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.
Earlier this week, reports emerged that a group of a dozen nuns from the historic Christian town of Ma'loula near Damascus were kidnapped by opposition forces. The nuns, according to one report, were held captive by radical opposition groups, believed to be associated with Al-Qaeda, after the latter stormed the monastery where the nuns were located.
According to the same report, nuns from the St. Taqla monastery in the town of Ma'loula, north of Damascus, including the monastery's head nun, sister Bilajia Sayyaf, were held captive by opposition forces. The latter were accused of targeting churches in the city, including an orphanage that belonged to St. Taqla. The report added that the Vatican confirmed that 12 Christian Orthodox nuns of Syrian and Lebanese background were forced out of the St. Taqla monastery, located in the middle of the historic city, and that "jihadis" might have transferred the nuns to a different location north of the city.
On December 10, 2013, the Lebanese news website annahar.com reported that preparations were underway to target Christian-majority areas in Lebanon, especially their places of worship, during the upcoming Christmas and New Year's season.
Abu Mansour (left)
An American-Egyptian man named Abu 'Abdallah Al-Masri was recently reported killed in Syria. According to the Facebook page where the news appeared, Al-Masri, who fought alongside Jabhat Al-Nusra (JN), was killed during a battle with the Kurdish rebels (PKK) in the Ras Al-'Ayn city in northern Syria.
Al-Masri was in his mid-30s, and hails from a wealthy family. He was reported to have a higher education degree and had a prestigious job, believed to be while he was in the U.S. For his travel to Syria, Al-Masri reportedly informed his family that he was going on a business trip instead.
Hashtag On Twitter Recommends Essential Items For The Mujahid Looking To Travel To Syria
A hashtag titled "what the mujahid needs prior to nafir [i.e. traveling to jihad front]" is being circulated on Twitter. The hashtag includes various recommendations for essential items needed for those looking to join the jihad in Syria.
The Tunisian Interior Ministry has denied local media reports according to which Tunisian security managed to foil a terror plot aimed at targeting the U.S. embassy in the country.
On Monday, Tunisian Mosaique radio channel said that Tunisian security managed to foil a terror plot that aimed at targeting the U.S. embassy in Tunis, after it (i.e. Tunisian security) received information on the matter from close sources in the U.S. embassy in neighboring Algeria. Mosaique added that a number of terrorist elements, who were planning the attack, were arrested, while others managed to escape towards Libya.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) recently released a recorded video message expressing solidarity with and support for the mujahideen in Sinai. The video also included a message to Egyptian Muslims and the Egyptian army, criticizing the former for abandoning jihad and urging the latter to repent for their crimes against Muslims.
The message was delivered by an unnamed Qadi of the Islamic Court in Aleppo.
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Addressing the mujahideen in Sinai, the man advises them to remain steadfast, while reminding them that they must either continue with their jihad until the word of Allah prevails, or die as martyrs.
Reports: Human Rights Activist Razan Zaitouneh Kidnapped In Syria
On December 10, 2013, the Syrian opposition website Akasler.com reported that Syrian human rights activist attorney Razan Zaitouneh had been abducted that morning in the town of Douma, which is controlled by the Islamic Front. Local sources divulged that unknown persons had burst into the office of the Violations Documentation Center in Syria, which she directs, trashed it and abducted her along with members of the office staff, including activists Wael Hamada (Razan Zaitouneh's husband), Samira Al- Khalil and Nazem Al-Hamadi.
Razan Zaitouneh
Report: Syrian Rebels Shot Down Fighter Jet Near Damascus
On December 10, 2013, the news website eldorar.com reported that Syrian rebels allegedly shot down a Syrian fighter jet that same day in the rural area around Damascus. No details are available regarding the exact rebel faction that shot down the fighter jet.
Report: Pakistani Jihadi Fighter Killed In Syria
A Pakistani jihadi fighter has been killed in Syria, according to a tweet and a blog post released by jihadis.
Ustad Saleh Talal aka Abdul Ala Al-Pakistani was the technical administrator of the jihadi website jihadepakistan.tk, which no longer functions.
After a recent statement by India demanding that Pakistan hand over Kashmiri jihadi commander Syed Salahuddin, who is an Indian national, the Pakistani government has said that India is yet to give them a formal request to this effect, according to an Urdu-language daily.
Salahuddin, who heads the India-focused terror group Hizbul Mujahideen, comes from Indian Kashmir and currently lives in Pakistan. A court in India recently ordered his arrest following an Indian government request, which also said that Salahuddin ensured delivery of 800 million rupees to jihadis in Indian Kashmir since 1990.
In a series of blog posts between September 13 and December 8, 2013, former Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan published a number of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding the Pakistani Taliban and their operations.
The blog posts were linked on December 1 from Ehsanullah Ehsan's account – /Ehsan.ttp – on Facebook. The blog posts are below:
"We Are Fighting America And Her Allies; Pakistan Has Been The Biggest And Self-Confessed Frontline Ally Of America Since 2001"; "Our Most Common Weapon Is AK-47 Assault Rifle, Which Is By No Means A Modern Weapon"
"Why do you fight the Pakistan army? You should be fighting America and her allies."
"We are fighting America and her allies. Pakistan has been the biggest and self-confessed frontline ally of America since 2001.
"It was Pakistan that provided the U.S. with intelligence, airbases, and all forms of logistical support against the Taliban in Afghanistan. It is Pakistan that continues to provide the U.S. with intelligence for drone strikes. It is Pakistan that handed over scores of mujahideen to the U.S. – including Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, the Afghan Taliban ambassador to Pakistan [at the time of 9/11 attacks]. Our fighters have carried out several attacks on the U.S. & NATO forces, including the attack on Camp Chapman that resulted in the killing of CIA station chief and other CIA officials [on December 30, 2009]."
In a new video address, Asmatullah Muawiya, the Emir of Junood-e-Hafsa and Tehreek-e-Taliban Punjab, urges Muslims to raise the flag of jihad against the armies and rulers in their respective Muslim countries, saying they are not the armies of Muslims.
In the 19-minute video, titled "Oh, Faithful, Rise And Raise The Banner Of Jihad Against Your Rulers," the Punjabi Taliban commander says the armies of all Muslim countries in the world are not the armies of Muslims but in reality "the armies of America and Taghoot [oppressors]."
The video, which was released by Abna-ul-Hafsa Studio through the U.S.-based website archive.org, beings with verse No. 41 of the Koran's chapter At-Tawbah: "Light or heavy, march forth (under all circumstances) and fight in the cause of Allah with your material and human resources. It is better for you if you are (reality) conscious."
The following are excerpts from the address of Asmatullah Muawiya:
"The Armies Imposed On Muslims In All Muslim Countries Are Not The Armies Of Muslims, But The Armies Of America And Taghoot [Oppressors]"
"I would like to tell the faithful that Dajjal [Antichrist] and Dajjali forces are out with all their force and conspiracies against the faithful, while the agents of infidels, followers of Taghoot [False Deities], and Taghoot-bought so-called 'Muslim rulers' are massacring the Muslims everywhere."
Haji Abdur Rahman, who hails from Bakwa district of Afghanistan's Farah province, is the jihadi governor of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban shadow government) for Herat province, which shares a border with Iran and Turkmenistan.
In an interview with a Taliban website, Rahman claims that the Taliban fighters are in control of a majority of areas of Herat. Following are excerpts from the interview:
"Mujahideen Are Present In All Districts Of Herat Province; I Was Personally There In The Battlefronts Of Herat Province And Have Witnessed The Situation With My Own Eyes"
Question: "Could you share information about the ongoing jihadi situation in Herat province with us?"
Haji Abdur Rahman: "Inside Herat province, by the grace of Allah Almighty, the jihadi activities are progressing according to the plans. Though the enemy has tried its best and is continuously making negative propaganda, mujahideen are still gaining strength day by day. Mujahideen are present in all districts of Herat province. I was personally there in the battlefronts of Herat province and have witnessed the situation with my own eyes."
