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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In an interview broadcast in installments on AlaanTV, Abu Al-Qassem Al-Suri, the ISIS Emir in charge of weapon depots in Syria and Iraq who defected from the organization, talked about Al-Baghdadi's disappearance from the scene, the consequent uncertainty about the leadership, and the demoralization felt among ISIS members, commanders, and emirs. Everybody in ISIS knows that the organization is "on its way to perdition," he said. "There are no victories, no conquests. Nothing but defeat, defeat, and more defeat." On the issue of chemical weapons, Al-Suri said that ISIS had obtained "considerable quantities" of sarin, chlorine, and mustard gas from Tel Afar and was carrying out experiments in the Mosul University labs to develop chemical weapons. Talking about the drop in oil revenues, he said that this had led ISIS to raise the zakkat and that it imposed taxes on trucks carrying supplies and forced wealthy traders to cover the costs of battles. In another installment, he said that the burning alive of Jordanian pilot Muath Al-Kasasbeh had been a "mistake" that ISIS regrets, a "major turning-point" that "changed the way many people viewed the Caliphate." "The [Islamic] State is nothing but a racist militia," Al-Suri said. The installments of the interview ran from January 23 to February 5.
EXCLUSIVE: Hizbullah Launches Online Fundraising Campaign
On February 7, 2017, Hizbullah launched an online fundraising campaign on social media urging its followers to donate money to equip its fighters. The campaign was announced on the Hizbullah website Al-'Ahd and on Twitter.
On February 7, 2017, the Jihadi Library, a Pro-Al-Qaeda Telegram channel, published an essay by prominent jihadi writer Hussam Al-Amawi, in which he claimed that Al-Qaeda has changed U.S. history and took part in causing the decline of its global status. In the essay, which is titled "Al-Qaeda Has Changed the History of the U.S.," Al-Amawi considered the February 1998 statement issued by Osama bin Laden and others, in which they declared war on the U.S. as "the moment when the countdown for the [end of] American imperialism had started."
EXCLUSIVE: Saudi Court Begins Trial Of ISIS Members Who Planned To Attack Americans
On February 6, 2017, a court in Riyadh began the trial of two Saudi citizens who are accused of planning to carry out attacks against American security personnel in Riyadh. The two were in contact via Twitter with a female Islamic State (ISIS) recruiter.
On February 9, 2017, the Islamic State (ISIS) released issue 67 of its weekly newsletter Al-Naba', which featured an article about ISIS's recent unveiling of its weaponized Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), or drones, and boasting about drone attacks that the group managed to carry out in the last week in Iraq and Syria.
On February 6, 2017, Sawt Al-Islam, the media arm of the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), an Uyghur jihadi organization fighting alongside groups associated with Al-Qaeda in Syria, released a video featuring a jihadi song (nasheed) highlighting the presence of its fighters in Syria and the sacrifices they have made throughout the journey there, and urging them to "strive hard" and remain steadfast in the battlefronts.
Claim: Iran Training Houthis, Bahrainis To Hijack Airplanes
A Twitter account called "A defector from Hezbullah", the authenticity of which is not clear, reported about an Iranian intention to escalate against the Gulf countries and that it is training its proxies to hijack airplanes.
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Warning: Extremely Graphic - ISIS Video From Al-Raqqah Documents Slaughtering Of PKK 'Agent'
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On February 1, 2017, the pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Sawa'eq media group published a poster showing the recently-unveiled ISIS attack drones targeting U.S landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, and Capitol Building in Washington (which is also shown destroyed in the poster).
Suspicious Social Media Activity: French-Speaking ISIS Supporter
The following information is based on a general overview of a social media account demonstrating terror-related activity / sympathies.
Female Spanish ISIS Sympathizer Shares Her Experiences In Syria On Facebook
The following information is based on a general overview of a social media account demonstrating terror-related activity / sympathies.
ISIS Release Images Of Weaponized UAV Attacks Across Iraq
On February 05, 2017, ISIS released three sets of photos documenting the organization's weaponized UAV attacks in Iraq. The photos, taken in real time by the UAVs themselves, show grenades being dropped from the drones on Iraqi army and the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) targets in different locations in the county. These pictures demonstrate that ISIS's use of multirotor drones to drop grenades on enemy targets can no longer be considered an isolated event and constitutes a real threat to ground forces. The images were released to sow fear among ISIS's enemies.
ISIS-Sinai Claims Grad Rocket Attack On Eilat
In a February 9, 2017 communique, the Islamic State (ISIS) in Sinai claimed responsibility for the Grad rocket attack on the Israeli city of Eilat the night before.
Article In Weekly Associated With Al-Qaeda Opposes Women's Participation In Jihad
In an article published in the weekly Al-Masra, which is associated with Al-Qaeda, an Algerian writer named Abu Ruwaha Hisham opposed Muslim women's participation in jiahd wars. The article, titled "The Call of the Whistleblower: Be Gentle With the Women" (a reference to a hadith), explains that the damage caused by a woman falling captive is dozens of times worse than her practical contribution to the struggle, as important as it may be. It also argues that women should not be allowed to participate in the information war, even if it takes place in their countries of origin.
In Posthumous Message, Al-Qaeda Figure Abu Yahya Al-Libi Speaks To Women On The Jihadi Fronts
On February 1, 2017, the Al-Qaeda media division Al-Sahab posthumously released a 40-minute video by Al-Qaeda commander Abu Yahya Al-Libi, who was killed in a drone strike in Pakistan in 2012. In the video, Al-Libi speaks to women on jihadi fronts, calling on them to be patient and tolerant for the adversity of life in the land of jihad, to take care of their husbands and children, and to teach the other women among them the Koran.
In an 11-minute video titled "This Is What Allah and his Messenger Promised Us," Qasim Al-Rimi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), praises his organization's fighters for their performance during the January 29, 2017 U.S. raid on AQAP in Yemen, claiming that the organization managed to inflict heavy losses on the American forces, although the U.S. refuses to acknowledge this. Noting that this is the first U.S. raid carried out by Trump, "the new fool in the White House" – who, unlike his predecessor Obama, has not yet learned his lesson and dares to attack in Yemen – he calls on the Yemeni tribes and on all Yemeni Muslims to stand as one man against the Americans and to "ignite the ground" under their feet.
On February 4, 2017, the Islamic State (ISIS) released Issue 6 of its Rumiyah magazine. The magazine, published simultaneously in multiple languages (English, French, German, Bosnian, Turkish, Pashtu, Persian, Urdu, and Indonesian) consists mostly of content from the organization's official Arabic weekly, Al-Naba'. It was distributed online via Telegram, Twitter and other social media.
ISIS Supporters React To President Trump's Immigration Policy On Facebook, Instagram
Since assuming office on January 20, and especially since signing the executive order suspending entry into the U.S. for citizens from seven Muslim countries for 90 days, there has been a noticeable increase in negative and threatening comments about Donald Trump by ISIS supporters on social media. The countries included in the executive order are Syria, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Libya, Yemen, and Sudan. Facebook and Instagram users circulated their own opinions, and disseminated various related infographics on the social media platforms. Some users criticized Trump, while others blamed Obama and the United States as a whole.
Since assuming office on January 20, and especially since signing the executive order suspending entry into the U.S. for citizens from seven Muslim countries for 90 days, there has been a noticeable increase in negative comments about Donald Trump by ISIS supporters on social media. These comments worsened further following an American commando operation against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) bases in Yemen on January 29, 2016, which also resulted in the deaths of civilians, including children. On commenter predicted that at least one war would break out with American involvement during the Trump presidency. Another mocked Trump's plan to eliminate ISIS in 30 days, claiming that since ISIS is based on ideology, it will continuously reemerge like a phoenix. He estimated that Trump's policy would lead more frustrated Western Muslim youths to join the ranks of ISIS. Other commenters vowed that ISIS would avenge the victims of the operation in Yemen and continue to strike America in the heart of its home and target its interests around the world.
On February 6, 2017, the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), an Uyghur jihadi organization fighting alongside groups associated with Al-Qaeda in Syria, published the 28th entry in its "A Call from the Frontlines of Jihad" video series.
Taliban Releases Interview With Southern Zone Head Moulavi Rahimulla
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On February 4, 2017, the Taliban released, on its website, an exclusive interview with the head of its Southern Zone, Moulavi Rahimulla. The article with the interview explains that the Taliban Military Commission is divided into zones comprising the activities of several provinces, each of which is controlled by a separate organ of the Military Commission. The Southern Zone includes Helmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan, and Daikundi provinces. In the interview, Moulavi Rahimulla discusses specific military successes in which he played a key role.
The following is the full text of the interview.
"Question: First of all, if you could introduce yourself to our respected readers?
"Answer: My name is Moulavi Rahimullah from 'Nawa' district of 'Ghazni' province. Previously, I worked as the deputy governor of 'Ghazni' province, and then as a member of the Military Commission of the Islamic Emirate. For the last one year, I have been appointed as zonal in-charge of Military Commission for Kandahar, Helmand, Uruzgan and Daikundi provinces.
