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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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.
On January 18, 2013, the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat published an interview with the spokesman for the Northern Mali jihadi organization Ansar Al-Din, Sanad Ould Bouamama. In the interview, Sanad Ould Bouamama said that the mujahideen were in excellent shape, and that they still controlled the Kona and Diabaly fronts, as well as other areas, and that the French were not advancing towards them or bombing them. He added that if there were any claims that the French had launched an attack on them, these could refer to a media attack or an online attack, but not an attack on the ground.
Muhammad Al-Nigeri, a new member of the Ansar Al-Mujahideen Arabic Forum (AMAF), announced the establishment of a pro-Al-Qaeda group in Niger that would monitor all movements by French troops in Niamey, the country's capital city. Al-Nigeri's announcement was posted in a thread titled "A Call to Target French Interests," initiated by forum member 'Abd Al-Rahman bin 'Abd Al-Rahman. In the post, Al-Nigeri lists three locations he says the group intends to monitor: "There are three targets: the French embassy, which is near the American embassy; Hotel Quawey, where a number of French officers stay; and Grand Hotel, which also hosts many soldiers."
On January 17, 2013, Abu Khabab Al-Muhajir, a member of the Ansar Al-Mujahideen Arabic Forum (AMAF), posted what he described as an "exclusive photo" of Abu Al-Baraa, who was described by several sources as having led the recent operation in which foreigners were taken hostage at a BP gas plant in southeastern Algeria.
The Mauritanian news agency Nouakchott reports, citing sources in the "Al-Muwaqi'oun fi Al-Dima" organization, that the perpetrators of the BP gas plant operation were nationals of Algeria, Egypt, Niger, Mauritania and Canada.
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On January 17, 2013, the news website Sahara Media reported that 36 of the 41 foreign hostages seized by the jihadi group Al-Muwaqi'un Bi-Dimaa at a BP gas plant in southeastern Algeria had been killed in an Algerian army incursion against the facility.
Exclusive: American Volunteer In Ranks Of Syrian Rebels Threatens To Kill Bashar Al-Assad
Following is an excerpt from an address by an American “mujahid” in Syria, which was posted on the Internet on January 15, 2013.
American "mujahid": Bashar Al-Assad, your days are numbered. You are going down in flames. You should just quit now, while you can, and leave. You are going to die, no matter what. Where you go we will find you and kill you. Do you understand? And your shabiha is going to die also with you, no matter what.
[...]
American Jihadi In Somalia Abu Mansour Al-Amriki Appeals To Al-Zawahiri For Help
Following are excerpts from a video featuring American Jihadi in Somalia Abu Mansour Al-Amriki, which was posted on the Internet on January 7, 2013:
Abu Mansour Al-Amriki: I appeal to our sheik [Ayman Al-Zawahiri], Allah’s mercy and blessings upon him. I will not elaborate on how good you were to me. Let me cut to the chase: my personal situation in this country. You may have heard about it in the news. What is required from you and from the people around you is to help as much as you can, keeping in mind the continuation [of JIhad] rather than supporting the majority.
[...]
Footage Of U.S. Marines Deployed Outside U.S. Embassy In Sanaa, Yemen
Following are excerpts from footage showing U.S. Marines in Yemen, which aired on Al-Masirah TV on January 8, 2013.
Reporter: Al-Masirah TV has obtained this exclusive video, showing U.S. Marines deployed outside the U.S. embassy in Sanaa and around the Sheraton Hotel. This comes as information has been leaked regarding American intentions to build U.S. military bases in Yemen, as well as thousands of housing units for the Marines.
[...]
Ansar Al-Shari'a In Tunisia Post Video Of Benghazi Suspect's Release
On January 8, 2013, Ansar Al-Shari'a in Tunisia released a video showing the release from prison of member 'Ali Al-Harzi. Al-Harzi, 28, was arrested in October by the Tunisian authorities on suspicion of involvement in the September 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. The video, nearly six minutes in duration, shows Al-Harzi being embraced and congratulated by friends upon his release. It was posted on one of Ansar Al-Shari'a's Facebook pages.
In a January 8, 2013 statement on its Facebook page, Al-Murabiteen, the media foundation of the Salafi-jihadi organization Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad Movement in West Africa (MOJWA), announced the launch of its online forum and media server. According to the statement, the Al-Murabiteen network, which is hosted on a Yahoo server in Sunnyvale, CA, would join the jihadi media front, which it praised for "angering the enemies of Allah."
In a recent interview, Zabihullah Mujahid, the main spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban's shadow government in the country, assessed the situation of the Afghan jihad, noting that 2012 was "more triumphant for us as compared to all the previous jihad years."
The Taliban website also published a statement on January 11, when Afghan President Hamid Karzai was meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama to discuss the size of U.S. forces to remain in Afghanistan after 2014. Below are excerpts from the Taliban's January 11 statement, followed by excerpts from the Zabihullah Mujahid interview.
Taliban January 11 Statement: "No Sooner Will The Foreigners Quit Than The Afghans Will Start Living Under The Cover Of An Islamic Government And In The Environment Of Islamic Brotherhood"
"Karzai has started his journey towards America with the intention to discuss the extension of [American] invaders' stay in Afghanistan for a few more years…. Beyond doubt the invading forces will ultimately quit because the Afghans have always safeguarded this country with their own arms. They have lived in a free and independent environment. They have never relied upon the power of alien forces…. No sooner will the foreigners quit [in 2014] than the Afghans will start living under the cover of an Islamic government and in the environment of Islamic brotherhood. At present, the American officials have raised the possibility of evacuating all their troops from Afghanistan; it demonstrates that just like the French people, the American people have also accurately perceived the ground realities…."
