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.)
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EXCLUSIVE: Rebel Fighters Offer Bounty For Captured Russians In Syria
Fighters critical of Russia's recent intervention in Syria have taken to Twitter to offer bounties for captured Russian soldiers.
On September 30, a self-described, freelance reporter and translator on jihadi affairs, shared the tweets of a rebel fighter and a sheikh offering rewards: "[Jabhat Al-] Nusra Shaykh Abu Hassan & another rebel offer 2.5 million SYP to whoever captures a Russian soldier. Aprox $13.2K USD."
EXCLUSIVE: Uyghur Families Colonize Syrian Village
Mayadeen TV recently reported on Uyghurs fighting alongside ISIS and Jabhat Al-Nusra in Syria. A Syrian village was being transformed into "a settlement for hundreds of Uyghur Turkistani families who are fleeing China," according to the TV report, which aired on September 3, 2015. The report also said that hundreds of Uyghur children were learning how to fight in ISIS schools and training camps.
Click here to view this clip on MEMRI TV
Voice Over: "Abu Rida, the emir of the Turkistan Islamic Party, was killed. Turkistani flags fly in the main square of Jisr Al-Shughur, after the (Uyghur fighters) played a vital role in its conquest. After the raid, this Syrian city looks more like China than Damascus. Thousands of Chinese Turkistani families were resettled in the area, especially in the village of Zanbaq."
EXCLUSIVE: London-Based Muslim Charity Aids Woman On Bail Who Has Twitter Ties To ISIS
HHUGS, a non-profit charity organization providing "practical support and advice to households devastated by the arrest of a family member under U.K.-anti terror legislation," has provided food aid to a woman with ties to ISIS on Twitter.
The charity explains its mission on the "About" section of its website: "HHUGS is the only charity of its kind operating in the U.K. and from its inception in 2004, has been a beacon of light to over a hundred families who struggle to survive in the shadows of society. HHUGS does not aim simply to alleviate financial hardship but to provide the crucial emotional and moral support and practical skills necessary to empower the hidden victims of the War on Terror to re-emerge from the darkness as confident individuals and full members of society."
It is worth noting that HHUGS does not appear to follow any accounts supporting jihad on Twitter. However, some jihad supporters themselves do follow and promote the organization. Additionally, in late August, a link to a Justgiving page raising funds for HHUGS was circulated by a pro-jihadi Twitter account, and the message was retweeted by a Jabhat Al-Nusra fighter.
The Islamic State's Frantic Response To The Wave Of Refugees Fleeing Syria
By: R. Green*
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The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
Introduction
In response to the refugee crisis involving the migration to Europe of hundreds of thousands of people from Syria and other Middle Eastern countries, the Islamic State (ISIS) has launched a large-scale media campaign urging Muslims not to seek refuge in the West but rather to come to the territories under its control. As part of the campaign, ISIS has released 13 videos and has published numerous articles and pamphlets; additionally, its activists have flooded social media with this message, including with a Twitter campaign under the hashtag "Refugees - to where?"
ISIS Yemen Video Shows Executions Of Houthi Captives, Destruction Of Security Prison
On September 30, 2015, ISIS in 'Aden/Abyan released a video showing clashes with Houthi fighters, public execution of captives, the distribution of flyers to motorists, and the destruction of a security prison. The video, which was posted on leading ISIS-affiliated jihadi forum Shumoukh Al-Islam, also featured dozens of ISIS fighters attacking buildings controlled by Houthi forces in at least two locations.
ISIS Releases Sixth Issue Of French-Language Magazine 'Dar Al-Islam'
On September 27, 2015, the Islamic State's (ISIS) Al-Hayat Media Center released the sixth issue of its French-language magazine Dar Al-Islam. The issue was distributed on the pro-ISIS jihadi forum Shumoukh Al-Islam as well as via Twitter; it is hosted on file-sharing platforms.
This issue of the magazine presents ISIS's ideological and theological arguments aimed at French-speaking Muslims. It stresses the religious legitimacy of ISIS and denounces the hypocrisy of its enemies. There is subtle emphasis on dissuading those who could be tempted to leave ISIS and return to the West, suggesting that desertion by its Western fighters could be a problem for the group.
On September 28, a pro-ISIS Twitter account noted that senior Jabhat Al-Nusra cleric Shaykh Abdullah Al-Muhaysini had been suspended from Twitter, following a campaign by online ISIS supporters reporting his account. According to the tweet, the Saudi-born Syria-based sheikh has now moved to Instagram to share his messages; his first Instagram post was dated September 26, 2015. At one point, Muhaysini's Twitter account had over 300,000 followers.
So far on Instagram, Muhaysini has shared a handful of photos and short videos. At the time of this writing, his Instagram account boasts 1,572 followers.
Jihadis Promote New AQAP Channel On Secure Communications App 'Telegram'
On September 26, 2015, a Twitter account reported that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) now has a channel on the secure communications app Telegram. The channel, according to the tweet, will be used to disseminate the group's news and releases.
Telegram, which runs on various operating systems, including desktops and smartphones, and which can be also accessed directly on the Web, allows users to send encrypted messages, among other things.
AQAP Criticizes ISIS Bombing Of Mosques In Yemen
On Oct 1, 2015, Al-Malahem, the media arm of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), published a video titled "Bombings of Mosques - Disapproval and Exhortation", in which Khaled Batarfi, a prominent member of the group, criticized ISIS for bombing mosques in Yemen.
TIP Declares GIMF The Official Media Outlet For Its Productions
On September 29, 2015, the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), a jihad organization of Uyghur Muslims from East Turkestan (Xinjiang) in western China, announced that its media office has established a relationship with the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF), and that it has become "the only official outlet" to release materials on behalf of its " Voice of Islam" (Sawt al-Islam) group.
On September 28, 2015, Al-Malahem, the media arm of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), published a video statement in which AQAP senior commander Khaled Batarfi called on Muslims and jihadi groups to support the mujahideen in Palestine, make attacking the U.S. a "top priority," and revolt against the "traitor rulers" of the Muslim countries. Batarfi also praised the Palestinian "Fedayeen" who have carried various attacks against the Israelis and called on Muslim to support the mujahideen in Syria, which he considered a "very important issue and closely related" to the Palestinian issue.
Taliban commander Qari Rahmat Din
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban shadow government) has released a new video showing Taliban fighters attacking Afghan security forces in the country's eastern Nuristan province.
The video, which is slightly over 59 minutes long, is titled "Nuristan" and was produced by the Islamic Emirate's Al-Emarah Jihadi Studio. It was released by the Culture Affairs Commission, which is a propaganda wing of the Islamic Emirate. The video contains brief speeches by some Taliban commanders, including current and former governors of Nuristan and Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, the new leader of the Afghan Taliban.
