Somali Jihad Film

On December 1, 2006, Islamist websites posted a 45-minute video titled "Badr Al-Somal," dealing with jihad in Somalia. On December 3, the websites posted a 27-minute version of the same video, which can be viewed at http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=362563&ak=null. [1] The individuals who appear in the film speak in Somali, but the narration, captions, and songs, as well as the excerpts from speeches which accompany the footage, are in Arabic.

The 27-minute video includes three sections. The first, titled "Ribat" ("Outpost") shows the jihad fighters at their base camp - resting, doing maintenance on their weapons, and practicing various combat techniques. An unseen announcer says: "This is the group that has been schooled in the ways of Allah's faith... This group sees no choice but to oppose the conspiracies of the infidels, wherever they may be, for [the infidels have fought] you and are still fighting you in attempt to get you to abandon your faith... This is the storm trooper unit whose energy will soon break forth among the Muslims." Another announcer says: "A new dawn has broken mightily over the lands of Islam. The Muslim nation is now united around the banner of jihad, [around] martyrdom and sacrifice for the sake of Allah. Oh Muslim nation, this is the era of the jihad of the nation, now that the governments and organizations have become impotent. Have faith in Allah's victory, and leap into the battlefield of jihad..."

This section also includes excerpts from speeches by Al-Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi, and footage of jihad fighters "martyred in battle." The images are accompanied by jihad songs, one of which says: "I am a terrorist, I terrorize the enemies of the faith... Woe to the oppressors." Another song says: "The advance towards the target has begun, and when a free [man] begins his journey he neither tires nor stops."

The film's second section, which is of extremely poor visual quality, is titled "The Jihad Fighters Prepare for Battle," and shows the fighters arming themselves. One of the songs heard in the background says: "My gun is in my hand and my shroud is in my pack..."

The third section, titled "The Battle Begins," shows the fighters firing guns and mortars at unseen enemy targets while cries of "Allah Akbar" are heard in the background. The accompanying song says: "The smiling dawn has broken [after] a night of terrors, and the spring of our nation has come, after the dark winter."

The full-length video includes additional scenes. One of these shows a demonstration "against the apostates" and another presents booty captured by the jihad fighters - mostly military vehicles, some equipped with artillery. A third scene, in the Somali language, shows an idol and bottles of alcoholic beverages apparently captured by the fighters.

The following are images from the video:

Monthly Report on Jihad in Iraq

Islamist websites post a monthly report on the activities of the mujahideen in Iraq, titled "The Mujahideen's Harvest in Al-Rafadain Land [i.e. Iraq]." Until nowdate, the report has been a document in Arabic, but the November report, posted December 2, was a video in English.

The video, produced by the "Jihad Media Battalion," a jihadist video production and distribution company associated with the Global Information Media Front (GIMF), presents footage of jihadist attacks in Iraq, along with captions showing statistics on the purported damage inflicted by the mujahideen upon their enemies. The captions specify the number of casualties purportedly inflicted on various forces - including the "Crusaders," the Iraqi Police force, the Iraqi Army, the Al-Mahdi Army, "logistical support personnel," and "spies." Also specified is the type and quantity of military equipment captured or destroyed by the mujahideen. At the bottom of the screen is a ticker displaying news reports pertaining to jihad.

The video can be viewed at: http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=362902&ak=null.

Below are images from the video:

The Islamic State of Iraq Issues a Death Threat Against Jordan's King Abdullah

An Islamist website recently posted a statement by the Islamic State of Iraq, titled "The Assembly of the Unsuccessful," which includes a death threat against King Abdullah II of Jordan. The document accuses the Arab governments, especially those of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, of using Sheikh Hareth Al-Dhari to harm the mujahideen. [2] The message ends with the following threat addressed to the King of Jordan: "Wait patiently. You sought to surpass your treasonous grandfather [King] Abdullah [1] in your [mis]deeds, and you will soon meet a fate similar to his [i.e. assassination]. We call upon the lions of Jordan… to lie in wait for [King Abdallah II]…"