GIMF Announces the Reappearance of Its E-Journal Sawt Al-Jihad

On January 28, 2007, the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) announced on Islamist websites the imminent release of the 30th issue of its e-journal Sawt Al-Jihad (The Voice of Jihad), after a long period of non-publication. Among the articles in this issue are an interview with an Al-Qaeda member who participated in the raid on the Saudi oil refinery in Abqaiq ; an article titled "'Isa Al-'Awsh - a Knight of Media Jihad"; and an interview with jihad commander Karim Al-Majati.

Below is the cover of the issue.

The Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) Changes Its Name to "Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghrib"

On January 26, 2007, Islamist websites posted a communiqué by the Algerian Salafi organization "Group for Preaching and Combat" (GSPC), signed by organization commander Abu Mus'ab 'Abd Al-Wadud, which announces that the GSPC has changed its name to "The Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghrib." The message explains that, after "joining Al-Qaeda [in September 2006] and pledging allegiance to bin Laden... the organization had no choice but to... take a new name reflecting the unity, the strong affinity, and the real connection between the mujahideen of Algeria and their brothers in the Al-Qaeda organization." The message further states that the GSPC was ready to change its name immediately after joining Al-Qaeda, but refrained from doing so until it received an order from bin Laden.

Hizb Al-Tahrir Announces Its First "Khilafah Conference" in Australia

On January 27, 2007, an Islamist website posted a communiqué by the organization Hizb Al-Tahrir, announcing that the organization's first Khilafah (Caliphate) Conference will be held in Sydney, Australia on January 28, 2006. The message states that the conference will be attended by leading scholars from Australia and other countries, who will lecture on various aspects of the Islamic Caliphate: its history, the legal necessity for its establishment, the devastating consequences of its destruction for the Islamic nation, the progress made in the effort to reestablish it today, and the potential challenges it might face upon its reestablishment.

Below is the announcement:

Taliban Claims Responsibility for Assassinating Afghan MP

On January 26, 2007, Islamist websites posted a Taliban communiqué claiming responsibility for the assassination of Afghan MP Maulvi Mohammad Islam Mohammadi, which took place in Kabul on that date. The communiqué accused Maulvi of blocking the road used by the mujahideen as their escape route during the U.S. invasion, and of cooperating with the current U.S. occupation of Afghanistan.