memri
September 4, 2015 JTTM Weekly No. 176

Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Weekend Summary

September 4, 2015
JTTM Weekly No. 176

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 [email protected] . Please include your name, title, and organization in your email.

 

EXCLUSIVE: ISIS Claims It Bombed Houthi Guards At U.S. Embassy In Yemen

On August 31, 2015, the media of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Sana'a released a statement in which it claimed to have targeted "Houthi polytheist" guards at the U.S Embassy in Yemen.

 

EXCLUSIVE: In Video Message, ISIS Lashes Out At Hamas, Urges Members Of Palestinian Islamic Resistance Groups To Join It, Says Caliphate Will Be Launching Pad For Liberating Jerusalem

On September 2, 2015, the Damascus province of the Islamic State (ISIS) released a video message aimed at the Palestinians. The message, which was primarily against Hamas, called upon the Palestinians, especially members of the various Islamic resistance factions including Hamas, to join ISIS. Although in the video it does not call for all-out open war against Hamas, ISIS harshly condemns it, accusing it, inter alia, of not implementing the shari'a, and of collaborating with Iran, the Syrian regime, Russia, and other elements.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Conflicting Reports From ISIS Fighters On Emigrating To Syria; Top Contact Tweets Borders Are Closed, Another Prominent Jihadi Claims Otherwise

Islamic State (ISIS) fighters regularly keep their followers on social media updated on changes to procedures for emigration to the Islamic State. Such information includes specific information on what to pack, how to dress, whether men should be bearded or shaven and women in a niqab or uncovered, for example in addition to recommended routes to get there. This information changes as the Syrian conflict is in flux and as Turkey has officially entered the conflict and has begun cracking down on cross-border activity.

 

ISIS Touts New Currency As Means For Toppling 'Capitalist Financial System Of Enslavement'

In a 55-minute video in English, titled "The Rise of the Caliphate - Return of the Gold Dinar," the Islamic State (ISIS) showcases its new currency and presents the rationale behind it. ISIS announced its new currency project in November 2014, and in January 2015 it released several pictures of newly-minted gold, silver and copper coins. According to the film, the adoption of a monetary system based on precious metals (rather than paper money) is meant to emulate the Islamic state of the Prophet's era, and is also a way to bring about the downfall of the "corrupt financial hegemony" of America and its allies. With a discourse reminiscent of Al-Qaeda's worldview, which focuses on targeting the distant enemy, America, and its main local ally, Saudi Arabia, the video serves several purposes: lending historical legitimacy to the ISIS caliphate; threatening the West, and attracting recruits to the caliphate by presenting it as a thriving state-building enterprise with an independent economy.

 

ISIS Claims Responsibility For Two Bombings In Sana'a Houthi Mosque

On September 2, 2015, the media office of the Islamic State (ISIS) Sana'a province in Yemen, claimed responsibility for two bombings that took place inside and outside the Al-Mua'yad mosque in the Al-Jarraf neighborhood of the Yemeni capital.

 

Afghan Leaders Against Pakistan's War On Afghanistan: 'Pakistan's ISI Behind Deadly Attacks In Kabul'; 'Pakistan Is At War With The Afghan People'; 'Pakistan's ISI Behind Ongoing Violence In Afghanistan'

Following a string of jihadi attacks in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan during August 2015, several Afghan government leaders have accused the Pakistani military's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of carrying out these attacks via the Taliban. As the U.S. and international troops have been withdrawing from Afghanistan, there is mounting concern that the ISI could destabilize the struggling democratic government in Kabul. While the ISI-backed Taliban routinely carry out terror attacks across Afghanistan, attacks in Kabul throughout August were on a large scale.

 

Video By ISIS Branch In Sinai Shows Use Of Kornet Missiles Against Egyptian Ship, Tanks

Click here to view this clip on MEMRI TV

 

New Graduating Class Of 'Caliphate Lion Cubs' Complete Islamic Law Course, Receive Diplomas

The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.

On August 27, 2015, ISIS' (the Islamic State) information bureau in Iraq's Al-Furat province released a series of pictures titled "Certification of a New Graduating Class of Caliphate Ashbal - Lion Cubs   [Boys Belonging To The Islamic State] in the Islamic Law Institute. The pictures that were posted on the jihadi forum Shomoukh Al-Islam and elsewhere, show counselors and authorities on Islamic law awarding diplomas to boys who successfully completed the course.


A counselor awards a diploma and a present to a boy

 

ISIS Distributes SD Cards Loaded With Propaganda To Soldiers Stationed On Battlefronts

On September 1, 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) released a series of images showing the dissemination of propaganda and da'wa materials to its soldiers on the various fronts using SD cards.

 

Online ISIS Supporters Trade Tips For Growing Their Audiences, More Effectively Disseminating Propaganda

On August 15, 2015, a Tumblr blog posted an entry titled "How to be more effective on social media" instructing Islamic State (ISIS) supporters on ways to counter anti-ISIS posts by mainstream media and by individuals. The entry also offered strategies for championing their cause, and for winning Western hearts and minds.

 

Mali-Based Jihad Group Releases Video Of Romanian Hostage

On August 29, 2015, the Al-Murabitoun group, which is an Al-Qaeda affiliate in West Africa and Mali, released a video message from Iulian Ghergut, the Romanian man kidnapped by the group in early April in Burkina Faso.

 

Pakistani Urdu Daily: 'Good Ties Between Afghanistan And Pakistan Are... Essential... For The Rebirth Of The Muslim Ummah'; 'The International System Of The Caliphate's Foundation Will Be Established Here'

The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.

In a recent article, the Pakistani daily Roznama Islam argued that only an Afghan government established on the basis of Islam would be friendly to Pakistan. The daily maintained that Pakistan and Afghanistan enjoyed friendly relations only when the late Taliban leader Mullah Omar was at the helm of Afghan government affairs (1996-2001). The article, dated July 1, was published before the Afghan government announced on July 29 that Mullah Omar had died in April 2013 in Pakistan.

Share this Report: