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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Jihadi Telegram channels and those linked to Iran-backed militias in Iraq reacted to former U.S. President Donald Trump's arraignment at a federal court in Miami on June 13, 2023, where he pleaded not guilty to charges that he retained classified national security documents after he left the White House and obstructed government efforts to retrieve them.
Jihadi Telegram channels and those linked to Iran-backed militias in Iraq continued to share posts commenting on LGBTQ+ Pride Month events in the U.S. and other Western countries. Posts argued that the U.S. and UK official celebrations are indicators of these nations' decline, calling on jihadis to take advantage of the situation and rise up.
EXCLUSIVE: Jihadi, Iran-Backed Telegram Channels Use Pride Month To Incite Hate Against U.S.
Since the U.S. government began commemorating Pride Month, a month-long celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, on June 1, 2023, several jihadi Telegram channels and those linked to Iran-backed militias have shared posts criticizing the LGBTQ+ community and using the opportunity to incite followers against the U.S. and the West broadly.
Over the past few days, following the start of Pride Month 2023, several Iran-backed Shi'ite militias in Iraq and Yemen have published posts condemning the U.S. and the West for promoting LGBTQ+ rights in the Middle East.
By: Matt Schierer*
The invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 decisively demonstrated Russia's repudiation of international law and order. Despite Moscow's counterclaims, successive international bodies have determined that the Russian invasion constitutes an illegal use of force. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights moreover estimates that the large-scale attack by Russia is responsible for at least 23,606 civilian casualties in Ukraine.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On June 5, 2023, Sabereen News alleged that according to "exclusive sources," U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski informed Iraqi officials that at the top of the U.S.'s list is Akram Al-Ka'abi, who is secretary general of the Al-Nujaba' Movement.
On June 12, 2023, Al-Malahem, the media arm of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released a three-minute video featuring an appeal by Akam Sofyol Anam, director of the UN office in Yemen, who has been held hostage by the group since February 2022.
On June 9, 2023, a Telegram channel which supports the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Ashaf Al-Kahf, published a one-minute, 37-second video, featuring archival footage of Barack Obama's 2008 visit to Baghdad as the U.S. presidential candidate for the Democratic Party.
EXCLUSIVE: Iran-Linked Telegram Video Reveals First Look At Iraqi PMU-Made Drone
On June 14, 2023, a Telegram channel linked to Iran-backed militias published a post with a video revealing the newly manufactured M6, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), produced by the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), an Iraqi state-sponsored umbrella organization comprising multiple factions, including those backed by Iran.
On June 11 and 12, 2023, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) released five statements claiming and documenting attacks on Nigerian and Nigerien troops, pro-government militias, and civilians.
On June 11, 2023, the Islamic State Sahel Province released a photo set documenting its May 21 attack on the "apostate Al-Qaeda militia" – referring to Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the African Sahel, Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimeen (the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims – GSIM) – which took place in Higa, Burkina Faso, near the border with Niger.
On June 12-13, 2023, Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) released three statements claiming and documenting attacks on the Congolese and Ugandan troops and Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's northeastern Beni and Ituri provinces.
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Islamic State (ISIS) In Africa Claims Killing Nine In Several Attacks In Nigeria, Congo DRC
On June 7, 2023, the Islamic State (ISIS) provinces in Africa, Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), released five claims of responsibility for several attacks carried out by their operatives, three of them against Christians.
On June 12, 2023, the Islamic State (ISIS) Iraq Province claimed that on June 11, its fighters carried out an attack against an Iraqi army barracks, near Tall Al-Ward, west of Kirkuk, using machine guns.
On June 9, 2023, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in the city of Fayzabad, Badakhshan Province, northern Afghanistan, targeting a funeral reception that was attended by several Afghan Taliban commanders.
On June 8, 2023, the Islamic State (ISIS) released Issue 394 of its weekly newsletter Al-Naba'. The eight-page publication included an editorial titled "Jihad, Jihad, Oh People of Abyssinia," criticizing Muslim protests over the demolition of mosques in Ethiopia as a weak tactic.
On June 7, 2023, a Syrian opposition website published an exclusive report about "secret schools" belonging to the Islamic State (ISIS) in the Al-Hol detention camp in Al-Hasakah, Syria.
An outspoken Saudi dissident YouTuber known for his criticism of the Saudi royal family and Shi'ites, has been captured in Yemen, where he had been fighting on behalf of the Islamic State (ISIS) for several months, according to ISIS supporters on Telegram.
Islamic State (ISIS) Supporters Provide Tips, Coordination For Jihad Travel
On June 14, 2023, a user of the Islamic State (ISIS)-operated Rocket.Chat server, published an English-language post listing a set of skills to acquire in preparation for hijrah [migration for the purpose of jihad] and jihad.
On June 13, 2023, a user of an Islamic State (ISIS)-operated server published a post urging supporters to make hijrah [migration for the purpose of jihad] to areas in West Africa under ISIS control and providing guidance for doing so.
On June 9, 2023, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram channel shared posts advocating lone wolf attacks against the attendees of the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, which began on June 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
On June 8, 2023, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media outlet released on Telegram a poster featuring a poem condemning Saudi Arabia for hosting the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, scheduled to start today in Riyadh.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On June 8, 2023, a newly-created pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram channel published its first post, commenting on the war in Ukraine. The channel posted an image allegedly showing Western tanks used in Ukraine, saying they were destroyed by Russian forces.
Pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media groups recently launched a media campaign titled "Support [for ISIS] is Ribat [Guarding at the Frontline] and Jihad," encouraging supporters to remain committed to their online activities spreading ISIS propaganda and defending its ideology.
On June 13, 2023, Az-Zallaqa, the media arm of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the Sahel, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), issued two statements claiming four attacks on Malian and Burkinabe forces on June 7 and 9, 2023.
On June 12, 2023, Al-Zallaqa, the media arm of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the Sahel, the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), claimed an ambush attack targeting a convoy belonging to United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) forces to the west of the city of Ber, in Mali's Timbuktu Region.
On June 9, 2023, Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen (Al-Shabab), claimed responsibility for a series of attacks against the Pearl Beach hotel in Mogadishu's Abdiaziz district, killing more than 29 Somalis and injuring an even larger number.
On June 7, 2023, the Shahada News Agency, the official media outlet of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen (Al-Shabab), published a series of statements claiming responsibility for attacks against Somali "militias," Ethiopian and Ugandan troops in different Somali regions, as well as IED attacks targeting Kenyan troops in Kenya's northeastern counties of Mandera and Lamu.
User Of Al-Qaeda-Operated Rocket.Chat Server Claims He Can Facilitate Travel To Somalia For Jihad
On June 5, 2023, a user wrote in English on the Al-Qaeda-Operated Rocket.Chat server: "I want to make Hijrah [travel for the purpose of jihad], anyone who can help me?" A few days later, on June 9, another user responded in English claiming he could help him.
Pro-Al-Qaeda Media Outlet Publishes Poster Of Slain Al-Qaeda Leader Al-Zawahiri Threatening U.S.
On June 13, 2023, the pro-Al-Qaeda An-Nusra Media Foundation published a threatening poster featuring slain Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri raising his index finger to the background of a burning American flag and a military vehicle with an American soldier next to it.
On June 11, 2023, a jihadi Telegram channel published the third issue of a jihadi Arabic language periodical, whose first issue appeared in October 2022, authored by several pro-Al-Qaeda ideologues and Syria-based jihadi clerics.
On June 12, 2023, the Turkey-based Syria TV Network, an opposition news outlet, reported that Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been in contact in recent months to discuss prospects for establishing a joint civil administration to govern their respective territories in northern Syria, expanding economic ties, and securing HTS's removal from international terrorism lists.
On June 14, 2023, a recently-established Iran-backed Iraqi Shi'ite group released a statement dated June 12, 2023, in which it claims responsibility for a "surveillance drone" that allegedly flew over the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on June 9.
On June 12, 2023 the Qatari daily Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that the Iran-backed Iraqi militias have no intention of withdrawing forces from Syrian territory. The daily interviewed several senior members from the militias who, while conceding that in recent years there has been a decline in the number of operatives in Syria following the defeat of the rebels in most of the country, asserted that their forces still maintain a presence along the border between Iraq and Syria.
The following report is a complimentary offering from the MEMRI Iran Threat Monitor Project (ITMP). For more information, write to memri@memri.org with "ITMP Subscription" in the subject line.
On June 7, 2023, an Iran-backed Iraqi Telegram channel which describes itself as the "best friends of Russia in Iraq" – called on its subscribers to pray for the Russian Armed Forces amid an ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces in Eastern Ukraine.
On June 11, 2023, a Syrian opposition news website published a report claiming that Lebanese Hizbullah transported weapons and missiles from northeast Damascus to warehouses in Homs, Syria.
On June 1, 2023, the Afghan Taliban published the 208th issue of their official Arabic-language magazine, Al-Sumood, which included an article titled "America and the Fate of the Afghans who Cooperated with It," arguing Afghans who left the country following the withdrawal of the U.S. forces now lead a "difficult and harsh life" in the U.S. and will continue to be viewed and treated by the Afghan people and the Taliban government as "collaborators."
