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 September 9, 2013, the Al-Muwaqi'un Bi Dimaa' group released a video documenting its training and operations across several regions in the Sahara. Details about the video were released several days earlier on the Mauritanian news agency Nouakchott news, where the nationality of some of the suicide bombers within the Al-Muwaqi'un Bi Dimaa' group was revealed. Most notable in that regard was the presence of several Tunisian and Egyptian suicide bombers, who participated in major Al-Muwaqi'un Bi Dimaa' operations in the past year.
The video, which was a tribute to 'Abd Al-Hamid Abu Zayd, a top Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) commander who was killed in a French airstrike in northern Mali, featured the typical motifs typically found in this genre of videos, such as: the portrayal of the mujahideen as the vanguards of the ummah in face of its enemy; the presence of jihadi nasheed; martyrs' wills; and footage of the mujahideen's military training and preparations for attacks.
Jihadi Twitter Account Posts 'Exclusive' Photo Of Boston Bomber’s Body
The popular jihadi Twitter account Qadaya Al-Umma, a hub for jihadi information and propaganda, posted on September 28, 2013 what they claim is an “exclusive” photo of Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev's body. The account administrators circled his index finger, which they said was pointing in a gesture that signifies faith in monotheism. They wrote: “Look at the index finger that is raised even following his body's dissection,” and called this "a martyr's miracle."
Saudi Woman Cheerfully Announces Arrival of Her Teenage Child in Syria On Twitter
On September 25, 2013, Rema Al-Jraish, the wife of Saudi prisoner Muhammad Al-Hamily, who has been in prison since 2004 on terrorism related charges, tweeted that her son, Muadh, who is 16 years old, had arrive in Syria to join jihadi groups fighting to oust the regime of Bashar Al-Assad.
Al-Jraish, who has also been in prison for participating in demonstrations, posted pictures of her son. In one picture, he is shown carrying an AK 47, and in another he is standing in front of the official flag of Al-Qaeda affiliate The Islamic State in Iraq and Sham (ISIS).
Jihadi News Agency Says Facebook Deleted Its Posts, Threatened To Suspend Its Account
On October 1, 2013, the Islamic News Agency, also known as Haq, which specializes in publishing jihadi news on its website and its social media accounts, accused Facebook of deleting a number of its posts and threatening to suspend its account.
On September 30, 2013, Hani Al-Siba'i, a Salafi-Jihadi cleric based in London, declared that Egypt's Minister of Defense 'Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi, the army, the police, the judges, and all who supports tyrants are apostates. Al-Siba'i, who is the head of Al-Maqreze Center for Historical Studies, also criticized parts of President Barack Obama's speech in the United Nation regarding ousted President Muhammad Mursi, whom he considered the most qualified president in the world.
Al-Jazeera Website Posts Interview With Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen Spokesman For Military Operations
On September 25, 2013, the website for Al-Jazeera (aljazeera.com) posted an interview with Sheikh Abulaziz Abu Muscab, Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen's spokesman for military operation, who spoke about the group's deadly attack on the Westgate mall.
In the interview, Abu Muscab says that Al-Shabab has been in fact late in attacking Kenya, which began its military incursion into Somalia in 2011; however, Al-Shabab knew that the Kenyan authorities were expecting an attack, and therefore wished to surprise them when they were least expecting.
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On September 25, 2013, Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen released an audio recorded message by the group's leader, Mukhtar Abu Al-Zubair, in which he commented on Al-Shabab's recent deadly assault on the Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya.
The message was released on Al-Shabab's Twitter account. It is 9 minutes long, and was delivered in Somali.
The following are Abu Al-Zubair's main points based on Arabic translation of his message that appeared on Minbar Al-Ansar forum:
Referring to the Nairobi operation, Al-Zubair calls it an important battle in the history of Islam, a battle that was written with the blood of several mujahideen. Al-Zubair congratulates those mujahideen, whom, he says, were honored to change "the course of history," and to avenge the blood of their weakened Muslims.
Nigerian Jihadi Group Releases Video Showing French Hostage, Threatens To Hurt Him
On September 27, 2013 the jihadi media company Al-Qabidhun ‘ala Al-Jamr released the first video showing French national Francis Collomp, who has been taken hostage by the Nigerian jihadi group Jama’at Ansar Al-Muslimeen fi Bilad al-Sudan. The hostage, a 63 years old engineer employed by the French water and energy company Vergnet, was captured by the group in December 2012 in Nigeria. In the footage, filmed on September 5, 2013, he asks the French and Nigerian governments to redeem their promises and negotiate his release. He also mentions that his health is in critical condition and appeals to the public for help.
ISIS Spokesman Says ISIS Faces Fierce Smear Campaign, Advises FSA Not To Fall Prey For It
On September 30, 2013, the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) released an audio message by the group's spokesman Abu Muhammad Al-'Adnani, in which he says that ISIS is facing a fierce media smear campaign aimed at weakening the group from within, decreasing the support it enjoys, and causing increased tensions and infighting between ISIS and other fighting factions (namely FSA).
The 21:35-minute audio message was produced by the ISIS media company Al-Furqan, and was posted on top jihadi forums.
The following are its main points:
Al-'Adnani says that ISIS is facing a fierce media campaign by the unbelieving West. This campaign includes accuses ISIS of targeting mosques in Sunni majority areas across Iraq, which Al-'Adnani denies and for which he blames the rawafid (i.e. Shi'ites).
Maulana Fazlullah's fighters somewhere in Pakistan-Afghan border region
In a new video released by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Pakistani Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah has vowed attacks on Pakistan and has said that the likely talks with the Pakistani government are part of the ongoing war. The 20:00-minute video, which is produced by the TTP's media production house Umar Media, was released by the TTP's Malakand Division, which is headed by Commander Maulana Fazlullah, a leading militant believed to be hiding in Afghanistan.
In a video interview, leading Taliban commander Sheikh Khalid Haqqani explains the aims and motives of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), their achievements, and their association with other terror outfits in the world and the region.
The video interview, produced in May 2013, was released by the TTP's media production house, Umar Media, in two parts. Part 1 is spread over 38:31 minutes and the Part II runs over 40:15 minutes. Khalid Haqqani appears on the video but his face is blurred. An unseen man poses questions to the TTP commander. The questions and answers are in Pashtu.
Hakimullah Mehsud Appoints Trusted Lieutenant As Deputy Emir, Asserts Control Over TTP
Hakimullah Mehsud, the emir of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has appointed one of his trusted lieutenants to the post of his deputy, asserting his control over the organization, according to a Pakistani media report.
Hakimullah elevated his driver Latif Mehsud, who has been his close confidant and bodyguard, as his number two as well as the emir of the TTP's North Waziristan branch, thereby removing Khan Saeed aka Sajna, who was a loyalist of Maulana Waliur Rehman, the former TTP deputy emir who was killed in a U.S. drone strike.
Latif Mehsud's appointment is being seen as a sign of rift within the TTP ranks.
Following are excerpts from the report:
"Khan Saeed Has Refused To Relinquish His Position As Deputy Emir Of The TTP And Has Stepped Up His Efforts To Build Up A Parallel Set-Up Of His Taliban Militia In South Waziristan"
"The slot of TTP's deputy emir was earlier filled up by the 36-year-old Khan Saeed, alias Sajna, a close aide of Commander Waliur Rehman Mehsud, the former deputy emir of Hakimullah, after his death in a U.S. drone attack on May 29, 2013. Khan Saeed was also appointed the commander of the South Waziristan chapter of the TTP, a position which was being held by Waliur Rehman."
Taliban Deputy Leader Mullah Baradar Reaches North Waziristan
After being released by Pakistan, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who is the deputy of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, has reached North Waziristan, a stronghold of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants in the Pakistani tribal areas, according to a Pakistani website.
Syed Salahuddin (Courtesy: Nation.com.pk)
Syed Salahuddin, the Pakistan-based jihadi commander, has urged Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to assert himself as the leader of a nuclear power in talks with India and make Kashmir the central issue, according to a Pakistani daily.
"Please be brave as you are the leader of a strong nuclear power and don't talk to India apologetically from a position of self-imposed weakness as Pakistan will get nothing out of it," Salahuddin said in an interview."
Downloaded from: Facebook.com/Amarat.Islamia.Pakstan, September 27, 2013
Amid the controversy over the Pakistani government's moves to hold talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a leading Taliban commander has set strict conditions which effectively close the door for talks with the government, according to a media report.
Omar Khalid Khorasani, who is the emir of TTP for Mohmand Agency, not only demanded the implementation of Islamic shari'a rule in Pakistan as a condition of the likely talks but also noted that any agreement reached with the government should be for the whole of Pakistan. Khorasani, a leading commander who played a key role in the founding of the TTP, wrote in a pamphlet (see the above image).
