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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On January 14, 2023, the official media outlet of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), released a video titled "Oh, People of Faith and Wisdom," featuring leader Khalid Batarfi discussing the situation in Yemen and calling on Muslims to wage jihad and expel U.S. and Iranian "proxies" from Yemen.
On January 11, 2023, an outspoken Saudi dissident YouTuber known for his criticism of the Saudi royal family and Shi'ites released a long video in which he pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS), denounced the "un-Islamic" Saudi government, and derided Muslims who do not support ISIS.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, or the Movement of Pakistani Taliban) has threatened in a January 4, 2023 statement to target prominent leaders of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) if they maintain their stance of supporting the Pakistan Army against the TTP.
On January 8 and 9, 2023, a delegation from the UAE-based The World Muslim Communities Council (TWMCC) paid an official visit to several cities in the China-controlled Xinjiang Province, also known as East Turkestan. Members of the delegation included clerics and intellectuals from various countries, such as the UAE, Egypt, Syria, Bosnia, Serbia, Tunisia, Albania, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and South Sudan.
Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) Claims 20 Christians Killed In DRC Church Explosion
On January 15, 2023, Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) claimed responsibility for a same-day attack inside a church in Beni area in the North-Kivu province of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
ISIS Mozambique Province Claims Controlling Highway For Hours, Capturing Drone
On January 12, 2023, the ISIS released Issue 373 of its weekly magazine Al-Naba.' Part of the issue covers five ISIS operations in Mozambique that occurred between January 8-14, 2023. In the attacks, four Mozambican soldiers were killed, more injured and an army barracks set on fire in Cabo Delgado province, northeastern Mozambique.
On January 12, 2023, the ISIS released Issue 373 of its weekly Al-Naba' newsletter, which includes an editorial arguing that the "Crusader" coalition formed to defeat ISIS has failed to fulfill its promise to eliminate jihad, and that jihadis will continue to wage jihad as long as the "war on Islam" goes on. The editorial contends that ISIS expansion in Africa is "victory for jihad" and the war among Christians are signs of "decline and "imminent demise."
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On January 17, 2023, the Islamic State's (ISIS) official French-language media outlet released a poster in French and Arabic, titled "Why is the Islamic State Fighting in Africa and the Sahel?"
Poster By Pro-ISIS Media Group Threatens White House
On January 17, 2023, a pro-ISIS outlet published a poster on its channel hosted on the ISIS-operated Rocket.Chat server. The poster depicts a masked operative dressed in black, holding a large bag stuffed with explosives and standing in the middle of a large crowd, with the U.S. White House in the background. The poster's text, in Arabic and English, reads: "What is coming in unexpected. Islamic State Caliphate."
On January 17, 2023, pro-ISIS media outlets released posters inciting attacks against U.S. targets and member states of the Global Coalition To Defeat ISIS. Among the U.S. targets mentioned was the White House.
On January 16, 2023 a media outlet linked to the Islamic State in Khorasan (ISIS-K) which defines itself as a supporting entity for ISIS, released the second issue of its Arabic-language magazine.
On January 6, 2023 the official media outlet of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) released the third part in a series titled "Illuminating the Minds to the Unbelief of the Rulers of Algeria."
On January 16, 2023, the official media outlet of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen (Al-Shabab), reported on its Telegram channel that Al-Shabab had carried out a "martyrdom" attack on a Somali army base north of Mogadishu in Middle Shabelle province.
On January 16, 2023, Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the Sahel, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), claimed responsibility for four attacks targeting Malian forces that were carried out over the previous week.
On January 17, 2023, the media arm of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the Sahel, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), published a nine-minute video titled "Apology to Your Lord."
On January 11, 2023, a user of the Al-Qaeda-operated Rocket.Chat server announced the launch of a new media foundation on several platforms, and asked whether a channel for the new foundation could be opened on Rocket.Chat as well.
Starting in September 2022 there has been a significant increase in attacks by the elite units of the military arm of the Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) against Syrian Armed Forces targets. This increase is apparent in the renewal of inghimasi attacks (i.e., commando-type operations behind enemy lines in which the attackers are likely to be killed), which the organization had refrained from launching during the past two years.
Attack On Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Prison Housing ISIS Fighters, In Eastern Syria
On January 16, 2023, a pro-ISIS media channel reported about two attacks in Syria, the first against the Al-Kum "Chinese" prison run by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and the second against an SDF headquarters near the town of Al-Shaddadi.
Member Of French Jihadi Group In Syria Killed By Syrian Regime
On January 15, a Telegram channel run by a group of independent jihadi clerics in Syria's Idlib region reported that a French fighter had been killed at the front south of Idlib.
Jihadi Ideologue Back On Twitter After Account Suspension
A Jordanian jihadi ideologue who is considered a spiritual mentor of Al-Qaeda has resurfaced on Twitter following the suspension of his previous account in late October or early November 2022.
On January 11, 2023, Emirati media reported that Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Crown Prince of Dubai Hamdan bin Mohammed had a meeting with the founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov, publishing photos that show Durov during the reception held at the Zaabel palace in Dubai.
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On December 18, 2022, the Afghan Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized an event to mark the formal release of a book recording the achievements and activities of the ministry since the Taliban government took control of power in Afghanistan in August-September 2021.
