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.
A British Facebook user frequently expresses his support for the Islamic State (ISIS).
The following information is based on a general overview of a social media account demonstrating terror-related activity / sympathies
Platform: Instagram
Additional Information: Though it appears she resides in Denmark, the Instagram user's username implies that she is South African.
On March 27, 2018, Al-Andalus, the media arm of Al-Qaeda In The Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), released an audio recording in which the group's leader Abu Mus'ab Abd Al-Wadoud condemned the infighting between jihadi groups in Syria, saying it is harming jihad and damaging to Islam.
A Telegram channel says it is "giving aid to those in need." The channel lists a WhatsApp number with a Turkish country code for donations to fighters in Syria.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On March 23, 2018, two French citizens, Erwan Guillard aka Abu Qatada and Tewffik Bouallag, received 12- and 14-year jail sentences respectively for their activities as part of the Islamic State (ISIS) organization between the summer of 2013 and June 2014, when they both returned to France.
On March 23, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for a terror attack perpetrated earlier that day in Trèbes, France, in which four people were killed. ISIS supporters responded by immediately celebrating the news of the attack. The organization's media operatives often use such opportunities to increase calls to its supporters to emulate attacks. The following are a few examples.
On March 22, 2018, the Telegram channels of Nasher News, which is a news outlet affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS), shared an announcement for an online campaign to condemn the concept of democracy and urge Muslims to participate in the campaign in order to destroy "the idol of the era" and "the religion of unbelief."
ISIS Supporters Celebrate Attack In Trèbes, France
On March 23, 2018, the Islamic State's (ISIS) A'maq news agency published a statement claiming responsibility for the same-day attack in the southern French town of Trèbes.
An editorial in Issue 124 of the Islamic State (ISIS) weekly Al-Naba', released online on March 22, 2018, addressed the U.S.-Russia regional power dynamics and noted that the U.S.'s regional influence is on the decline while Russia's is on the rise. The editorial urged ISIS fighters to prepare for a long-term confrontation with Russia and its allies even before the conclusion of their current fighting against the U.S.
On March 24, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) Kirkuk Province in Iraq released a pictorial report showing the destruction of a Sufi shrine in the province. ISIS referred to the shrine as shirki ("polytheistic"), which is a term used by the group to denote any form of worship of entities besides Allah.
Dutch Islamist Exhorts Against Elections In Video Shared By ISIS Supporters
On March 20, 2018, a video featuring a Dutch-speaking man was posted on a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram group.
ISIS Sinai Showcases Ongoing Attacks On Eve Of Egyptian Presidential Elections
On March 23, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) Sinai Province released a new video in an attempt to prove that the Egyptian military campaign against it, known as Sinai 2018, has failed. The video "A Failed Confrontation," which aims to disprove the Egyptian military's claims of success against ISIS, was posted on the eve of the Egyptian presidential elections scheduled to take place from March 26-28.
HTS Claims Shooting Down Drone Belonging To Rival Group
On March 12, 2018, the pro-Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) Telegram channel published a poster in which the military media team of HTS announced an upcoming training course for HTS fighters who are interested in joining the team.
Lashkar-e-Taiba: 'Indian Forces Are Worst Of The Creatures And Have No Ethics Of War'
On March 26, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) paid tribute to one of its commanders, Abu Al-Qasim Shafat Hussain, who was killed during a clash between militants and the Indian security forces in the Arizal area of the Badgam district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ansar Ghazwatul Hind Emir's Statement On Kashmir Shared On Telegram
A Telegram channel supportive of Ansar Ghazwatul Hind (AGH) has posted a statement by Zakir Musa, the emir of AGH.
Just days after Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai took over as interim chairman of separatist Kashmiri group Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH), his son joined the Pakistan-backed jihadi group Hizbul Mujahideen. On March 19, 2018, Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai replaced Syed Ali Shah Geelani as chairman of TeH.
Secessionist Kashmiri Leaders: 'Military Might... Can Never Solve The Kashmir Problem'
On March 25, a joint meeting of the key leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), an alliance of secessionist Kashmiri leaders, was held at the residence of Syed Ali Shah Geelani at Hyderpora in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
On March 25, 2018, the Uzbek group Katibat Al-Imam Al-Bukhari ("Imam Al-Bukhari Brigade," KIB) released a statement on its Telegram channel condemning the recent U.S. terrorist designation of the group, while lashing out at the U.S. for not coming to the aid of Syrians and for employing a double standard in such designations.
On Telegram, Afghan Taliban Share Article: 'Nobody Has Doubt Now That Daesh Is An American Scheme'
A group called Ansar At-Taliban shared an article on Telegram in which the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) says that Islamic State (ISIS, or Daesh) is backed by the United States. The article was written by Hafeezullah Aabid in the January 2018 issue of the Islamic Emirate's Shariat magazine. Given below is the text of the article as shared on Telegram.
"From the commencement of American aggression up until now, Emarat Islamia [i.e. the Islamic Emirate] has bravely confronted many international plots, challenges and difficulties. It will remain steadfast against the conspiracies, tricks and specific intentions of the global colonizer [i.e. America]. In Afghanistan, against the mujahideen, the scheme of Daesh too is a part of these conspiracies for the protection of the interests of Western colonial powers. By the Daesh and American collusion, an attempt is being made to establish such a situation in Afghanistan with which Syria and Iraq are met with today; so that the environment over here can be made favorable for the completion of their specific intentions."
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On March 19, 2018, senior separatist Kashmir leader Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai was appointed chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH, or Freedom Movement), replacing the hard-line pro-Pakistan leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Both leaders are from Jamaat-e-Islami for Jammu and Kashmir. Sehrai's appointment is interim, but is likely to continue.
Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir fear that three young people from the Gunjibagh area of the Pulwama district who went missing over three days since March 17 may have joined jihadi organizations.
Article By Kashmiri Journalist Examines Why Political Secessionism Has Failed In Kashmir
On March 19, the pro-Pakistan secessionist Kashmir leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani stepped down as the chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (TeH), one of the constituents of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC). Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai took over as the interim chairman of TeH.
"Unfortunately, the invaders and their allies have not shown sincerity regarding resolution of (our) country's problem so far. Rather, they are cashing in on the blessed name of peace and have grabbed the legitimate rights of the Muslim nation of Afghanistan for the past nearly two decades under the futile slogan of War on Terror. While practically, they have been bombing rural areas and conducting night raids. Still more, even on the basis of accepted international norms, they violate various rights of the people on daily basis. Yet, they are resorting to hackneyed reasons for justification and prolongation of the war."
Pro-Islamic State Telegram Channel Posts Picture Of Islamic State Flag On Kashmir Mosque
A pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram channel posted a picture showing an Islamic State flag hanging from what appears to be a minaret of a mosque in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.
