memri
September 22, 2018 Special Announcements No. 661

Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Weekend Summary

September 22, 2018
Special Announcements No. 661

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: Former Top ISIS Official: Al-Baghdadi 'Snatched' Power, Is Unfit To Be Caliph

In the September 2018 issue of its monthly electronic newsletter, the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq featured an interview with Isma'il 'Alwan Salman Al-'Ithawi aka Abu Zayd Al-Iraqi, a high-ranking Islamic State (ISIS) official and a member of the group's "Delegated Committee" who was arrested in Turkey in February 2018.

 

EXCLUSIVE: In Interview, Dutch Woman Radicalized Via Social Media Expresses Regret For Joining ISIS In Syria, Accuses Group Of Lying To Recruit Foreign Fighters

On September 17, 2018, the Saudi daily newspaper Okaz published an interview with a Dutch woman who was radicalized by following the messaging of the Islamic State (ISIS) on social media.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Jihadi Social Media – Account Review (JSM-AR): U.S.-Based Man Connected To NYC, Georgia Celebrates 9/11, Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden On Facebook, Asks: 'Are You Ready For A Martyrdom Operation?'

 

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

Platform: Personal Facebook page

 

EXCLUSIVE: Jihadi Social Media – Account Review (JSM-AR): UK-Based Disciple Of Anjem Choudary Active On Facebook, Reportedly Arrested; Facebook Friends Include Numerous Prominent Western Jihadis Involved In Terrorist Attacks

A UK-based British jihad supporter posts prolifically on Facebook. He has over 1,700 Facebook friends. According to his Facebook profile, he is based in Luton; many of his posts appear to be from London.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Jihadi Social Media – Account Review (JSM-AR): Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham's (HTS) Ibaa' News Agency Hosts WhatsApp Groups

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

Platform: WhatsApp

Account Name(s): Ibaa' News Agency

 

Pro-Al-Qaeda Group Publishes Video Featuring Fighters Announcing Founding Of Al-Qaeda Branch In Burkina Faso

On September 18, 2018, pro-Al-Qaeda media group Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) released a video showing a group of fighters announcing the founding of an Al-Qaeda branch in the West African country of Burkina Faso.

 

Pro-ISIS Media Outlet Releases Posters Threatening Attacks In The West

On September 20, 2018, several pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram channels shared two digitally-created posters created by a pro-ISIS media outlet, which were originally released on September 1 and 4, 2018.

 

Al-Qaeda Celebrates 17th Anniversary Of 9/11 Online

As is customary among jihadi groups and jihadi media activists, this year as well the anniversary of 9/11 was celebrated and commemorated online by both leaders and supporters.

 

ISIS Supporter Praises 9/11 Attacks, Justifies Killing Of Civilians, Urges Operatives To Attack Western 'Airplane Pilots, Police, Politicians, And Members Of The Military' In Retaliation For Western Actions Against Muslims

Numerous jihadi circles marked the 17th anniversary of 9/11, and despite the enmity between Al-Qaeda, that carried out the attacks, and the Islamic State (ISIS), ISIS supporters were among them.

 

Pro-ISIS Video Praises Attacks In The West And Calls For More

On September 16, 2018, the pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media outlet Al-Abd Al-Faqir Media Foundation released a new, short video clip titled "Harvest of the Lone Lions."

 

English Nasheed By ISIS-Affiliated Furat Media Presents Jihad As Form Of Worship, Calls On People To Join Jihad, Attain Martyrdom

On September 18, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) affiliated Furat Media released an audio nasheed titled "This Is 'Ibadah [Worship]." The nasheed presents jihad as a form of worship of Allah and calls people to join it. It also praises martyrdom for the sake of Allah and says that through jihad, people can enter Paradise.

 

Infographic In ISIS Weekly Provides Instructions For Lone Operatives

The latest edition of Al-Naba', the weekly news bulletin of the Islamic State (ISIS), features an infographic with instructions for ISIS operatives in enemy countries.

 

ISIS Claims Its Fighters Killed 15 U.S. Soldiers And PKK Fighters In Syria, Says War With 'Enemies Of Religion' Will Intensify

On September 19, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) released a statement saying that 15 U.S. soldiers and PKK fighters had been killed and 25 others were seriously injured in an attack on a joint military convoy in Al-Hasakah, Syria.

 

ISIS Claims Three U.S. Soldiers Killed In 'Raid Attempt' In Al-Anbar, Iraq

On September 18, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) released a statement claiming that three U.S. soldiers had been killed in a "raid attempt" in the desert of Al-Anbar, Iraq.

 

ISIS Claims Responsibility For Killing And Injuring 40 Soldiers In Philippines

On September 17, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) in East Asia released a statement claiming that its fighters had killed and injured 40 soldiers in the Philippines on September 15-16.

 

Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen Chief: 'India And Its Agents Would Have To Pay For The Innocent Killings [In Kashmir]'

On September 11, 2018, Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen, one of the militant outfits that is part of the Pakistan-backed Muttahida Jihad Council (MJC), said that the crackdown by Indian security forces will not "frighten the Kashmiri people."

 

Jihadi Group Jaish-e-Muhammad Sets Up 'Hijama' Medical Camps Across Pakistan

 

Al-Rehmat Trust, a charity associated with Pakistani jihadi group Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), has set up a series of medical camps in towns across Pakistan for the treatment of patients using the Islamic practice of hijama (i.e., cupping therapy).

 

Pakistani Cleric: 'To Continue... Jihad Is An Important Responsibility Of The Islamic Ummah'

Addressing a religious congregation in Rahimyar Khan city of Pakistan's Punjab province, Islamic cleric Maulana Talha As-Saif urged Islamic clerics to carry on the mission of jihad, according to a report in the Urdu-language weekly Haftroza Al-Qalam.

 

Pakistani Cleric Maulana Anwarul Haq: The Killing Of Blasphemers Has Been Ordered

Radical Pakistani cleric Maulana Anwarul Haq addressed audiences at six events in the Hattian Bala district of Pakistani Kashmir, inviting people to join the jihad and fight those who blaspheme against Prophet Muhammad, according to a report in the Urdu weekly Haftroza Al-Qalam.

 

Afghan Taliban Publish WhatsApp Number, Urge Muslims To Give Aid

In a September 13, 2018 statement, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) urged Muslims across the world to offer financial aid for disabled and destitute people in Afghanistan and published a WhatsApp number to be used for this purpose.

 

Afghan Taliban Deny Reuters Report Quoting Taliban Officials On Peace Talks

In a September 13, 2018 statement, Zabihullah Mujahid, one of the spokesmen of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization), denied a Reuters report by journalist Jibran Ahmad that Taliban officials had said that they were preparing for peace talks.

 

Afghan Taliban Demand Scrapping Of Bilateral Security Agreement Between Afghan Government And U.S.

In a September 18, 2018 statement, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) called for the scrapping of the Bilateral Security Agreement signed by the U.S. and Afghanistan in 2014 with the goal of achieving peace and stability in Afghanistan. Kabul also has a status of forces agreement allowing for NATO troops to stay in Afghanistan.

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