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.
In light of the defeats suffered by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria and Iraq over the past year, there has been a change in its military doctrine on the battlefield. In recent weeks, the organization has been using tactics characteristic of guerilla warfare and temporarily abandoning the doctrine of conquering and holding large areas.
On January 8, 2018, Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen claimed via its news agency, that it carried out an IED attack in Mogadishu which resulted in the destruction of a military vehicle and the killing of US-trained soldiers from the Somali special forces unit called the Alpha Force. Following that attack, on January 9, 2018, two pro-Al-Shabab Somali Telegram channels posted reports about the U.S. presence in Somalia, the U.S.-trained Somali soldiers, and the Al-Shabab activities against them.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), an Islamic militant group fighting for Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar (previously known as Burma), has issued a statement saying it has "no option" but to keep fighting against the Burmese Army.
EXCLUSIVE: French Jihadis Celebrate Third Anniversary Of Charlie Hebdo Attack
Two Al-Qaeda trained operatives massacred most of the staff at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on January 7, 2015, in an act of revenge against its publication of several caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.
On December 18, 2017, a French fighter in Syria who is affiliated with Al-Qaeda shared a five-minute audio message that he recorded, calling on Muslims in France and Europe to embark upon jihad to defend Islam and the Muslims.
Issue 22 of the Turkestan Al-Islamiyyah, the Arabic-language magazine of the Uyghur jihad group Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), which was released online on January 4, 2018, featured an article titled "The Islamic Shari'a And The Obligation To Be A Good Neighbor," by the group's leader Abdallah Mansour.
Issue 22 of the Turkestan Al-Islamiyyah, the Arabic-language online magazine of the Uyghur jihad group Islamic Turkestan Party (TIP), featured an interview with Siraj Al-Din, an Islamic studies student who left East Turkestan (Xinxiang province, China) to join the jihad in Syria.
On January 8, 2018, the Turkestani Islamic Party (TIP) posted several photographs and a two-minute video showing a convoy of reinforcements that the organization sent to southern Idlib Province to aid the rebel forces headed by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
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EXCLUSIVE: Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban) Review Of 2017 Jihadi Activity
Given below is the text of an annual report by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) giving details of the Taliban's jihadi activities in Afghanistan during 2017.
The editorial of the latest issue of Al-Naba, the weekly news bulletin of the Islamic State (ISIS), is devoted to the current protests in Iran. Titled "People of Iran, Grasp the Most Trustworthy Handhold", it states that the most important message of these protests is one of disbelief in the Rule of the Jurisprudent (i.e., the Iranian regime) and its legitimacy.
ISIS Publishes Photos Of Artillery Course Graduates In Kunar, Afghanistan
On January 8, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) Khorasan Province released a pictorial report featuring the graduates of an artillery course in Kunar province, Afghanistan. The graduates belong to a military camp named after ISIS's slain spokesman Abu Muhammad Al-'Adnani.
A video released on January 6, 2108 by the Islamic State's (ISIS) "Al-Baraka Province" in Syria documents raids on positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as well as a car-bomb attack on a Syrian army headquarters in the village of Madhloum, where, according to the video, Russian troops are stationed.
ISIS Publishes Photographs Of Weapons Looted From Nigerian Army Base In Borno
On January 5, 2018, The Islamic State (ISIS) West Africa province published photographs of dead bodies and looted weapons taken from the Nigerian army. The photographs were taken by ISIS fighters following their attack on a Nigerian Army base in Kanama Village in Borno State, in northeastern Nigeria.
On January 8, 2018, Al-Sahab, the media arm of Al-Qaeda, released a statement in which the group's leadership urged its fighters in Syria to cooperate with all jihadi factions there to fight against the Syrian regime, the Shi'ites, the Crusaders, and the Islamic State (ISIS).
Photographs of Osama Bin Laden's Sons in An Iranian Prison
A Telegram channel run by a person who describes himself as "a supporter of the Al-Qaeda organization" published a photograph of three of Osama Bin Laden's sons – Muhammad, Laden, and Hamza in Iran.
On January 4, 2017, Syria-based jihadi preacher sheikh 'Abdallah Al-Muhaysini launched an online campaign urging Islamic organizations and Muslims around the world to donate money to help provide tents and heaters to Syrian refugees.
Danish ISIS Supporter Takes Requests To Unlock Suspended Accounts On Instagram
On December 29, 2017, a Danish Instagram user, who is a supporter of the Islamic State (ISIS), posted an Instagram "story" in which he says that more than 35 individuals have direct messaged him requesting assistance in unlocking their suspended accounts.
On January 8, 2018, a pro-Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) Telegram channel named "HTS Elite Forces" promoted a bot that allows users to request archival jihadi content.
On December 21, 2017, the administrator of an unofficial media group uploaded a video on YouTube explaining the continued importance of remaining online despite account suspensions and removal of content.
A jihadi account on Telegram has posted an audio speech by a Pakistani jihadi commander, the emir of the jihadi organization Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM).
A militant commander of the Pakistan-backed Kashmiri jihadi group Hizbul Mujahideen has called upon militants in Jammu and Kashmir to use acid attacks against election officials and candidates in the state.
PhD Candidate In Geology At India's Aligarh Muslim University Joins Kashmir Jihad
A research scholar from Jammu and Kashmir who was pursuing a PhD in Applied Geology at India's Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has joined the Kashmir jihad, according to The Indian Express daily.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) recently issued a statement offering Afghans amnesty to join the Taliban-led jihad.
Jordan: 17 Members Of ISIS Cell Captured, Preventing Terrorist Attacks
On January 8, 2018, the General Intelligence Directorate in Jordan reported the arrests, in November 2017, of the members of an ISIS cell that had planned to perpetrate several simultaneous terrorist attacks in the kingdom.
