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 [email protected] with "Membership" in the subject line.)
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Qais Khazali, secretary-general of the Iraqi Shi'ite Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq militia, recently threatened the U.S., saying: "If you impose yourself upon us, causing casualties among the Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi militia, we will deal with you as if these are intentional strikes." When challenged by the interviewer, he said: "We have weapons that could [hit them] in the sky, and they have a presence on the ground." He was speaking in a June 2 interview with the Iraqi Al-Afaq TV channel.
Click here to view this clip on MEMRI TV
Qais Khazali: "In my opinion, the Israel lobby controls American decision-making. It has a hold on the political, economic, media and military junctions. If the (American) prime minister (sic) plays by the rules, he is given some room to maneuver, but if he crosses the line, he is stopped. In my opinion, Jimmy Carter was assassinated (sic) because he crossed the line on the Palestinian Issue."
Interviewer: "You said that if there is a case of friendly fire by coalition airplanes, the Americans will face 'immeasurable consequences.'"
Khazali: "This is an important issue. Let me phrase what I mean differently. Oh United States of America, if we were to cooperate in any ground operation - even though we reject your participation in military operations that cannot be conducted without coordination... If you impose yourself upon us, causing casualties among the Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi militia, we will deal with you as if these are intentional strikes. I will give you the details later."
Interviewer: "What would you do in such a case?"
Khazali: "There's no need to go into details now."
Interviewer: "(The Americans) are not on the ground, so what can you do? You have no anti-aircraft capabilities, so what can you possibly do?"
Khazali: "Are you goading me?"
Interviewer: "Not at all. But what can you possibly do? You don't have the weapons, so what can you do against an F-16?"
Khazali: "First of all, we have..."
Interviewer: "What you have is limited to ground warfare."
Khazali: "We can get hold of surface-to-air missiles. I'm not saying that we have them, but we can get hold of them. Secondly, (the Americans) are present on the ground. We have weapons that could (hit them) in the sky and they have a presence on the ground. From time to time, we receive information about American efforts to target field commanders of Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi. Whenever I receive such information, I verify it. They are playing with fire. Up until now, we have not crossed any political or diplomatic red lines. We have not endangered American interests, and I advise them to refrain from crossing any red lines and from playing with fire, because any action has a reaction. "
The following clip is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
In a TV interview, Jabhat Al-Nusra Commander Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani said: "We all hope that one day, the Muslim Brotherhood will realize that their plan of action is wrong... They should take up their arms and wage Jihad for the sake of Allah." His statements were made in the second part of an interview with Al-Jazeera TV, which aired on June 3, 2015.
Following are excerpts:
Click here to view this clip on MEMRI TV
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: "The [Iranians] are using the spread of the Shia as a springboard for the revival of their empire. If they wanted to enter the region under a Persian banner, they would be incapable of doing so - not logically, not realistically, not militarily, not politically, or anything. That is why they are entering the region in the name of the spread of the Shia.
[]
"What is the Jews' pretext for their presence in Palestine today? They say that they were in Palestine 3,500 years ago, and that they returned to it 3,500 years later. Is the pretext of the Iranians the same as the pretext of the Jews? The Jews say that this is their land, the Promised Land, and so on, and the Iranians say: 'This is our empire. You usurped it from us.'"
Interviewer: "What was the strategy of Sheikh Osama Bin Laden?"
Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani: "He wanted to fight the Americans on their own turf, and that way to drag them into Afghanistan - because we were unable to send armies to [the U.S.]. Sheikh Osama's goal in fighting the Americans was not to put an end to the American presence"
Interviewer: "When Osama Bin Laden planned the events of 9/11, his goal was to drag the Americans into Afghanistan?"
EXCLUSIVE: Al-Jazeera TV Reveals Details On Identity Of Jabhat Al-Nusra Leader Al-Joulani
A June 10, 2015 article on the Al-Jazeera website reveals hitherto unknown details about Janhat Al-Nusra (JN) leader Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani. The revelations come one week after Al-Jazeera aired the second installation of a two-part interview with Al-Joulani.
According to the article, Al-Joulani's real name is...
On June 11, 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) released a video celebrating the one year anniversary of its takeover of Mosul. Exactly one year ago, ISIS announced that it captured the city in an operation it named after its top military commander, Assad Allah Al-Bilawi.
The video, titled "A Year Since The Conquest," recounts ISIS preparations and battles to control the city. The video reveals that ISIS itself was surprised by its own swift and expansive victories, which led it to control vast areas of Iraq. In that regard, the video reiterates ISIS's determination to maintain control of its territories as well as to continue expanding to other Iraqi cities.
The video, which is 29 minutes long, consists of three parts: Pre-Mosul battle, where ISIS recounts its use of IEDs and targeted assassination of Iraqi military personnel in preparation of the battle; the battle itself, which touts ISIS's ability to instill fear within the Iraqi military, leading to it to flee the city; and post-Mosul takeover, where ISIS recounts its administrative and governing efforts since then.
EXCLUSIVE: ISIS Video Shows MMA Style Training Camp For Children In Iraq
On June 9, 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) Ninawa province released a video showing the activities at a children's training camp it operates there.
The camp is designed to "develop" children in the domains of religious knowledge, and physical and military capabilities.
Sign in the background reads: "Caliphate Cubs' Development Course"
Children of various ages are seen engaging in a variety of physical exercises and self-defense drills. Among other things, the children show off their mental and physical steadfastness by, for example, having sticks broken on their bodies and heads, and cement blocks smashed over their stomachs. An MMA-like fighting cage can be seen, inside which children practice fighting, and gun disarmament techniques.
JTTM subscribers can view this clip, here.
On June 1, 2015, the Islamic State's (ISIS) Al-Hayat media company, which is dedicated to producing non-Arabic material, published the fourth issue of the organization's French-language magazine Dar Al-Islam [Land of Islam]. The slickly-designed 40-page issue was distributed through Twitter and hosted on Archive.org. It contains both original materials and materials translated from ISIS's Arabic and English publications, with many images.
The main articles justify ISIS's fight against those it deems apostates, namely Shiites, 'Alawites and secular rebels - but also rival Islamic groups, such as the Islamic Front and Jabhat Al-Nusra (JN), which are the main focus. A long article by an Al-Qaeda defector, previously published in ISIS's English-language magazine Dabiq, attacks the Al-Qaeda leadership, accusing them of adopting soft policies and of failing to implement the shari'a. Another long article justifies the stoning of adulterers and homosexuals, arguing that ISIS is the only group that truly implements the shari'a and the prophetic methodology. The magazine also commemorates the Garland, Texas attack and its perpetrators.
This report reviews the main articles and themes in the issue.
Introduction
The introduction is a general statement of ISIS's creed and religious methodology. Quoting Hadith and the Koran, the text presents ISIS's orthodox vision of the doctrine of tawhid [the Islamic concept of monotheism], in accordance with the teachings of the medieval scholar Ibn Taymiyyah and others. It also presents an interpretation of recent events and of ISIS's advances in the context of Islamic eschatology, portraying the ISIS caliphate as a revival of early Islam and a realization of prophecies: "Events follow one another, and the march towards the great battles of the end of times is coming fast. The Koran is being realized before our eyes, and the stories of the prophets, [his] companions and pious [Muslims] are coming to life again. In the lands of the Caliphate, what we read in the Koran and the books of Hadith is taking shape..."
On June 7, 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) media branch in Al-Raqqa, Syria, released a new video featuring an interview with a French foreign fighter. The man, identified as Abu Salman Al-Faransi, narrates the story of his conversion to Islam and how he joined ISIS in Syria, and calls upon French Muslims to emigrate to the Islamic State and join the jihad. He also threatens the countries of the anti-ISIS coalition, stating that ISIS soldiers are ready to target them anywhere, anytime.
The 13-minute video, which is in French with Arabic subtitles, was distributed by ISIS media operatives and supporters on Twitter and hosted on video-sharing platforms Archive.org, YouTube and Senvid.com. Filmed in multiple locations, including in Raqqa, it shows Abu Salman going about his daily activities (such as shopping, driving a car and holding his baby), while telling his story. These scenes are interspersed with illustrative archive footage. The video is accompanied by the French ISIS recruitment nasheed "Extend Your Hand to Pledge Allegiance."
ISIS Video Showcases Religious Police Activity In Al-Raqqa
On June 3, 2015, the information office for the Islamic State (ISIS) in Al-Raqqa province posted a 13-minute video documenting the religious police (Al-Hisba) efforts to enforce Islamic law in city streets and marketplaces. The video also shows the confiscation of cigarettes and alcohol, as well as raids on homes of people engaged in witchcraft. The video ends with the public beheading of a man accused of engaging in witchcraft in front of a crowd of onlookers. It should be mentioned that Al-Hisba members war brown uniforms that feature a religious police emblem.
ISIS Video Features Turkestani Suicide Bomber Who Calls Upon Foreign Fighters To Join ISIS
On June 7, 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) in Aleppo province released a video featuring a message by 'Abd Al-Salam Al-Turkestani, a suicide bomber who ISIS says targeted Sahawat (Awakening) members in the town of Suran (north of Hama).
'Abd Al-Salam Al-Turkestani
Al-Turkestani, whose name implies that he hails from East Turkestan in western China, comes out in defense of ISIS. "I tell Muslims who are watching this video that the soldiers of the Islamic State are not Khawarij." He also scoffs at those who criticize ISIS despite not participating in a battle or being on a jihad front before.
Moving on to jihad groups, Al-Turkestani criticizes those that have yet to join ISIS, and calls upon them to pledge allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.
On May 28, 2015, online jihadis re-launched a Twitter account used for warning pro-ISIS accounts that have been flagged and reported as spam to change their usernames, so as to avoid suspension by Twitter.
The account, "Early Warning," claims to have been suspended many times by Twitter, including four times in one day. Underlining the importance of its mission, it tweeted, "By Allah's name, if warning you and your changing your user names was not effective, Jackie [i.e. Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey] would not have suspended our four accounts in less than a day."
Amazon Withdraws Issues Of ISIS Magazine 'Dabiq' Offered For Sale On Its Site
The online retailer Amazon has pulled copies of the Islamic State's (ISIS) English-language magazine Dabiq, which were offered for sale from anonymous vendors. The product was apparently added to the site in May 2015. Issues 5 through 9 could be purchased for $42.00, and individual issues for $8.00-$12.00.The author was given as "Al-Hayat Media Center," which is the Islamic State's media company for non-Arabic publications.
ISIS Bans Importation Of Food, Medicines From Iran
In a May 28, 2015 communique to all its provinces and ministries, the Islamic State (ISIS) has banned importation of goods from Iran, particularly food and medicines. According to the communique, which was posted by ISIS supporters on Twitter, ISIS has received complaints and suspicions regarding goods imported from Iran, including reports of watermelons injected with poisonous substance in Al-Anbar province.
"The Health Minister brother has expressed mistrust regarding Iranian medicines. They [the Iranians] are people of treachery and betrayal who cannot be trusted, and this is who they are," the communique stated. It added: "Therefore, importation of food and medicines from Persian Iran is forbidden."
Website Removes Report Claiming That Al-Sisi's Convoy Was Shot At, Issues Denial
On June 11, 2015, Egyptian website Al-Watan reported that a number of cars in Egyptian President 'Abd Al-Fatah Al-Sisi's convoy were shot at on their way back from Sharm Al-Sheikh. A security sources told Al-Watan that the attack targeted four cars in the convoy some 40 kilometers outside Sharm Al-Sheikh. The source added that the police forces accompanying the convoy exchanged fire with the attackers. It added that president Al-Sisi was not in the convoy, which was used by officials and security personnel.
