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 February 10, 2018, a Telegram channel focusing on Kashmir that supports the Islamic State (ISIS) published a long post in English stating that "it is permissible to use weapons of mass destruction against unbelievers."
On February 12, 2018, Al-Sahab, the media arm of Al-Qaeda, released Issue 22 of its weekly bulletin Al-Nafir, in which it attributed the recent drop in the U.S. stock market to the September 11 attacks and called for the mujahideen to carry out attacks inside the U.S. and target its interests abroad.
Speaking at a Ghazwa-e-Hind ("Battle Of India") conference in Pakistan, radical cleric Maulana Talha As-Saif said: "The flag of Islam will unfurl over the entire world with the blessing of jihad."
On February 14, 2018, On The Ground News released a video titled "No One Cares," on YouTube featuring British physician Dr. Shajul Islam. Islam was arrested and charged in the UK with kidnapping British reporter John Cantlie and Dutch reporter Jeroen Oerlemans in 2012.
On February 14, 2018, a Uyghur jihadi group operating in Syria released a video titled "The Men Who Love Death" showing its fighters taking part in military training including shooting, operating tanks, martial arts tactics, and clearing buildings.
On February 1, 2018, a newly created Telegram channel began operating. The few posts on the channel indicate that the group behind the channel is part of Al-Qaeda, and that they wish to use this newly created channel to preach.
Report: ISIS Leader Al-Baghdadi In Critical Condition, Admitted To Hospital In Syria
According to a February 12, 2018 report in the Iraqi daily Al-Sabah, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State (ISIS), is in critical condition and is hiding in Syria near the Iraqi border.
On February 15, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) in Al-Barakah province released a video warning its fighters not to flee the battlefield and stressing the severe punishments that Allah has prepared for deserters in the hereafter.
American Extremist On Facebook Expresses Devotion To Pro-Islamic State Cleric Abdullah Faisal
On February 12, 2018, an American extremist dedicated a post to expressing his admiration for pro-Islamic State cleric Abdullah Faisal, who was indicted on August 25, 2017, on charges of recruiting would-be terrorists.
Recent Pro-ISIS Posters Distributed On Telegram: Threats To Paris, New York
Posters are an important means by which jihadi groups spread their ideology, recruit new members, and communicate with their supporters.
An editorial in Issue 119 of the Islamic State (ISIS) weekly Al-Naba', which was released online on February 15, 2018, called for the mujahideen to intensify the attacks against "belligerent" Christians and tourists in Egypt in order to destabilize the country and undermine Egyptian President 'Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi's rule.
ISIS In Sinai Calls For Attacks To Disrupt Egyptian Elections
On February 11, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) Sinai Province released a new video, "The Protectors of the Sharia."
On February 14, 2018, Al-Sahab, the media arm of Al-Qaeda, released Part Eight of the audio series "Message Of Hope And Glad Tidings To Our People In Egypt" in which Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri calls on Egyptians to unite over shari'a and jihad, use weapons to end the current government of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, end relations with Israel and the U.S., and establish an Islamic State.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the Taliban organization that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 when it was dislodged by the U.S. in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, has issued an open letter to the American people. The letter assesses the three U.S. objectives that then President George W. Bush sought to achieve through the invasion of Afghanistan: the elimination of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda; the establishment of a legitimate government; and the eradication of narcotics. The letter argues that on all three counts, the 17-year war in Afghanistan has been a failure.
Jihadi Social Media – Account Review (JSM-AR): ISIS Supporter, Likely In UK, Active On Facebook
Platform: Facebook
Additional Information: According to his Facebook profile he is originally from Palermo, the main city of the Italian island of Sicily, and resides in Bagheria, Sicily.
In an article published February 8 in Issue 118 of Al-Naba', the Islamic State (ISIS) weekly newspaper, ISIS highlighted the return of U.S. forces to Afghanistan and the challenges that its fighters will face there, and vowed to fight "the army of the Crusade" as well as the Afghan government and Taliban.
Senior ISIS Leader Arrested In Turkey
On February 15, 2018, Al-Arabiya reported that senior Iraqi Islamic State (ISIS) leader Isma'il Al-Ithawi, had been arrested in Turkey, in a joint operation by Iraqi and Turkish intelligence forces as well as the international U.S.-led anti-Islamic State (ISIS) coalition.
A South African woman on Facebook expresses support for the Islamic State (ISIS) on her Facebook account.
ISIS-Affiliated Nasher News Announces New ISIS Internet Radio Domain
On February 13, 2018, the Telegram channels of the Islamic State (ISIS)-affiliated Nasher News published a link to the new domain of the ISIS Internet radio station Al-Bayan.
On February 7, 2018, the pro-Islamic State (ISIS) hacking entity United Cyber Caliphate (UCC) posted a warning on its private Telegram channel about a fake video that was being circulated online in its name.
Pro-ISIS Telegram Channel Circulates Russian ISIS Android App
On January 24, 2018, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram channel circulated a link to a pro-ISIS Android app intended for Russian-speaking audiences. The app provides access to various ISIS content, including ISIS videos, weekly newsletters, and statements, among other things.
On February 14, 2018, a Uyghur jihadi group operating in Syria, released a short video showing at least two fighters flying a camera drone.
Thousands of people attended a conference on jihad in the Umar area of the Lahore district of Pakistan, which was addressed by Mufti Abdur Rauf Asghar, who is the younger brother of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) founder Maulana Masood Azhar, according to the Urdu weekly Haftroza Al-Qalam.
Islamic Emirate Claims Seven Italian Soldiers Killed In Afghan Province
A website of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) has claimed that Taliban militants had killed seven Italian soldiers on the night of February 10-11 in their ongoing military campaign known as "Operation Mansouri."
TIP Video In Praise Of Its Fighters Who Died In Battle
A new video called "Seekers of Paradise" was published on a Telegram channel that belongs to the media outlet of the Syrian branch of the Turkestani Islamic Party (TIP), on February 10, 2018.
Addressing a Ghazwa-e-Hind ("Battle Of India") conference in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, radical Islamic cleric Maulana Ilyas Qasmi declared: "[We] will unfurl the flag of Islam not only in Kashmir but all over India."
Given below is a round-up of events organized by a Pakistani jihadi group in different towns. The JeM organizes such events and courses under the banner of its charity arm Al-Rehmat Trust.
