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.
In a paper titled "Strategy for the Regional War in the Land of Al-Sham," 'Abdallah bin Muhammad, a senior jihadi writer, presented a comprehensive strategic plan for Al-Qaeda to gain a stronghold in Syria and later in Lebanon and Jordan, to play a major role in any sectarian war in the region, and to eventually start the war for the liberation of Palestine.
French Jihadi Carries Out Suicide Bombing In Syria
On October 9, 2013, jihadi sources in Syria reported the death of Abu Qa'qa' Al-Faransi ["Abu Qa'qa the Frenchman"] in a suicide bombing. The bomber is said to have belonged to Jabhat Al-Nusra; no further details about him were given. The bombing was a joint operation by Jabhat Al-Nusra and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) against a Syrian army convoy near the village of Hamam in the outskirts of Aleppo, in which 25 soldiers were killed.
On September 13, the website Fisyria.com, associated with Russian-speaking jihads from the Caucasus who are fighting in Syria, published an interview with 'Abd Al-Halim, an official in the jihad group Jaysh Al-Muhajireen Wal-Ansar (JMA). The group is mostly comprised of Caucasian fighters loyal to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). In the interview 'Abd Al-Halim, who is a member of the group's Shari'a Committee, addresses various issues pertaining to the group's goals and activities, including its relations with the Syrian locals and the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Discussing the group's ideology, he strongly denies the accusations that his group and other jihadis espouse takfiri views (i.e., accuse other Muslims of apostasy). He also takes the opportunity to urge Muslims, especially Russian speakers, to join the jihad.
In Video, German Salafi Preacher Abu Adam Exhorts Muslims To Aid Muslim Prisoners
In a video posted to YouTube on October 1, 2013, German convert Abu Adam (Sven Lau), a Salafi preacher who is currently in Syria, exhorts Muslims to support their brothers and sisters who are imprisoned in Syria and elsewhere in the world, and to give of their wealth in order to free them. The video, titled "Abu Adam Under Fire In Syria," was produced by the German Islamist group Ansarul Aseer, which acts to free Muslim prisoners throughout the world. It was filmed on the outskirts of Aleppo and shows footage of an Aleppo prison.
The London daily Al-Quds reports that, in a first official Libyan response to the capture of Al-Qaeda commander Anas Al-Libi, Libya's General National Council has called upon Washington to return Abu Anas to Libya immediately. The Council condemned the U.S. operation, calling it an infringement of Libya's sovereignty, and demanded to permit Abu Anas to speak to a lawyer and also to allow Libyan officials and his family to contact him.
Following the recent capture of Abu Anas Al-Libi in Libya, Ansar Al-Shari'a in Libya (ASL) issued a statement condemning the arrest, while accusing the Libyan government of collaborating with the U.S.
According to the statement, which was dated October 8, 2013, ASL says that the news about the kidnapping of Al-Libi has saddened it greatly, but it confirms nonetheless the unbelievers' hatred towards Muslims and Islam.
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Benghazi Suspect Denies Relocating After Abu Anas Al-Libi Arrest
Ahmad Abu Khattala, a Libyan whom the U.S. suspects of involvement in the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, denies that he relocated following the recent capture of Abu Anas Al-Libi.
Al-Shabab Alleges It Executed Two Navy SEALs
Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen claims to have executed two U.S. Navy SEALs that it captured during the October 5, 2013 US raid on Al-Shabab's Baraawe base. The U.S. said that its forces did not incur any casualties during the raid.
In an announcement on its Twitter account, Al-Shabab released photos of two bodies, allegedly those of the two SEALs. It is difficult to verify the photos' authenticity, as the two men's faces are disfigured beyond recognition (a copy of the photos is available from MEMRI upon request). Al-Shabab also released photos of equipment allegedly carried by some of the US troops, including ammunition, water bottles and a GPS locator.
On October 4, 2013, Fursan Al-Balagh, an independent online media foundation which specializes in translating jihadi materials into various languages, released an Arabic translation of a U.S. Department of Defense handbook that provides protective measures for counter-terrorism personnel.
On October 6, 2013, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) issued a communiqué in which it took responsibility for the September 30 attack against the Yemeni Army's Second Region headquarters in Hadramout. The communiqué was posted on the Facebook page of Yemeni journalist 'Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Jamal.
'Al-Safir' Daily: Lebanese Authorities Fear Mass Breakout Of Islamists From Roumieh Prison
The Lebanese daily Al-Safir reports, citing security sources in Lebanon, that the Lebanese authorities are very concerned about a possible mass breakout of Islamists from Roumieh prison. This, following a series of breakouts from prisons in Iraq, Pakistan and Libya, in which over 1,000 jihadis escaped, some of whom have gone to Syria to join the fighting against the Assad regime.
Lebanon Arrests Terror Network
Explosives manufacturing materials
Lebanon's General Directorate of General Security has arrested three terror operatives affiliated with global jihad. The trio comprised of one Lebanese and two Syrians, was arrested on suspicion of belonging to a terror network that was planning terror attacks and assassinations in Lebanon. Explosive materials, communications devices and weapons were discovered in the terror squad's possession. The Lebanese daily Al-Safir citing security sources reported that the squad belonged to a radical takfiri body, and their plans included the assassination of political figures. In a related development, the Lebanese press reported that a senior official of the Lebanese Fatah Al-Islam organization, Muhammad Al-'Arifi, had permanently left the 'Ain Al-Hilweh refugee camp together with his family and moved to Syria. A few month previously ,Al-'Arifi, accompanied by senior Islamist activists, had gone to wage jihad in Syria in the ranks of Al-Qaeda.
In an October 4, 2013 communiqué posted on the jihadi forum Al-Fidaa, the Salafiyya-jihadiyya in Sinai accuses the Egyptian military of declaring an open war on Islam and the Muslims in Egypt and especially in Sinai – a war that involves killing innocent unarmed Muslims, torching mosques, destroying homes and persecuting anyone who has the appearance of a religious Muslim.
Unconfirmed News About The Kidnapping Of Saudi Prince 'By The Mujahideen'
News about the kidnapping of Saudi Prince Khalid bin Misha'l is being circulated over jihadi forums and social media. On several jihadi forums, jihadis posted the news about the kidnapping of Misha'l "by the mujahideen," while on Twitter, the hashtag "kidnapping_Prince_Khalid_bin-Misha'l" was created.
IJU Responds To Mujahideen Quitting Waziristan Over 'Discord, Disease And Absence Of Jihad'
On September, 26, 2013, the website Kavkaz.tv posted a video by the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), a jihad group fighting in Waziristan (the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region). In the video, titled "Important Instructions for the Mujahideen from their Brothers in Waziristan," an IJU member addresses the three main explanations offered by mujahideen who leave the Khorasan (i.e., Afghanistan) region, namely the existence of discord among the mujahideen, the prevalence of disease, and the absence of jihad. He refutes these "incautious" and "harsh" claims one by one, and exhorts the mujahideen not to badmouth Waziristan.
In Pakistan, the government of Sindh province has decided to ban instant messaging and voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) clients Skype, Viber, WhatsApp and other such communication networks over fears that terrorists are increasingly using these services to plot terror attacks, according to a Pakistani daily.
Pakistani Daily: Locals Discover Six Terror Training Camps In Gilgit's Karga Valley
Roznama Salam, October 3, 2013
According to an Urdu-language Pakistani daily, locals have discovered that a terror training camp is in operation in the Karga valley of Gilgit. The Karga valley provides close access to Swat and Kohistan districts to Gilgit via Darel-Tangir region.
Seven Indian Terror Suspects Learn From Al-Qaeda's Prison Breaks, Escape Easily
Terror suspect Afzal Usmani
In the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, seven suspected members of the banned terror group Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) took a lesson from Al-Qaeda's recent prison breaks and cut open the iron bars of a bathroom in the Kandwa jail where they were imprisoned and escaped, according to an Indian website.
The central shura (governing council) of the Haqqani Network has appointed militant commander Bilal Zadran as the new deputy chief, according to a Pakistani website. He had been arrested by the Afghan government in 2007 but escaped in the Kandahar jailbreak in 2012.
