memri
January 20, 2018 Special Announcements No. 590

Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Weekend Summary

January 20, 2018
Special Announcements No. 590

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: Russian-Speaking ISIS Fighter Announces New 'Battalion,'  Threatens Terrorist Attacks In Russia In New Video

On January 18, 2018, supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS) distributed via Telegram a three-minute video in which an armed, masked man, speaking in Russian, announced the establishment of a new force that will operate for ISIS in Russia, especially in the Caucasus, and threatened terrorist attacks against Russia. Judging by his accent, the armed man is likely of Tatar or Bashkiri origin.

 

EXCLUSIVE: TIP Video: Syrian Sunni Cleric Calls On Wealthy Muslims To Donate To Jihadi Fighters In Syria

The Voice of Islam, the media outlet of the Turkestani Islamic Party (TIP), published a video on January 17, 2018, entitled "The Patience and the Money in Jihad," featuring the Syrian Sunni cleric Abu Ahmad Al-Shami.
 

EXCLUSIVE: At Martyr Conference In Sindh, Radical Pakistani Cleric Says: 'The Global Kufr [Unbelief] Could Not End The Jihad And Mujahideen Despite Employing Full Force'

Addressing the Anwar Ali Martyr Conference in Pakistan's Sindh province, radical Pakistani cleric Maulana Talha As-Saif said: "The global kufr [unbelief] could not end the jihad and mujahideen despite employing full force."

 

Al-Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Video Features Men Accused Of Spying, Announces Banning Of Cellphones, Internet

On January 17, 2018, Al-Malahem, the media arm of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), released a video stressing the danger of revealing the group's secrets over the phone or to other members, saying these actions had caused the death of hundreds of mujahideen.

 

Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) Leader Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani Condemns Syrian Factions Involved In Astana Accord, Urges Jihadi Groups To Unite

On January 16, 2018, Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) released an audio statement delivered by the group's leader Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani in which he condemned the Syrian factions for taking part in the Astana negotiations with the Syrian regime in Kazakhstan and accused them of thwarting the revolution and betraying the Syrian people.

 

ISIS Branch In Mali Claims Responsibility For Killing Of U.S. Special Forces Soldiers In Niger

On January 12, 2018, the Nouakchott News Agency published a communique issued by the Islamic State (ISIS) branch in Mali, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, led by Adnan Abu Al-Walid Al-Sahrawi, in which it claims responsibility for the attack against a joint patrol of U.S. Special Forces and soldiers of the Nigerian Army that was safeguarding the border area between Niger and Mali on October 4, 2017.

 

AQAP Claims Responsibility For Attack On Forces Loyal To UAE In Shabwa, Yemen

On January 11, 2018, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released a statement claiming responsibility for an attack which targeted forces loyal to the UAE in Shabwa, Yemen.

 

Syrian Opposition Telegram Channel Posts Photos Of ‎‎'Jaysh Al-Badiyah' Forces Al-Qaeda's Branch In Idlib, Syria

On January 11, 2018, a Syrian opposition Telegram channel posted several photos showing a force from Jaysh Al-Badiyah ("The Desert Army"), which it says was Al-Qaeda's branch in Idlib, Syria, on its way to participate in the ongoing battles between rebel forces and the Syrian military in southern rural Idlib.

 

Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) Announces Military Campaign In Rural Southern Idlib, Syria To Retake Regions Under Regime Control

On January 11, 2018, the Uyghur jihadi group Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) announced on Telegram the beginning of an offensive to retake control of areas in rural southern Idlib province, Syria.

 

ISIS Publishes Photos Showing Leveling Of Graves In Idlib, Syria

On January 15, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) Idlib Province released a pictorial report showing the destruction and leveling of graves across Idlib province, Syria.

 

Recruiter For ISIS Arrested In Nangarhar Province Of Afghanistan

Afghan security forces have arrested an elderly man suspected of active involvement in recruiting militants for the Islamic State (ISIS) in eastern Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, according to an Afghan media report.

 

Fictional Video Produced By ISIS Supporters, With Footage From Hollywood Movies: Conquering The White House, Attacking London And Western Cities

The media outlet Al-Abd Al-Faqir, which supports the Islamic State (ISIS), published a fictional video on January 17, 2018, with the title: "Conquering Washington – We See It (Quite) Near, They See the (Day) indeed as a Far-Off."

 

Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen Claims IED Attack On Convoy Of Forces From The U.S., Kenya, And The Somali Government

The official Telegram channel of the Shahada news agency of the Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen organization reported on January 17, 2018, that they "activated two roadside bombs against a military convoy of forces from the U.S., Kenya, and the Somali government in the suburbs of the city of Kismayo in southern Somalia, and there were reports of both human and material damage."

 

Telegram Channel Of Uyghur Group In Syria Posts Photos Of Fighters Prior To Attack

On January 17, 2018, the Telegram channel of the Al-Qalam news agency, which belongs to Katibat Al-Ghuraba, a Uyghur group in Syria, posted photos of the group's fighters before they set out on an attack on Syrian regime forces in Tal Al-Shahid, in the southern outskirts of Aleppo.

 

Radical Pakistani Cleric: 'The Present Century Is The Century Of The Domination Of Islam'

Maulana Ilyas Qasmi, a radical Pakistani cleric, has said that "the present century is the century of the domination of Islam," according to the Urdu weekly Haftroza Al-Qalam.

 

Pakistani Mosque Organizes Six-Day Course On Interpretation Of 'Jihadi Verses' Of Koran

A six-day course, held every month, on interpreting the Koranic verses on jihad was organized by a mosque in the Pakistani city of Bahawalpur, according to the Urdu weekly Haftroza Al-Qalam.

 

Jihadi Cleric Maulana Ammar Tells 'Message Of Martyrs' Conference In Peshawar: 'Jihad In The Path Of Allah Is The Shortest Route To The Love Of The Prophet [Muhammad]'

Radical Pakistani cleric Maulana Ammar delivered a speech at a "Message of Martyrs" conference in Peshawar city, according to the Urdu weekly Haftroza Al-Qalam.

 

Mosque Sermon In Pakistani Kashmir: 'Jihad Is The Peak Of Islam And Faith [In Islam] Is Impossible Without It'

Speaking in the town of Hattian Bala in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, radical Islamic cleric Maulana Inayatullah Hazarvi said: "Jihad is the peak of Islam and faith [in Islam] is impossible without it."

 

PHOTOS: Afghan Taliban Spokesman On Twitter Posts Photographs Of Militants Graduating In Faryab Province

A Twitter account claiming to belong to Zabihullah Mujahid, one of the official spokesmen of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization), has in the past few days posted photographs of Taliban militants graduating from training in Faryab province.

 

Turkey Hosts Third Round Of Unofficial Peace Talks Between The Taliban And Afghan Government Officials

Mawlawi Abdul Rauf, an alleged leader of the Afghan Taliban who heads a Taliban delegation for peace talks in Turkey, has claimed that the five-member delegation represents all factions of the Taliban, according to an Afghan television channel. Mawlawi Abdul Rauf was a governor during the Taliban regime that ruled in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

 

Jihadi Social Media Account Review (JSM-AR): Al-Qaeda Cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki Fan Page On Facebook

This English-speaking group is dedicated to sharing videos of sermons and classes given by the late Al-Qaeda Yemeni-American cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki.

 

Jihadi Social Media Account Review (JSM-AR): Official ISIS Account On Twitter

This is an official Islamic State (ISIS) French-language media page run by ISIS operatives.

 

Jihadi Social Media Account Review (JSM-AR): Facebook Page Sharing Lectures Of Pro-ISIS British Preacher

The page is dedicated to sharing the sermons of Mizanur Rahman, a.k.a. Abu Baraa, a British pro-Islamic State (ISIS) cleric.

 

Al-Sadaqah Organization Touts 'New And Completely Anonymous' Way For Donating To It In Bitcoin, Instructs Donors To Send Vouchers Via Telegram's Secret Chat

On January 16, 2018, the Al-Sadaqah organization posted an announcement about a new and anonymous method that people can use to donate funds.

 

Pro-ISIS Media Group Posts Entire 2017 Archive On Telegram, Internet Archive, Google Drive

On January 8, 2018, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media group released its entire archive from 2017 on Telegram.

 

Using Twitter, Afghan Taliban Release Urdu Magazine On Jihad

Using one of their Twitter accounts, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban's main organization) has released the latest issue of its Urdu-language jihad magazine.

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