In Issue V, Taliban Magazine 'Azan' Publishes Article On 'Counter-Drone Strategy', Seeks Jihadi Engineers Who Can 'Hack Into The Private Encrypted Network Of The Pentagon'

In the latest issue of Azan, the Taliban in Khorasan (Afghanistan-Pakistan border region) has published an article that seeks to develop a jihadi strategy to counter the U.S. drones, although from the article it doesn't appear that the jihadi groups are close to accomplishing this.

The latest magazine, which is the fifth in the Azan series - which is modelled after the English-language jihadi magazine Inspire of the Al-Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) - was released through the Jamia Hafsa Urdu Forum, a Pakistan-based jihadi website, on March 28. It contains an encrypted software key for potential jihadis to get in touch with the Taliban.

The magazine's cover story is "Counter-Drone Strategy," written by Jaffer Hussain, a known jihadi writer. Jaffer Hussain begins his article by noting that a recent U.S. intelligence report stated: "Taliban to Grow in Strength by 2017!" He quotes the U.S. report as saying: "The Taliban and other militant groups will have the upper hand in Afghanistan by 2017 even if the United States maintains a small military presence in the country." He adds: "The Report further goes on to claim that any gains made by the United States and its allies will be lost by 2017 as the Taliban and other groups become increasingly influential in the war-torn country." The author reminds readers that 5,500 Muslims have been killed by drones, including 952 in Yemen, 170 in Somalia, and 3,378 in Pakistan.

Jaffer Hussain's counter-drone strategy involves: urging self-radicalized Muslim youth to strike in Western cities, by emulating Maj. Nidal Hasan and Boston bombers Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; asking potential jihadis to research technical issues involved in the drones and in encrypted information technology networks, and to send the details of their research back to the Taliban; efforts to hack and break into the encrypted networks of the Pentagon; anddawah, which is translated by the author as "invitation to jihad".

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