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November 9, 2017 JTTM Weekly No. 298

Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Weekend Summary

November 9, 2017
JTTM Weekly No. 298

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: HTS Fighter Launches Online Campaign Urging Jihadis To Come To Syria, Says Five Agreed To Return To Syria From Germany

On November 1, 2017, Ahmad Al-Qa'qa', a young fighter and preacher in Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), launched an online campaign urging jihadis to return to the frontlines in Syria. According to the self-described preacher and mujahid, many fighters have agreed to return to the frontlines, including five who are in Germany.

EXCLUSIVE: Jihadi Social Media – Account Review (JSM-AR) New Mexico ISIS Sympathizer Active On Facebook

The following information is based on a general overview of a social media account demonstrating terror-related activity / sympathies

Platform: Facebook

Additional information: According to posts from his Facebook account, it appears that he resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

EXCLUSIVE: Militant In Syria, Likely French, Shares Photos Of Weapons, Hotel On Facebook

A Facebook user appears to be a French man fighting in northern Syria. He does not make any reference to any specific group, nor does he post any text.

EXCLUSIVE: ISIS Video Downplays Group's Defeats, Calls Defectors Like German National Harry Sarfo 'Hypocrites'

On November 8, 2017, the media office of the Islamic State (ISIS) Al-Barakh Province released a video in which the group downplayed its defeats in Iraq and Syria and stressed that it has managed to overcome many hardships and much strife in the past.

EXCLUSIVE: ISIS Al Naba' Newsletter Advises Operatives In The West On Planning And Carrying Out Attacks

In the November 10, 2017 issue of its weekly news bulletin Al-Naba’, the Islamic State (ISIS) included an infographic titled "Words of Advice to the Mujahideen in the Enemy Territories," advising mujahideen on how to plan an attack and what to do during planning and during the attack itself.

EXCLUSIVE: New Group Claims Deadly Ambush On Egyptian Security Forces Southwest Of Cairo

On November 3, 2017, a hitherto unknown group that calls itself Ansar Al-Islam publicly claimed responsibility for the largescale ambush against Egyptian security forces which occurred on October 20, 2017, in the Al-Wahat Al-Bahriyyah area ("the Bahriyyah Oasis") southwest of Cairo.

In New Audio, Osama Bin Laden's Son Hamza Bin Laden Calls On Muslims To Target Americans To Avenge His Father, Urges Preparations For New Armed Uprising

On November 7, 2017, the Al-Qaeda media wing Al-Sahab released an audio recording by Hamza bin Laden, the son of Osama bin Laden, on its Telegram channel. In the recording, titled "Osama... The Fighter Against Invaders And The Inciter of Rebellion Against Tyrants," Hamza emphasizes his father's role in igniting the spirit of jihad across the Muslim ummah and in transforming jihad from "the jihad of the elite to the jihad of the ummah."

ISIS Supporters Persist In Publishing Intimidating Posters Targeted At The 2018 World Cup And Against Western Interests

Media groups identified with the Islamic State (ISIS) such as Al-Waqar and Al-Wafa' continued in recent days to publish posters threatening the World Cup games to be hosted by Russia in summer 2018.

Profile Of A Group Fundraising Online In English – In Bitcoin – For The Jihad In Syria

A jihadi organization, which says it is a charity organization, is running an English-language fundraising campaign, on Telegram and other social media such as Facebook, to raise money from Western supporters to finance the fight against the Assad regime in northeastern Syria.

Pro-ISIS Media Group Circulates Poster On Telegram Threatening 'Specter Of Terrorism' In France

On November 8, 2017, the pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Al-Wafa media group released a poster threatening France on Telegram.

ISIS Offshoot In South Syria Releases Photos Documenting Military Training

On November 6, 2017, the jihadist group Khaled Bin Al-Walid Army (JKBW) operating in the Al-Yarmuq basin and serving as an unofficial branch of ISIS in South Syria published a series of photos showing its members undergoing military training at the Abu Hashem Al-Ansari military base.

ISIS Affiliate In Syria Khalid Bin Al-Walid Army Prints Its Own School Books, Runs Children's School

On November 2, 2017, the Islamic State (ISIS)-affiliated Nasher News Telegram outlets published a pictorial report documenting some of the Khalid bin Al-Walid Army education department's activities in Syria.

'Al-Naba' Urges ISIS Members To Refrain From Spreading Demoralizing Rumors

Issue #104 of Al-Naba, the weekly news bulletin of the Islamic State (ISIS), features a poster urging readers to refrain from spreading rumors and criticism that could demoralize the Muslims and diminish their determination to fight their enemies.

Pro-ISIS Tech Body Publishes Tutorial On Encryption Utility VeraCrypt On Telegram

On October 14, 2017, the Telegram channel of a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) technical body published a tutorial on installing and using VeraCrypt, an open-source disc encryption utility.

Pro-ISIS Tech Group Promotes Account On Decentralized Encrypted Chat App Riot.im, Publishes App Tutorial In English

On November 5, 2017, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) tech entity posted a link to its channel on Riot.im, which is a decentralized and encrypted chat platform based on Matrix, a decentralized open standard communication platform.

Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) Releases Part 3 Of 'Truth About Chinese Media' Video Series

On November 4, 2017, the Syrian branch of the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) released the third installment of its video series titled "The Truth about the Chinese Media." The video, about 20 minutes long and speaking in Uyghur.

Pro-ISIS Kashmiri Group Declares Taliban Members Apostates And Denounces Their Treatment Of Women

On November 4, 2017, the pro-ISIS media project called "Did You Know?" released a 7-minute video with the title "The Deviation of the Taliban," which argues that members of the Taliban should be considered disbelievers. The video was distributed on the group's Telegram channel, and is said to be the first episode in a series. The decision to declare that Taliban adherents are apostates clearly places the project in the pro-ISIS and anti-Al-Qaeda camp on the jihadi ideological spectrum.

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