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 March 12 and 13, 2014, a page called "Zapiski Mujahida Shama" ("Notes from a Mujahid in Sham) on the Russian social network Vkontakte posted messages claiming that the jihad group of Chechen commander Muslim Al-Shishani has been attacked with chemical weapons. The following is a translation of the messages, which were posted by one Alturki Alalmani.
On March 14, 2014, a group of ex-Guantanamo detainees published a statement of support for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and called all upon all jihad fighters from the various groups in Syria to join it. The authors of the statement did not sign their names to it, but stated they were 'contemporaries and associates of Osama bin Laden' currently residing in Europe, Australia, Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
Following are excerpts from the statement:
The authors began by saying that the establishment of an Islamic state that would serve as a 'kernel of the caliphate' would realize a long-cherished Muslim dream, and therefore the formation of the Islamic State of Iraq enjoyed a broad welcome. Al-Qaeda's leaders, including Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri, hailed the achievement. Accordingly the authors praised ISI’s efforts and sacrifices, and continued.
On February 26, 2014, Sheikh 'Abdallah Al-Muhaisni, a Saudi cleric who has joined the mujahideen in Syria, launched a second Twitter fundraising campaign to buy ammunition for the "Islamic brigades" fighting in Syria.
As in the first Twitter campaign, which was titled 'Participate in Jihad with your Money,' this campaign invites the public to donate 50, 100, or 200 Kuwaiti dinars (or their equivalent in Saudi or Qatari riyal) by calling phone numbers in Kuwait and Qatar or by tweeting to the campaign's official Twitter account, which to date has more than 8,400 followers.
AQAP Video Documents Attacks Against U.S. Drone Centers In Yemen
On March 7, 2014, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released part 3 in its "Repulsion of Aggression" video series. The video documents several of AQAP's attacks in the past year against the operation rooms that oversee the U.S. drone operations in Yemen.
The video is 31:19 in duration, and was released on Al-Fida' forum. A low-quality version of the video, which was not released through AQAP's trusted channels, also appeared on Youtube around a week ago.
Following are excerpts from the video:
The video begins with various footage of civilian Yemeni victims of the U.S. drone strikes, including those killed in the December 12, 2013, U.S. drone strike, which hit a convoy that was part of a wedding party in Al-Baida Governorate.
Al-Qaeda Announces Launch of 'Resurgence' - New English-Language Magazine
Following are excerpts from an Al-Qaeda promotional video announcing the launching of a new English-language magazine, titled "Resurgence." The soundtrack of the video is taken from a speech by Malcolm X. The Al-Qaeda video was posted on the Internet on March 9, 2014:
Click here to view this clip on MEMRI TV
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Title: "It's time to talk!"
Voice of Malcolm X: "If you and I would just realize that once we learn to talk the language that they understand, they will then get the point."
[…]
AQAP Announces Its New Audio Production Company
On March 12, 2014, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) announced that it had opened a new audio production company, Al-Basha'ir, and added that the company would focus on releasing Koran recitations, stirring nasheed, and various da'wa-related content.
On March 8, 2014, 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 defends ISIS's presence and actions in Syria. Al-'Adnani, who comes out particularly defensive in his message, says that ISIS is the most feared jihad group by the U.S., its lackeys, and the unbelievers.
Image Of Helicopter Seized By The Islamic State Of Iraq And Syria Appears On Twitter
On March 6, 2014, an image of a Syrian army helicopter that was seized by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in February appeared on Twitter.
In February 2014, one of the prominent religious figures in Jabhat Al-Nusra (JN), Dr. Sami Al-'Aridi, who is very active on Twitter, published a series of tweets that were based on recommendations taken from Al-Qaeda ideologue Abu Mus'ab Al-Suri's book –Global Islamic Resistance Call.
In a March 8, 2014 tweet, Jabhat Al-Nusra in Lebanon took responsibility for firing six Grad rockets on Hizbullah's Al-Hermel strongholds. The message noted that the missile salvo was a joint operation with the Lebanese jihad organizations 'Abdallah 'Azzam and Marwan Hadid Brigades, and that it came in response to Hizbullah's continued killing of Sunni Muslims in Lebanon, especially prisoners. Jabhat Al-Nusra promised to continue carrying out actions against Hizbullah and the Syrian Ba'th regime in Lebanon and in Syria.
On March 8, 2014, the Jihadi forum Al-Minbar Al-I’lami Al-Jihadi published a series of posters in French and Arabic savaging France for its recent involvement in Mali and Central Africa. The posters provide overt incitement for terror attacks on France, its government, soldiers and interests. It calls upon Muslims in France to commit acts of terror on French soil, and uses Mohamed Merah, the terrorist responsible for the2012 atrocities in the French cities of Toulouse and Montauban, as a role model.
On March 9, 2014, Ansar Al-Shari'a in Tunisia (AST) issued a statement regarding the ongoing sectarian violence in the Central African Republic (CAR), titled 'Central Africa: Cleansing In The Name Of The Golden Cross.' In it, AST referred to the situation in CAR is yet another attack against Islam and Muslims. AST questions France's involvement in CAR to protect civilian lives, and says that it is there to weaken Muslims instead. AST calls upon Muslims in general, and in CAR and Africa in particular, to respond to the ongoing attempts to contain Islam to Northern Africa only by preparation and jihad.
Report: 14 Pakistani Militants Killed In Iraq
A group of jihadi fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) killed by Iraqi Army in Nineveh Desert included 14 Pakistani militants, according to the English-language website for Al-Manar.
A new jihadi organization, which has been mainly responsible for targeting Pakistani security forces in Karachi and its neighborhood, has emerged, claiming to have existed over the past two and a half years, according to a jihadi blog site. It is possible that the group works as part of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, but this is unconfirmed.
TTP commander Ghazwan along with his fighters
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has release a new video, showing Taliban militants planning attacks on security forces in the remote mountains of Chitral district in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The 30-minute video, Ghazwat-ul-Hind 5, is produced by the TTP's propaganda arm Umar Media.
Afghan Jihadi Group Claims Responsibility For Killing Swedish Journalist
An Afghan jihadist organization claimed responsibility for Tuesday's targeted attack in Kabul that killed Swedish journalist Nils Horner.
According to a Pashtu-language statement issued by the Fidayee Mahaz, Nils Horner, a 51-year-old journalist for Swedish Radio, was working for the British intelligence agency MI-6. The statement is signed by Fidayee Mahaz spokesman Qari Hamza.
In a statement, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban shadow government) accuses the 'Western imperial powers' of interfering in the internal affairs of weaker countries and vows that a likely Taliban government in Kabul will adopt a policy of no-interference in other countries.
The statement notes: "The Islamic Emirate believes that the involvement and interference of the aggressive countries in the internal affairs of the comparatively weaker countries lays the foundation of all misfortunes, collisions and complications of the modern era."
