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.
On November 2, 2018, the commander of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Al-Barakah Province in northeast Syria wrote a letter in which he conveyed a message of encouragement and support to his men from ISIS leader Al-Baghdadi, from the ISIS 'governor' of Syria and his deputy, and others.
EXCLUSIVE: Al-Qaeda Affiliate Al-Shabab Cracks Down On ISIS In Somalia, ISIS Vows Revenge
By: Y. Kerman*
The ongoing rivalry between the Islamic State (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda for leadership of global jihad has again flared up in Somalia, where Al-Qaeda's affiliate Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen cracked down on defectors to ISIS, killing a prominent cleric. For its part, ISIS vowed to avenge Al-Shabab's "crimes."
On November 20, 2018, the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), a Uyghur jihadi organization active in Syria and Afghanistan, released a visual nasheed (religious-themed acapella song popular among jihadis) titled "Think Oh Ummah." The nasheed, which is sung in the Uyghur language accompanied by Arabic and English subtitles, aims to galvanize moral support for the foreign Uyghur fighters in Syria and Afghanistan.
EXCLUSIVE: Former Mujahideen Leader Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf Meets Afghan President
On November 16, 2018, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and former mujahideen leader Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf met as part of the peace process, according to an Afghan website.
EXCLUSIVE: Fate Of Belgian Child At The Heart Of Violent Incident Between Jihadi Factions In Syria
On November 15, 2018, the custody a four-year-old Belgian national was at the heart of a crisis pitting the members of the French Al-Qaeda fighters of Firqat Al-Ghuraba (FG) against Turkish-backed Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) security forces apparently acting on the orders of a Shari'a court in Idlib.
On November 20, 2018, a message was distributed on Telegram by a new French jihadi channel reporting from Syria, denying rumors that French fighters had been killed as a result of infighting between rival jihadi organizations, the Turkish-backed Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and the Al-Qaeda-aligned Hurras Al-Din (THD).
Incite The Believers Operations Room Officially Announces Its Establishment
On November 17, 2018, the Incite the Believers Operations Room, comprising several Syrian jihadi factions, published a statement officially announcing its establishment and outlining its guiding principles.
Syrian Rebels' Operation Room Reports Using Armed Drones To Attack Syrian Military Targets
On November 16, 2018, the Incite the Believers operation room, which includes several Syrian rebel factions, reported on the use of armed drones in attacking several Syrian military positions.
ISIS Video Depicts Fighters Clashing With Philippine Soldiers
On November 18, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) Amaq News Agency released a one-minute video showing footage of an attack carried out on November 16 on the Philippine island of Jolo, where ISIS claimed it killed seven Philippine soldiers.
On November 15, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) in Sinai, Egypt, released a video featuring five Egyptian army and security officers who had deserted and joined ISIS. The men were shown executing men accused of spying, urging Muslims to take part in jihad, calling on them to carry out assassination operations, and expressing their determination to fight against the Jews.
Issue 156 of the Islamic State (ISIS) weekly Al-Naba', released by official ISIS media channels on November 15, 2018, included an article celebrating the previous week's terror attack in Melbourne, Australia. ISIS had previously claimed responsibility for the November 9, 2018 attack in a communique via its news agency A'maq.
On November 15, 2018, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media entity published a poster on Telegram celebrating the California fires. The blaze has reportedly killed over 45 people so far, making it the deadliest wildfire in California history.
On November 16, 2018, Al-Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released the second part of a video featuring two former ISIS fighters recounting their mistreatment in an ISIS prison.
The following information is based on a general overview of a social media account demonstrating terror-related activity / sympathies.
Pro-Taliban Website Analyzes How Foreign Powers Undermine Armed Islamist Movements
On November 17, 2018, a pro-Taliban website published an article seeking to analyze how foreign powers undermine armed Islamist movements.
Radical Pakistani Cleric: 'Jihad Connects A Person To Allah'
Speaking at a conference in the Pakistani city of Bahawalpur, Mufti Abdur Rauf Asghar, a jihadi cleric belonging to Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), said: "Jihad connects a person to Allah. And Kalima teaches the lesson to destroy falsehood." "Kalima" refers to the words spoken to proclaim one's belief in Islam: "There is no deity but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger."
Taliban Accuse Afghan Government Of Creating Sectarian Militias
In a November 15, 2018 statement, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) accused Afghan President Ashraf Ghani of trying to create private militias based on race, ethnicity, or sect.
Pakistan Releases Another Key Afghan Taliban Leader
On November 12, 2018, an Afghan news website reported that Pakistan had released Mullah Abdul Samad Sani, another key Taliban leader in charge of the group's insurgency.
