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: Al-Battar Article: The West, Headed By America, Is Promoting A Distorted Islam
On May 29, 2017, the ISIS-affiliated media outlet Al-Battar posted an article titled "Religion that Pleases the Cross Will Neither Achieve Its Goal nor Restore the Stolen Truth," by a writer calling himself "Al-Dhari Al-Maqdisi." The article – posted with a banner showing U.S. President Trump with Prince Muhammad bin Salman – warns Muslims that the West, headed by the U.S., seeks to spread a distorted version of Islam with the help of "evil scholars," i.e., the establishment clerics.
A'maq Video Shows Fighting Between ISIS, Philippine Troops In Streets Of Marawi
A short video released May 31, 2017 by ISIS's news agency A'maq shows ISIS operatives fighting Philippine Army troops in the streets of Marawi in the southern Philippines.
ISIS Supporters: ISIS Presence In The Philippines Threatens Australia, China, And Western Economy
The onslaught on the city of Marawi, the capital and largest city of the province of Lanao del Sur on the southern Philippines island of Mindanao, by Islamic State (ISIS) fighters thrilled supporters of the group online who were quick to utilize the events for propaganda purposes. A pro-ISIS Telegram channel called "Wilayat Misr" [Egypt Province], designed a series of posters celebrating ISIS gains in the Philippines. The text on the posters describes these gains as the expansion of ISIS into the region of East Asia, and claims that this will harm the Western and Chinese economies, as it poses a threat to trade, shipping, and tourism in the region.
On May 29, 2017 a Philippine ISIS operative active on Telegram posted a message in English threatening to behead hostages in Marawi if the Philippine government did not stop fighting the ISIS troops there.
On May 25, 2017, an Islamic State (ISIS) recruitment official in Al-Khayr province in Syria said that hundreds of men have joined the group's ranks as a result of the recently launched "Answer the Call" recruitment campaign, including elderly men and men with disabilities.
On May 29, 2017, a French media operative close to Al-Qaeda posted on his Telegram channel a written message by a French-speaking woman in Islamic State (ISIS) territory, likely in Al-Raqqa, Syria.
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Issue 83 of the Islamic State (ISIS) weekly Al-Naba' featured an infographic that highlighted the group's recent attacks against "belligerent" Christians in Egypt, including the May 26 deadly attack in Minya that targeted a bus full of Christians on their way to St. Samuel monastery. A previously released message by the head of ISIS's soldiers in Egypt accompanied the infographic, justifying the targeting of Christians in the country while vowing to continue attacks against them.
An article posted May 29, 2017 by the ISIS-affiliated media outlet Al-Battar brags that, thanks to ISIS, Egypt's Christians are no longer controlling the country, but have returned to their proper degraded condition.
ISIS Supporters On Telegram Celebrate Killing Of Coptic Christians In Egypt
On May 26, 2017, on various social media platforms, multiple pro-Islamic State (ISIS) accounts are celebrating today's attack in Egypt, in which masked gunmen opened fire on a bus full of Coptic Christians in Minya province in Egypt, killing and wounding more than 50 people.
ISIS Claims Responsibility For Bus Shooting Of Christian Copts In Egypt
On May 27, 2017, the Islamic State (ISIS) in Egypt claimed responsibility for the May 26 bus shooting attack against Christian Copts in Minya province, Egypt that left 29 people dead and dozens wounded.
ISIS Claims Responsibility For Resort Attack In Philippines
On June 2, 2017, the Islamic State (ISIS) in East Asia claimed responsibility for the resort attack in Manila, the Philippines which left at least 37 dead. According to the statement which was posted on multiple pro-ISIS Telegram channels and Twitter account, a fighter named Abu Al-Khayr Al-Arkhabily had carried a deep strike operation using a machine gun to target a gathering of "belligerent Christians" in Resort World resort in Manila. The statement also noted that Al-Arkhabily was "martyred" after he managed to kill and injure "about 100 Christians."
On May 31, 2017, "Hozaifa Abo Alyaman" announced on his Facebook page that his older brother, Rayan Mash'al, had been killed in a coalition bombing that struck his home in the city of Al-Mayadin, Syria.
In the past few days, the pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Ashhad media foundation has posted appeals on Telegram for help in opening accounts on social media platforms, including on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, to be used for disseminating ISIS content.
On June 1, 2017, the Nasher News Agency, a top online disseminator of Islamic State (ISIS) content, published a poster expressing appreciation for ISIS supporters' work on Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube and Instagram.
Al-Qaeda In Mali (GSIM): 'Our Targets Are First Of All France, Then Mali And All Apostates'
On May 27, 2017 Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimin (The Group for Supporting Islam and Muslims, GSIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliate operating in the African Sahel, published its first video, titled "Deterring the Transgressors."
Al-Shabab Video Documents January 2017 Attack On Kenyan Soldiers In Southern Somalia
On May 30, 2017, the Somali Al-Qaeda branch of Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen released a video documenting the group's major January 27 attack on Kenyan soldiers in the town of Kulbiyow in the Lower Jubba. Over 60 Kenyan soldiers were killed in that attack.
Ansar Al-Sharia In Libya: We're Disbanding, Ceasing Operations
On May 28, 2017, Ansar Al-Sharia, the Salafi-jihadi organization active in Libya which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda, published an official statement announcing that it is disbanding and ceasing operations.
