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: Ansar Al-Din Commander Threatens Continued Attacks On French, Western Targets In Mali
Ansar Al-Din, an Al-Qaeda affiliate operating mainly in Mali, has released a 21-minute audio recording by one of its senior commanders, Abu Bara Al-Sharawi, titled "Message to the Cubs of the [Land] Mines and the Lions of the Explosive Charges."
EXCLUSIVE: Al-Qaeda Denounces Saudi Crown Prince For Receiving Award From CIA Director
In the eighth issue of its Al-Nafir Bulletin, released on February 15, 2017, Al-Qaeda condemned Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Naif for accepting a medal of honor from CIA Director Mike Pompeo. Al-Qaeda said that the "hateful Crusader" Pompeo had awarded the medal to bin Naif for his efforts in fighting Islam and the Muslims. The statement, posted on Al-Qaeda's official Telegram channel, reads:
A Telegram channel created November 17, 2016, has recently begun posting full copies of Islamic State textbooks in PDF format. The first post in the channel was made on January 3, 2017, and read: "We shall start, Allah willing, publishing the Islamic State curricula."
EXCLUSIVE: AQIM Video Eulogizes Fallen Commander, Threatens France
On February 16, 2017, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) released a video commemorating its commander, Abu Al-Nur Al-Andalusi, aka Zakariyya Muhammad Saeed, who had been killed by French forces in Mali in February 2016.
On February 15, 2017, the Fursan Al Sham Media Telegram channel released an article eulogizing a fighter who was killed by an airstrike. The slain fighter was either an American citizen, or had resided in the U.S. He died in a battle fighting with Jabhat Al-Nusra in the Aleppo area.
Posthumous Message By French ISIS Operative Rachid Kassim: Attack And Destroy France
On February 10, 2017, U.S. forces from the anti-ISIS coalition announced that a targeted strike carried out in Mosul, Iraq, had likely resulted in the death of prominent French operative Rachid Kassim.
The Islamic State (ISIS) has released a video calling for its supporters everywhere, including those in the West, to assassinate Islamic scholars whom ISIS accuses of being apostates, conspiring against the mujahideen, and supporting the "Crusader" West.
On February 13, 2017, the information office of the Islamic State (ISIS) in West Africa (formerly Boko Haram) released a 14-minute video titled "Blaze of Swords." The video focuses on ISIS's operations in West Africa, highlighting, inter alia, the oppression of Muslims by Christians and others there, the "Crusader" West's military and other involvement in the region, and ISIS's operations and activities.
ISIS-Sinai Releases Photos Of Its "Air-Defense Units"
SUPPORT OUR WORK
On February 11, the Islamic State (ISIS) in Sinai released a photo-report showcasing the activity of its "Air Defense Brigades." The report, which was issued by the organization's media bureau and posted on the ISIS-affiliated Telegram channel Nasher News, among other outlets, shows the soldiers calibrating the sights of portable anti-aircraft machine guns, following the activity of enemy aircraft and aiming MANPADs at them.
On February 14, 2017, the media office of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Ninawa province, Iraq, released a video featuring drone footage of martyrdom operations carried out by Syrian and Iraqi ISIS fighters, as well as by two Yazidi children. One of the Iraqi fighters says the he had initially fled to Turkey and then to an unspecified European country before returning to Iraq to join ISIS. The video also shows the ISIS fighters who participated in the martyrdom operations reminiscing about their life before and after joining the group.
On February 12, 2017, as part of its recent wave of attacks using drones, ISIS in Ninawa Province, Iraq, published images showing attack drones destroying what they called "Iraqi army communication units." The images, which were also posted on the Telegram channel Nasher News Agency 7, shows these units being attacked in the Al-Nabi Yunes area near Mosul and the Al-Mazare'. A mobile air traffic control tower is also shows being attacked in Al-Nabi Yunes.
Private Pro-ISIS Telegram Channel Promotes Use Of Weaponized Drones Against Targets In West
On February 12, 2017, the private pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram channel "Dawlat Islam News" suggested using drones equipped with homemade explosives and Molotov cocktails to target "apostate and unbeliever" facilities and targets across the Arab world and in the West. The call was posted in Arabic, English and French, with slight variations.
Al-Qaeda Media Arm Al-Sahab Releases Book Written In 2000 On Carrying Out Kidnapping Operations
On February 5, 2017, the Al-Qaeda's media wing Al-Sahab released a 39-page, four-chapter book, A Lecture on Kidnapping, written in 2000 by Al-Qaeda senior military commander Saif Al-Adl. The book, which Al-Adl dedicated, inter alia, to "Blind Sheikh" 'Omar 'Abd Al-Rahman and Egyptian scholar Abd Al-Hamid Kishk (d. 1996), outlines various guidelines for carrying out kidnapping operations.
Suspicious Social Media Activity: French-Speaking ISIS Supporter Praises Terror
The following information is based on a general overview of a social media account demonstrating terror-related activity / sympathies.
Platform: Facebook
Type of account: ISIS Supporter
Suspicious Social Media Activity: French Speaking ISIS Supporter Praises Terror
The following information is based on a general overview of a social media account demonstrating terror-related activity/sympathies
Platform: Twitter
Type of account: ISIS Supporter
Suspicious Social Media Activity: Female ISIS Supporter In Marseille
The following information is based on a general overview of a social media account demonstrating terror-related activity / sympathies
Platform: Facebook, YouTube
Type of account: ISIS Supporter
ISIS Supporter Uses 'Linktree' On Instagram To Circulate ISIS Videos And Bomb-Making Instructions
The profile of pro-ISIS Instagram user describes them as a reporter "reporting from my state" but it is unclear whether this individual is actually located within the Islamic State.
ISIS Supporter On Twitter Shares ISIS Videos Via German Document-Sharing Tool 'DocDroid'
On November 21, 2016, an English-speaking ISIS supporter on Twitter tweeted a link to the Munich-based DocDroid content-sharing tool which directs users to a document containing all Islamic State (ISIS) videos released from September 2014 to September 2016, in various languages.
On February 7, 2017, a post shared by the pro-ISIS Telegram channel "Maseralknanaa" warned that Telegram is a trap created by the West for ISIS supporters.
ISIS Announces New Domain For Its Al-Bayan Radio
On February 10, 2017, the Islamic State (ISIS) announced a new domain for its Al-Bayan radio. Users visiting the website (payanradio.be) can listen live to broadcasts radio, choosing between low- and high-quality streaming, and can also download Al-Bayan's Firefox add-on.
A'maq Agency Claims ISIS Fighters Killed Two Army Officers In The Philippines
On February 16, 2017, the Islamic State (ISIS) news agency A'maq reported that ISIS fighters had killed two army officers in the Philippines.
ISIS Khurasan Province Claims Responsibility For Martyrdom Attack On Sufi Shrine In Pakistan
On February 16, 2017, ISIS's Khurasan province issued a statement claiming responsibility for the martyrdom attack at Pakistan's Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Sufi shrine in the town of Sehwan on Thursday, February 16, 2017, and named the attacker as Uthman Al-Ansari.
Indonesian Sells Jihadi Products On Telegram, WhatsApp
On February 6 2017, a jihad fan on Telegram advertised photos of products he is offering for sale, providing a telephone and WhatsApp number for contact.
Taliban Releases Statement Marking 28th Anniversary Of Soviet Retreat From Afghanistan
On February 13, 2017, the Taliban released a statement on its website titled "Statement of Islamic Emirate Regarding 28th Anniversary of Retreat by Soviet Invaders." The statement compares the U.S. and the USSR, claiming that the Soviet Union was once a very powerful entity, but its involvement in Afghanistan contributed to its decline. The statement asserts that "if we look at the current situation, the state of America in Afghanistan is exactly the same as that of the Soviet Union during the final days of her invasion."
Following is the full text of the statement in the original English:
Taliban Condemns News Report By Radio Liberty (Radio Free Europe)
On February 12, 2017, the Taliban issued a statement condemning a report by Radio Liberty claiming that the governor of Helmand province, Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund, declared his opposition to the leader of the Taliban. Radio Liberty is funded by the United States government and states that its mission is to "report the news in 23 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate."
