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 June 14, 2022, Al-Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen, posted a eulogy for a Saudi AQAP operative who grew up in the U.S. and was "martyred" in the war against ISIS in Yemen.
EXCLUSIVE: Pro-ISIS Account Network Reemerges On Facebook Despite Content Moderation Efforts
By: M. Schierer*
A pro-Islamic State (ISIS) social media account network – a conglomerate of centrally-operated avatar profiles which disseminates ISIS propaganda – has almost certainly reemerged on Facebook, with the likely intent to scale up operations in the near-term.
As many Western nations celebrate Pride Month, jihadis – including supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda, as well as Shi'ite clerics – have taken the opportunity to express homophobic views in social media posts, including that homosexuality destroys the family, that Western support for LGBT rights spreads moral depravity, and that homosexual intercourse is responsible for the monkeypox epidemic.
Jihadis on social media continue to react to remarks made by two senior officials of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party in India, which were perceived as insulting to Islam. Posts ranged from mocking the Hindu religion to calls for retaliation, as well as criticism of "tyrant" regimes in Muslim countries, for failing to take action against such insults, including the Afghan Taliban.
In a press release issued on June 13, 2022, on his blog, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) British preacher warns of possible violent reactions by Muslims to perceived insults made against the Prophet Muhammad in two unrelated events.
EXCLUSIVE: For The First Time, Iran-Backed Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) Reveals Maritime Forces
On June 14, 2022, to mark the eighth anniversary of the founding of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), a Telegram channel affiliated with the Iran-backed Shi'ite militias in Iraq, shared a two-minute video clip titled, "The Popular Mobilization Units Holds A Display Of Its Maritime Forces On The Anniversary Of Its Establishment."
In reaction to statements by leaders of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against Muhammad, the founder of Islam, the Islamic State's Khurasan Province (ISIS-K) has released a magazine urging Muslims to wage jihad against those it deems blasphemers, and questions the Afghan Taliban's commitment to Islam for their failure to send teams to India to kill them.
Between June 10-13, 2022, the Islamic State (ISIS) released several graphic photos documenting attacks on different military and Christian targets in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Niger.
ISIS In Nigeria Claims Killing Of 35 Men Involved In 'Spy Missions Against The Mujahideen'
On June 12, 2022, the Islamic State (ISIS) West Africa Province (ISWAP) released a statement saying that on June 7, 2022, its operatives captured and executed 35 members of an organization loyal to the Nigerian Army in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria.
SUPPORT OUR WORK
Over the past week, ISIS perpetrated several new attacks against Christians in northeastern Mozambique, following a rising trend that began in early May 2022, when the group declared Mozambique an independent province within its organization.
On June 13, 2022, the Islamic State (ISIS) In West Africa Province released a 39-minute video documenting its operatives' attacks in Nigeria, along with ISIS outreach efforts to convince locals to join its ranks.
ISIS In Chad Claims Killing And Wounding Of 39 Chadian Soldiers Near Nigerian Border
On June 12, 2022, the Islamic State (ISIS) West Africa Province (ISWAP) reported that on June 7, its operatives ambushed a convoy of "the apostate Chadian Army" in Chad's Bol region.
On June 9, 2022, the Islamic State (ISIS) released Issue 342 of its weekly newsletter Al-Naba'. The issue features an editorial titled "One Ending, Countries Torn Apart," commenting on the summit of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, held in Morocco in May 2022.
An anti-Islamic State (ISIS) channel on the Al-Qaeda-operated Rocket.Chat server published a document allegedly issued by ISIS to the Emirs of its various branches. The circular, dated September 2020, ordered attacks to be launched three days following an upcoming release of an audio speech by slain ISIS spokesman Abu Hamza Al-Qurashi.
On May 28, 2022, an anti-Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) Telegram channel which often posts about jihadi factions operating in Syria, claimed that a high-ranking member of the Islamic State (ISIS) was captured by the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA).
In mid-June 2022, several pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media outlets shared posters highlighting large operations perpetrated by the organization in Africa, mainly against Christians, during the second week of June. The posters describe the organization's activity on the African continent as a "war of attrition," and accentuate the increase in the scope of this activity and its implications which, it claims are primarily the transformation of the Muslims from persecuted victims to those who are currently massacring their enemies.
On June 15, 2022, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram channel discussed a video released the previous day by ISIS West Africa Province (ISWAP), titled "A Book That Guides And A Sword That Champions."
On June 9, 2022, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram channel published an article arguing that ISIS's global appeal underpins its organizational strategy and should therefore be fostered by ramping up efforts not just in the Arab World, but beyond.
An Australian Islamic State (ISIS) supporter shares content on Facebook from slain ISIS spokesman Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani, and jihadi preachers such as Ahmad Musa Jibril, Anwar Al-Awlaki, and Abu Baraa.
Pro-ISIS Video: The Afghan Taliban Carry Out U.S., Western Agendas, Fail To Prevent ISIS Attacks
On June 8, 2022, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) outlet released an English-dubbed version of a 14-minute video by the official media outlet of ISIS Khorasan Province, titled "The Guaranteers Are Reckless."
On June 14, 2022, Al-Qaeda's official media outlet released a 44-minute video featuring an audio address by the organization's leader, Ayman Al-Zawahiri. The video is the fifth part in a series titled "Deal of the Century or Crusades Spanning Centuries," whose first part was released on September 11, 2020.
An article in a magazine published by Al-Qaeda affiliates in Nigeria on March 30, 2022 criticized the leaders of an unspecified Al-Qaeda branch, saying they do not abide by the organization's ideology.
Al-Qaeda Nigerian Affiliate Denies Involvement In March Train Attack And Kidnapping
On June 12, 2022, the official media outlet of Al-Qaeda's Nigerian affiliate released a 16-minute video clip in which it denies involvement in an attack on a train in northern Nigeria in March 2022.
The spokesman for the General Security Services (GSS) of Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) published a statement declaring that on June 14, 2022, the GSS captured a number of commanders of the Islamic State (ISIS) north of Idlib.
A fundraising campaign to supporting jihadi fighters and their families in Idlib and surrounding areas celebrated its third anniversary on May 20, 2022, by publishing a Telegram post highlighting its activities and the funds raised.
Iran-Backed Groups in Iraq Carry Out Double Attack Against U.S. Logistical Convoys
On June 12, 2022, two Iran-backed Shi'ite groups in Iraq claimed responsibility for attacks against U.S. military logistical convoys in Salah- Al-Din province, north of Baghdad.
On June 6, 2022, a Telegram channel affiliated with Hizbullah Brigades in Iraq published a statement in response to Saudi Arabia's designation of the Bahrain-based Iran-backed Al-Ashtar Brigades and Al-Mukhtar Brigades as terrorist groups.
A member of the political council of the Iran-backed Al-Nujaba movement responded harshly to a bill proposed by several members of the U.S. Congress on June 9, 2022, which demands that the Pentagon act to establish a joint aerial defense front comprised of the U.S., Israel, the Gulf States, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq, against aerial threats from Iran.
On June 11, 2022, a Houthi official praised the recent threats made by Hizbullah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah to attack the floating production and storage unit of the Karish gas field rig, owned by a British-Greek company, which in recent days has arrived in the disputed territory between Israel and Lebanon.
Taliban Foils Bid To Smuggle U.S. Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) Out Of Afghanistan
According to a video released by the Interior Ministry of Afghanistan and posted on Twitter by a pro-Taliban user, an attempt was made to smuggle an American-made Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS), which had been seized in Afghanistan, to an unnamed neighboring country, possibly Iran or Pakistan.
