Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Weekend Summary

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: ISIS Supporters Intensify Calls For Christmas Terror Attacks In The West

In the days leading up to Christmas, online supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS) intensify their calls for attacks during the holiday season.

 

EXCLUSIVE: ISIS Supporter On Telegram Launches Campaign Urging Online Jihadis To Post Pro-ISIS Comments On YouTube

On December 20, 2018, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram user launched a campaign urging online jihadis to post pro-ISIS comments on YouTube channels that he accused of "misguiding" Muslims.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Pro-ISIS Video Responds To Trump Claim That ISIS Is Defeated In Syria: 'The Fighting Has Just Begun'

A new view posted December 26, 2018 by a pro-ISIS media outlet responds to U.S. President Donald Trump's December 19, 2018 tweet in which he declared that ISIS has been defeated in Syria.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Jihadi Social Media – Account Review (JSM-AR): Instagram User Posts Content Featuring Anwar Al-'Awlaki, Ahmad Musa Jibril, Osama Bin Laden, Promotes Martyrdom, Says: 'Jihad Is Obligatory For Muslims'

He posted a quote from Al-'Awlaki on September 11, 2017: "Tolerate everything, it will tolerate gays and lesbians but it will not tolerate the message of truth, that is how the system of shaytaan [Satan] was designed."

 

EXCLUSIVE: Jihadi Social Media – Account Review (JSM-AR): Philadelphia Man Of Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican Descent Posts Antisemitic Content, Gets Facebook Account Suspended Multiple Times; Facebook Friends With Man Recently Arrested For Plotting Attack In Ohio

Platform: Facebook

 

Al-Qaeda Leader Al-Zawahiri Urges Arabian Peninsula Muslims To Attack U.S. And Israeli Targets

On December 24, 2018, the official Al-Qaeda media outlet, released a new video titled Zionists of the [Arabian] Peninsula, featuring the organization's leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri.

 

Pro-Al-Qaeda Writer Publishes Article Saying Thousands Were Recruited Online To Come To Syria

On December 19, 2018, a pro-Al-Qaeda writer active on Telegram published a post arguing that online recruiting is "inexpensive" and does not require much effort.

 

ISIS Video Shows Attacks On Iraqi Military In Central Iraq

On December 23, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) released a video on Telegram highlighting some of the organization's operations against the Iraqi military.

 

Pro-ISIS Media Outlet Calls For Christmas Terror Attacks In Europe And America

On December 21, 2018, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media outlet released a video calling for and threatening terror attacks against Western countries.

 

Jihadi Social Media – Account Review (JSM-AR): Russian-Speaking Jihadi On Instagram Posts Militant Training Videos, Photos Of Weapons, Flags Of Pro-Al-Qaeda Jihad Group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS)

Platform: Instagram

 

Jihadi Social Media – Account Review (JSM-AR): Philadelphia Man Posts Quotes By Anwar Al-'Awlaki, Ahmad Musa Jibril; Shares Content From Suleiman Anwar

Platform: Facebook

 

Jihadi Social Media Account Review (JSMAR): Pro-ISIS Media Outlet On Instagram

  

Platform: Instagram

 

Jihadi Social Media – Account Review (JSM-AR): Pro-ISIS ‎WhatsApp Group 'Halat Jihadiyyah' Disseminates ISIS ‎Content

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

Platform: WhatsApp

 

Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) Video Highlights Diverse ‎Military Roles

In December 26, 2018, a video production outlet affiliated released a video praising the various jobs and functions of HTS forces in Idlib.

 

Al-Qaeda In The Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) Statement ‎Rejects Use Of Female Suicide Bombers, Accuses Tunisian ‎Government Of Anti-Islamic Economic Policies That Make ‎Tunisia A Slave To The West

On December 26, 2018, an official media wing of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) released a statement.

 

Al-Shabab Releases Statement Accusing ISIS Of Numerous Offenses In Somalia, Declares War Against It

On December 21, 2018, the media arm of the pro-Al-Qaeda Somalia-based Al-Shabab group, released a statement accusing ISIS of numerous offenses in Somalia and urging its fighters to fight ISIS members there.

 

Turkestan Islamic Party Video Depicts Military Exercises In Syria

On December 21, 2018, the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), a Uyghur jihadi group active in Syria, released a 26-minute video on its Telegram channel showing its fighters training in Syria.

 

Pakistani Cleric Mufti Mansoor Ahmed: 'Islam Is A Religion Of Peace; Peace Is Not Possible Without Jihad'

 

Afghan Taliban: Abu Dhabi Talks Are Only About Ending The American Occupation – They Do Not Involve The Afghan Government

On December 18, 2018, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization in the country) issued three statements asserting that the ongoing (December 16-18) talks in Abu Dhabi do not involve the Afghan government, and that the talks with the U.S. are about ending the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, nothing else.

 

Amid U.S.-Taliban Talks, Pro-Pakistan Urdu Daily Asks Afghan Taliban To Ally With Qatar And Turkey, Ditch Saudi Arabia And UAE

Details have emerged of the several rounds of talks held between the United States and members of the Qatar-based Political Office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) in recent months, as revealed in a front-page report by a leading Pakistani daily.