Shi'ite Iraqi militias) withdraw from Syria, otherwise "they will be targeted by everybody."

 

EXCLUSIVE: Top ISIS Writer Asks Twitter, Telegram To Halt Their Suspension Of Jihadi Accounts; Challenges Them, As Well As Anti-ISIS Groups, To Counter-Argue

On February 12, 2016, Mu'awiyya Al-Qahtani, aka Ibn Al-Siddiqqah, a prominent writer and supporter of the Islamic State (ISIS), published an article calling on the founders of Twitter and Telegram to stop suspending pro-ISIS accounts and to instead counter the ISIS message and let people decide for themselves.

 

EXCLUSIVE: A Look At Text And Image Sharing Services Used To Publish ISIS Content

The Islamic State (ISIS) releases daily a stream of materials online, including written statements, pictorial reports, video and audio productions, as well as various printable materials, among other things. The pictorial reports typically consist of a series of images with a title and brief introduction, presenting aspects of ISIS's activities and military operations. More often than not, these reports are graphic in nature and include, for example, the execution of spies and graphic images of combatants killed by ISIS.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Canadian ISIS Fighter Active On Twitter, In Contact With Canadian And American ISIS Supporters

Via his Twitter account, a Canadian ISIS fighter gives his followers a glimpse into life in the Islamic State. His first tweet was on February 3 2016, and so far he has posted a couple of photos from Syria, including one of a leaflet dropped by the coalition in Raqqah aimed at deterring the local residents from supporting ISIS. He also communicates with other pro-ISIS supporters from Canada, and from the U.S. 

 

EXCLUSIVE: British ISIS Fighter Ordered Off Social Media By ISIS Launches Facebook Account

A British ISIS fighter was very active on a host of social media platforms, including Twitter, Tumblr, and Telegram, until he was ordered, on January 8, 2016 by the ISIS Media Center, to shut down his Telegram channel and cease all social media postings. He shared the message he had received from the Media Center telling him to relinquish his social media presence; the message sternly warned: "We will continue to closely follow your activities, and any further violations will come with serious repercussions and will be dealt with swiftly." 

 

EXCLUSIVE: WARNING-GRAPHIC IMAGES: On Facebook, Trinidadian ISIS Fighter Chronicles Life In The Islamic State

A fighter from Trinidad and Tobago on Facebook is an Islamic State (ISIS) fighter currently residing in Syria. He does not reveal much personal information, but does list his birthdate as December 25, 1990. Photos he has posted include the aftermath of airstrikes, snow in Syria, and the mutilated bodies of ISIS victims. At the time of this writing, he has 62 Facebook friends. It should be noted that on November 5, 2015, ISIS's Al-Raqqa province released a video titled "Those Who Believe and Made the Hijrah," showcasing ISIS recruits from Trinidad and Tobago; however, it is not possible to tell whether he was among them.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Exploring The Islamic State's Online Radio Broadcast Network

The Islamic State (ISIS) launched its official radio broadcast network Al-Bayan in 2014. Al-Bayan, which broadcasts mostly religious content and reports about ISIS's military operations, has been an integral part of the group's information apparatus.

 

EXCLUSIVE: ISIS Video Shows Attack On Oil Facilities In Libya's Oil Crescent

On February 14, 2016, the information bureau of the Islamic State's (ISIS's) Al-Barqah Province in Libya released an eight-minute video titled "The Sheikh Abu Al-Mughira Al-Qahtani Raid," which documents an ISIS attack in early January 2016 on oil facilities in the Ras Al-Anuf and Sidra area in Libya's "oil crescent."

 

'Islamic State In Libya' Telegram Channel Spreads 'Awareness Of The Expansion' Of The Caliphate In Libya

On November 6, 2015, the Telegram channel "Islamic State in Libya" was launched. The channel's description reads: "This is to give the awareness of the expansion of the khilafah and more so it in Libya." The channel, which currently has 318 members, disseminates official photos of ISIS productions filmed in Libya in addition to unofficial personal photos which fighters appear to have taken themselves. The channel also shared the stories of two slain fighters, one from Nepal and another from Nigeria, and a Western fighter calling himself Ali Al Foutawi recounted some of his battle experiences.

 

ISIS To Aleppo Rebels 'Make Way For Us To Fight The Regime Army, If You Fight Us The Blood Is On Your Heads'

On February 13, 2016, the Islamic State (ISIS) launched an information campaign targeted at the residents and armed opposition in the Aleppo region, which in recent days has faced a ground offensive by pro-Assad forces backed by Russian air power. The campaign's main thrust is to encourage members of rival armed-rebel groups to join ISIS and rely on it as the sole element capable of fighting back against Assad's forces. ISIS supporters have been waging the campaign in recent days under the Twitter hashtag "Messages to the People of Aleppo."

 

English-Speaking Jabhat Al-Nusra-Affiliated Fighter In Syria Asks For Donations On Twitter

An English-speaking fighter on Twitter, who is supposedly based somewhere in the vicinity of Latakia Governorate in Syria, is promoting, via his Twitter account, a secure email service called Tutanota for anyone wanting to send funds.

 

ISIS Claims Responsibility For Attack On Military Base In Yemen

On February 17, 2016, the media office of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Aden/Abyan province in Yemen released a statement claiming responsibility for today's attack on the Ras Abbas military base in Aden. Along with the statement, which was posted on the leading ISIS-affiliated jihadi forum Shumoukh Al-Islam, the group released a photo of the attacker, whom it identified as Abu Issa Al-Ansari.

 

ISIS Spin On ISIS Fighters' Mass Renunciation Of The Organization's Governor In Yemen: It Is Part Of Al-Qaeda 'Conspiracy' To Infiltrate ISIS, Bring It Down From Within

In recent weeks, a new chapter in the ongoing feud between Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS) is being written. The new developments began when members of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) revealed on social media that dozens of ISIS founders and senior figures as well as rank and file members in the organization's Yemen branch had renounced ISIS's "governor" (wali) in Yemen, appointed by ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, and refused to accept his leadership. Shortly thereafter, AQAP operatives leaked internal ISIS documents about the mass renunciation and about the events that followed.

 

In Issue 8 Of 'Dar Al-Islam,' Widow Of French ISIS Fighter Eulogizes Her Husband, Instructs Fellow Jihad Wives In Proper Attitude

The eighth issue of Dar Al-Islam, the French-language magazine of the Islamic State (ISIS), includes a eulogy for veteran French ISIS fighter Abu 'Umar Al-Faransi, written by his wife, Umm 'Umar, who is also French. Abu 'Umar appeared in a November 17, 2015 ISIS video in which he praised the Paris attacks; he was killed sometime after this, presumably while fighting in Syria.

 

Issue 8 Of ISIS French-Language Magazine 'Dar Al-Islam' Features Martyrdom Wills Of Three Paris Attackers

On February 07, 2016, the Islamic State's (ISIS) Al-Hayat media center released the eighth issue of the French-language magazine Dar Al-Islam.

The magazine prominently features the "martyrdom wills" (wasiyah) of three of the Paris attackers. These statements, provided after the operational success of the Paris attacks, are especially significant for ISIS supporters and serve as strong recruitment and motivational tools for. The attackers call for more Muslims to join ISIS, insisting on the obligatory nature of jihad against the West and its allies. They also address their ISIS brothers in arms, urging them to be steadfast and to continue their sacrifice for the cause.

 

ISIS French Magazine Provides Religious Justifications For The Paris Attacks

On February 7, 2016, the Islamic State (ISIS) Al-Hayat media center released the eighth issue of its French language magazine Dar Al-Islam. For an overview of this issue's content, see MEMRI JTTM report Issue 8 Of ISIS' French Magazine 'Dar Al-Islam' Presents Religious Justification For Paris Attacks, Threatens More Terror To Come.

 

AQIM Video Shows Training Camp, Claims Victory Over France In Mali

On February 13, 2016, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM ) released a 14-minute video titled "From the Depths of the Sahara - 2". The video that was distributed on the organization's Telegram channel and Twitter account shows AQIM members training at the Abu Hasan Al-Rashid base and mainly touts its victory over France. 

 

'Ansar Alkhelafa Europe' Forum Resumes Function Following 'Sustained DDoS Attack From Kuffar'

A few days ago, the Ansar Alkhelafa Europe (AKE) forum returned to normal function online following several weeks of inactivity. The absence, according to one of the forum's administrators, was due to a "sustained" DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack against the forum.

 

Tablighi Jamaat Barred From Educational Institutions In Pakistan's Punjab Province

Islamic revivalist network Tablighi Jamaat has been banned from educational institutions in Pakistan's Punjab province according to an Urdu website.

Rana Sanaullah, the Law Minister of Punjab province, confirmed that the ban is not on the Tablighi Jamaat's activities outside educational institutions. "The government has not banned the Tablighi Jamaat. Rather, the ban is only on the Tablighi Jamaat's entry into educational institutions because some terrorists had joined the Tablighi Jamaat."

 

 

 

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