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.
Platform: Facebook and Telegram
Type of account: Islamic State (ISIS) supporter
On October 19, 2018, a Telegram channel dedicated to preaching the virtues of martyrdom and glorifying jihadi martyrs posted several pictures of jihadi fighters, many Western and some of whom had not been previously reported dead, along with prayers for their souls and praise for their sacrifice.
EXCLUSIVE: Pro-ISIS Media Outlet Eulogizes American Media Operative
The pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Al-Muhajireen Media Foundation published a eulogy on October 24, 2018, for an American operative who worked for the ISIS Media Department and helped to film ISIS attacks and raids in Syria.
On October 24, 2018, the pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Khattab Media Foundation published a digitally created poster showing an ISIS operative poised to behead a man in the streets of Chicago.
On October 8, 2018, the Kurdish forces of the YPG issued a communique reporting the capture of three Islamic State (ISIS) fighters in northern Syria.
Al-Qaeda Article Predicts Victory For Mujahideen In The Wake Of Increasing U.S. Isolationism
On October 23, 2018, Al-Qaeda's Al-Sahab Media published an article discussing U.S.-Saudi relations, as well as the increasing American withdrawal from involvement in international affairs, particularly in the Middle East.
In a video titled "Khashoggi the Peaceful," Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham official Sheikh Abu Al-Abd Ashdaae says that the Saudi government decided to silence the journalist even though "it is not as criminal as the government of Bashar."
JTTM subscribers can view this video here.
Video From Pro-ISIS Media Outlet Depicts Hurricane Michael As Divine Punishment Of U.S.
On October 21, 2018, the Ashhad Media Foundation, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media outlet, released a short video depicting the destruction to the southeastern United States wreaked by Hurricane Michael as divine punishment.
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Pro-ISIS Outlet Shares Additional DIY Bomb-Making Guides
A pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media outlet, which collects, produces, and distributes online operational material for use by fighters and operatives in the field, released two new posters on October 23 and 24, 2018. The posters were distributed on Telegram in Arabic and in English.
The following information is based on a general overview of a social media account demonstrating terror-related activity / sympathies
Platform: Facebook
Type of Account: Pro-Islamic State (ISIS)
ISIS Video Shows Executions Of Tribal Leaders And Alleged Collaborators
On October 21, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) released a grisly video from its Dijlah Province in northern Iraq. The 13-minute video titled "Splitting Heads," portrays ISIS operations in the area against pro-government militias, such as the arrests and executions of alleged spies and collaborators with the Iraqi government, including local tribal leaders.
Infographic In ISIS Weekly Provides Tips For 'Baiting' The Enemy
An infographic published in Issue 152 of the Islamic State (ISIS) Al-Naba' weekly, which was released on October 18, 2018, describes various tactics for baiting enemy forces on the battlefield and luring them into ambushes, and stresses their advantages.
ISIS Video Highlights Group's Military Operations, Resilience In Northeast Syria
On October 23, 2018, the Islamic State's (ISIS) Al-Baraka Province released a video documenting the group's operations in Syria's northeastern province. The video, titled "The Monotheists' Assaults," is 21 minutes long and was released on the ISIS-affiliated Nasher Telegram outlets.
Pro-ISIS Dark-Web Website Disseminates Group Releases
This report covers a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) website active on the dark web.
On October 23, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) in Afghanistan released a statement claiming it had killed hundreds of voters in a series of attacks on multiple voting centers in Kabul, Jalalabad, Surkh Rod, Kameh, and other cities.
Al-Qaeda Supporters Fundraise On Telegram For Syrian Jihad
On October 20, 2018, a pro-Al-Qaeda Telegram channel in Syria affiliated with the Hurras Al-Din organization called on Muslims to donate funds for "bullets and rockets" to assist in the jihad against the Assad regime forces.
On October 23, 2018, the Al-Zalaqah Foundation, the media arm of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated organization Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimeen ("The Group For Support Of Islam And Muslims," GSIM), released an audio statement in which GSIM's deputy commander Yahya Abu Al-Humam condemned the military forces known as the Mecanisme Operationnel De Coordination ("Operational Coordination Mechanism," MOC) and called on soldiers and officers to "repent, ask for forgiveness, discontinue being misguided, and [discontinue] their alliance with the Christians and the enemies."
On October 23, 2018, a pro-Al-Qaeda media center warned that the Telegram account of one of its admins had been hacked "by Russians."
On October 24, 2018, a pro-Al-Qaeda group released the first issue of Al-Falah magazine, which aims to "promote virtue and prevent vice, [and] focuses on the Syrian front in particular and the entire Muslim lands to revive... jihad."
Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) Releases Video Of Captured IRGC Officer
On October 20, 2018, Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) released a short video showing a captured officer of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In the one-minute video, the prisoner pleads with Iranian officials to bring about his release.
Turkestan Islamic Party Releases Nasheed Video Clip To Encourage Recruitment
On October 21, 2018, the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), a jihadi organization active in both East Turkestan (Xinxiang province) in western China, and in Syria, released a visual nasheed (a work of religiously-themed vocal music popular among jihadis) titled "Come to Jihad."
Afghan Taliban Allege Ulterior Motives In Afghan President's Opposition To Blackwater
On October 14, 2018, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) issued a statement alleging ulterior motives behind Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's reported opposition to the deployment of private security firm Blackwater in Afghanistan.
On October 10, 2018, one of the websites of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) published an interview with the Taliban governor of Laghman province. The Taliban run a parallel government in Afghanistan by appointing governors and officials for different provinces.
Afghan Taliban Say 820 Government Employees Joined Group In September 2018, Release Detailed Report
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) has published the names of 820 employees working in police and civilian departments of the Afghan government who joined the Taliban during the month of September 2018.
On October 15, 2018, three days after the talks between the U.S. officials and the members of the Political Office of the Islamic Emirate held in Doha on October 12, the Afghan Taliban issued a statement reiterating their position that ending the American occupation is key to resolving the Afghan issue.
