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.
EXCLUSIVE: Picture Of Alleged American Fighter In Sirte, Libya
On December 25, 2016, a pro-ISIS account posted on Telegram and Twitter the picture of four young ISIS fighters of which one is allegedly an American. The undated picture was accompanied with the caption: "Picture of an American fighter (on the far left) in #Sirte (Abu Talha al-Amriki)".
On December 27, 2016, ISIS in the Caucasus published a 13-minute video titled "Now, Now is the Time for battle." The video, which was spread via Telegram, is in Russian with Arab subtitles, and centers around a shooting attack that ISIS carried out against police officers in the Chechen capital of Grozny on December 18.
On December 29, 2016, the ISIS media office in Al-Raqqa, Syria, released a video showing dozens of children from different backgrounds receiving military training using rifles and grenades, executing men accused of being spies and soldiers in the Syrian army, and vowing to attack the infidels in their homelands.
On December 28, 2016, the Telegram account of Islamic State (ISIS) supporter Wahj Al-Jazrawiyyin posted a banner that was originally posted on the Telegram account of the Al-Nasher information bureau, which was also operated by ISIS supporters and is no longer online.
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On December 22, 2016, Al-Naba', the weekly newspaper of the Islamic State (ISIS), reported that ISIS had carried out several attacks in the Philippines near churches and killed civilians in multiple areas using bombs, and that its fighters had also clashed with the army inside military bases and taken over at least two villages.
On December 22, 2016, ISIS in Aleppo province released a video lashing out at Turkey's military involvement in Syria and support for the various rebel factions fighting the Islamic State in the province. The video features a Turkish ISIS fighter who calls for attacks inside Turkey, and also shows two captured Turkish soldiers being burnt alive in retaliation for Turkey's bombing of Muslims in Syria.
Pro-ISIS Hacker Group Threatens Increased Cyber Attacks On West, Americans
On December 25, 2016, the pro-ISIS hacker group United Cyber Caliphate (UCC) issued a 12-minute audio message in Arabic titled "They Want to Distinguish the Light of Allah with Their Mouths [Koran 9:32]," threatens they will continue hacking into websites and computer systems of the West, the Shi'ites, and the Arab rulers and their "American masters" in order to obtain and publish hit lists, i.e., the names and addresses of potential targets for assassination.
On December 19, 2016, the pro-ISIS Telegram channel of Afaaq Library posted an illustrated document with step-by-step instructions for ISIS supporters on how to use different email services to protect their data and information from being traced and falling into the hands of intelligence agencies.
On December 9, 2016, several users on Instagram discussed the security of the encrypted messaging app Telegram.
On December 27, 2016, Ansar Al-Shari'a in Yemen, another name used by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), posted a statement on its Telegram channel stressing that the Al-Masra weekly newspaper is independent and not affiliated with AQAP.
On December 26, 2016, the Syrian branch of the Uyghur jihad group Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) released a video message featuring a fighter stationed at one of the battle frontlines in Syria.
The video, which is entirely in Uyghur and is not subtitled, is Part 26 in TIP's video series "A Call From The Frontlines Of Jihad."
Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) Video Commemorates Fighters Killed In Syria
On December 27, 2016, the Syrian branch of the Uyghur jihad organization Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) released a video commemorating its fighters who fell in Syria. The video is Part 20 in TIP's series "Lovers Of Paradise," which recounts the lives and deaths of various TIP fighters.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On December 26, 2016, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban's shadow government) issued a statement marking the 37th anniversary of the Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan. The statement praised the jihad against the Soviets at the time, and warned the U.S. and its allies that they too will be defeated.
Following is the text of the statement, in the original English:
"Thirty-seven years ago today on the 6th of Jaddi 1358 (Hijri Solar) [December 24, 1979], the Soviet Union launched a military invasion of our beloved homeland, Afghanistan.
"The military invasion against our poor defenseless people by the international idol of communism put our nation in at a terrifying crossroads. While looking at their weak state and strength of the enemy, if they were to choose surrender in front of the communist infidelity, they [would have] faced the prospect of elimination of their creed, religious values and Afghan culture as well as the danger of losing the upcoming generations to absolute misguidance and irreligiosity like the other Muslims nations ravaged by communism. And if they were to choose empty-handed resistance against a powerful foe, then they would have to face heavy casualties, hardships, migrations and losses. Our believing nation began armed jihad against the Soviet superpower in defense of their religion and beliefs and with the blessing of 14-year jihad and immense sacrifices, they defeated the communist atheism and shielded their nation and the world from this deadly plague."
