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.
Umm Layth, a woman from Glasgow, Scotland who came to Syria last year and joined ISIS, has several social media accounts on which she shares her experiences. In recent days, her case received much media attention after her parents made public pleas for her to return home. The reports reveal that her real name is Aqsa Mahmood, and that she is rumored to be part of the Al-Khanasaa Brigade , a women's police force that enforces shari'a law and may be in charge of kidnapped women being used as slaves.
EXCLUSIVE: German Jihadi Calls Upon Western Muslims To Join The Jihad In Syria
The following is the translation of a clip of German jihadi in Syria Saifullah Al-Almani; the clip was posted on the Internet on September 9, 2014.
Click here to view this clip on MEMRI TV
Saifullah Al-Almani: "Peace be upon you, my beloved brothers and sisters. We greet you from the land of blessing and honor. Praise be to Allah who has blessed us with being in jihad. We have marched forth in order to raise the Religion of Allah. And we hope that we are of those who will be shaded on the Day of Judgment."
Matchmaking Twitter Account Aims to Marry Off Mujahideen
A Twitter account called Jihad Matchmaker offers matchmaking services to members of the jihad community in Syria. The account's tagline reads, "Jihad Matchmaker is here to link up those seeking marriage in Syria in a halal [i.e., religiously sanctioned] manner . InshaAllah helping Muslims is the aim." As of this writing the account has 61 followers.
Asked by a user if the account was affiliated with any specific group, Matchmaker replied on September 10, 2014: "JM is for all, not just IS."
Al-Qaeda Military Commander, Film Narrator, Killed In Drone Strike
Al-Qaeda supporters on Twitter reported that two prominent figures in the organization have recently been killed in drone strikes in Waziristan. It is unclear whether the two were killed together or in separate strikes.
On September 5, 2014, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released a video documenting the group's crackdown on several spy networks that operate on behalf of the U.S. drone campaign in Yemen.
The video, which is 19:21 in duration, is the second installment in a series titled "Harvest Of Spies."
A video released September 6, 2014 by Al-I'tisam, the media and information company of the Islamic State (IS), shows IS fighters hunting down Syrian soldiers who were trying to flee following the capture of the Al-Tabqa military airbase in the northern Syria, and then marching them in their underwear to a place of execution and shooting them at close range. The video also shows reconnaissance photos apparently shot by an IS drone prior to the attack.
Islamic State Claims: We Used UAVs To Gather Intelligence For Assault On Syrian Airbase
IS member on the backdrop of plane hangar in Al-Tabqa airbase
On September 6 the information office for the Islamic State’s (IS) Al-Raqqa governorate released a video titled "A Filmed Tour of the Al-Tabqa Military Airbase Following its Liberation". The video is accompanied by the by an explanation provided by an armed IS member describing the measures taken prior to the airbase's liberation and during the course of the fighting itself. The video claims that IS members inter alia used UAVs to gather pre-attack intelligence prior to the assault by the on the airbase.
Fighters Post Photos Of IS Gun Shop In Al-Raqqa
Islamic State (IS) fighters recently posted on their social media accounts photos of a gun and military gear shop that serves the organization’s fighters in the IS stronghold of Al-Raqqa. The store stocks a variety of weapons, including handguns, AK-47s, knives, as well as military gear such as camouflage fatigues, vests, boots, etc.
On September 8, 2014, Jabhat Al-Nusra (JN) released an English bulletin that listed the group's various activities during the month of Sha'ban (May-June) 2014. The bulletin, which was titled "Monthly Harvest," consists of 26 pages that were released in a PDF format. The majority of the bulletin includes images from JN's various activities in the areas it controls, along with snippets describing those activities. The last page of the document includes links to JN's Twitter accounts, which, at the time of this writing, were all active.
IS Member Leaks Jabhat Al-Nusra English-Language Magazine
On September 10, 2014, a Dutch member of the Islamic State (IS) posted a PDF file which he claimed to be the first issue of Azbiru, a new English-language magazine published by Jabhat Al-Nusra.
Several images were posted on September 4, 2014, on the Jihadi Media Platform forum, showing the Islamic State (IS) announcing the upcoming examination schedule for several faculties at the University of Mosul.
Egyptian TV: Islamists Behead Christian, Urge Christians To Leave Sinai
Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis
On September 8, 2014, the Egyptian TV anchor Wa’el Al-Abrashi aired a photo of a decapitated body, allegedly of a Christian family in the Sinai. According to his reporting, the man was beheaded by “takfiri terrorists”, jihadists operating in the Peninsula. His body was sent to his family, with a message attached threatening Christians “leave Sinai, for we are going to transform it into an Islamic emirate”.
On September 6, 2014, the Somali Al-Qaeda affiliated group Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen released a statement confirming the death of its leader Ahmed Godane (aka Mukhtar Abu Al-Zubair) in a U.S. airstrike on the 7th of Dhul-Qa'dah 1435 (September 2, 2014).
