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.)
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According to an Afghan media report, Taliban-run Afghanistan has become a hideout for Al-Qaeda leaders as Saad Bin Laden, who is the third son of Osama bin Laden, and Ibrahim Al-Banna, a founding member and senior leader in Al-Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), are living in Afghanistan.
An article in the latest issue of "Voice of Khurasan," an English-language monthly magazine published by a media outlet linked to the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) which defines itself as a supporting entity for the ISIS, threatens to avenge the desecration of Quran in Sweden and the Netherlands, warning Europe: "We will soon take revenge on you by the words of the Lord of the Worlds: (Wait, we too are waiting with you)."
On February 17, 2023, a Telegram channel linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shared two posts claiming that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) is seeking to recruit "agents," who are fluent in Chinese, Russian, and Farsi languages, arguing that such move comes to improve its "weak" intelligence.
On February 19, 2023, an Iran-backed Iraqi militia claimed responsibility for an attack on the same day on a U.S. military logistical convoy in Iraq's Salah Al-Din Governorate. The attack reportedly took place at 03:00 a.m. local time.
On February 21, 2023, a Telegram channel affiliated with an Iran-backed militia in Iraq released a poster threatening U.S. forces and personnel in Iraq. The poster depicted a swarm of drones and featured the text of Quran 105:3, which reads: "And He sent against them flights of birds."
On February 16, 2023, ISIS released Issue 378 of its weekly magazine Al-Naba'. The issue reported for the first time a series of attacks in the Sahel: one on the Nigerien army in February 2023, resulting in the killing of 35 soldiers, and three attacks in Burkina Faso in November-December 2022.
A February 17, 2023 editorial in Issue 378 of ISIS's weekly Al-Naba', titled "Even After They Saw All [Our] Signs," discusses ISIS's journey in Iraq and Syria, comparing it to that of the messengers who were slandered and killed for showing people all of the divine signs.
Issue 378 of ISIS weekly magazine Al-Naba' published on February 16, 2023, gives additional details on two recent IED attacks perpetrated by the Islamic State Somalia Province in Somalia's northeastern state of Puntland and in the capital, Mogadishu.
On February 22, 2023, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) claimed to have detonating explosives in a "government headquarters for the polytheistic elections" in Nigeria's central state of Kogi.
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On February 20, 2023, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) released a 15-minute video titled "Polytheism is a Terrible Wrong" (a quote from Quran 31:13).
The cover article in the latest issue of "Voice of Khurasan," an English-language monthly magazine published by a media outlet linked to the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) which defines itself as a supporting entity for the ISIS, says the Afghan Taliban rulers are outside the fold of Islam because they are not adhering to hudud ("limits"), or shari'a criminal punishments, including adulterers, homosexuals, and others.
The lead article in the latest issue of "Voice of Khurasan" declares the ruling households of UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to be unbelievers, warning that ISIS is the "only force able to free al-Aqsa Mosque and vanquish the imperialist Zionist regime of Israel."
Issue 21 of "Voice of Khurasan," an English-language monthly magazine published by a media outlet linked to the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) which defines itself as a supporting entity for the ISIS, threatens European nations saying that it the group will avenge the desecration of the Quran in Sweden and the Netherlands, accuses the governments Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar of leading Muslims away from shari'a, criticizes China's crackdown against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, and carries several articles advocating jihad and qital ("fighting to kill").
In the latest issue of Pashtu-language magazine ""Khurasan Ghag [Voice of Khurasan]," the Pashtu-language magazine published by a media outlet linked to the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) which defines itself as a supporting entity for the ISIS, threatened to target "the unbelievers" of the whole world, especially Europeans, for the desecration of the Quran in Sweden and the Netherlands and urges Muslims living in Europe "to chase the desecrator, strangle, stab, and shoot him, run him over with a car."
On February 21, 2023, Al-Qaeda's General Command released a statement titled "Statement Regarding the Latest Crusade Against Muslims In Somalia," in which it condemned the security campaign against Al-Qaeda-affiliate Al-Shabab, saying it is as a new "Crusade" and one of the "immense conspiracies" devised against Islam and Muslims.
On February 20, 2023, the official media outlet of Al-Qaeda Central Command issued a statement in Arabic and Urdu versions titled "Condolences, Prayers, and Support for Our Muslim Brothers in Turkey and Syria," addressing the massive earthquakes that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6, killing tens of thousands.
On February 10, 2023, Al-Qaeda's official central media outlet released Issue Eight of its Arabic-language magazine.
On February 18, 2023, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released a statement claiming that two of its fighters were released from Houthi prisons for a ransom and in a prisoner exchange with Houthis. In the statement, AQAP vowed to continue to work toward the release of other AQAP fighters from prison.
Yemen-Based Al-Qaeda In Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Eulogizes Two Operatives Killed In 'U.S. Airstrike'
On February 15, 2023, the media arm of the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) published a poster as part of its "Martyrs of Epic Battles" series.
On February 21, 2023, the official media outlet of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen (Al-Shabab), published a claim of responsibility for an attack against a government building in Mogadishu.
On February 22, 2023, the media arm of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimeen (Group for Support of Islam and Muslims – GSIM), released two statements claiming responsibility for six attacks against Malian forces and the Russian Wagner group, between February 12-20, 2023, in various parts of Mali.
On February 17-19, 2023, the media arm of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the African Sahel, Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimeen (Group for Support of Islam and Muslims – GSIM), released two video clips which show its operatives engaging in training activities and fighting, including raiding and taking control of two Burkina Faso Armed Forces bases.
Hizbullah Brigades Spokesman Calls To Take The Battle Into Saudi Territory
On February 18, 2023, Hizbullah Brigades' spokesman posted a harsh statement on his Telegram channel calling to "take the battle into the territory" of Saudi Arabia.
On February 17, 2023, a Telegram channel linked to Iran-backed militias posted a ten-minute video showing masked fighters from the Lebanese Hizbullah conducting combat exercises in different locations and under different weather conditions.
Following the February 6 earthquake that struck Turkey and northwestern Syria, and the ensuing relief efforts, sources within the Syrian opposition have reported that Iran and the militias that it supports in Iraq and Syria are exploiting the opportunities presented by the humanitarian aid initiatives for victims of the earthquakes, as cover for the transfer of weapons and ammunition from Iraq into Syria.
Over the past three days, jihadi accounts on social media reported that at least 70 civilians were killed in eastern Homs at the hands of an Iran-backed Afghan militia. The Banu Khalid tribe, of which the victims were members, issued a statement on February 18 saying that at least 75 civilians were killed in the attack.
On February 20, 2023, a Syrian opposition website reported that the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has recently begun employing a new approach to smuggling drugs and cigarettes from Iraq into Syria, in coordination with Syrian regime forces. According to the report on the website, they use vehicles which belong to the Syrian regime forces to smuggle the goods from the border city of Al-Bukamal in northeast Syria to deep inside Syrian territory.
On February 15, 2023, the Urdu-language website of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA, i.e., the Afghan Taliban) published a statement marking the 34th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. After nearly a decade-long U.S.-backed jihad in Afghanistan, the Soviet forces had withdrawn from Afghanistan on February 15, 1989.
