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.
Platform: Facebook
Account name(s): Abdullah Kamal
Additional Information: According to his Facebook page, he is self-employed and lives in Richmond, Virginia. He frequently posts anti-U.S. content, yet says he served in the military.
EXCLUSIVE: Ansar Al-Shari'a, A New Syria-Based Jihadi Group
On July 29, 2018, a group calling itself Ansar Al-Shari'a opened a Telegram channel and posted its formation charter. The group hints that it was formed in response to the retreat of the mujahideen from their previously held territories in various places in Syria and due to the overall deteriorated state of the mujahideen's willingness to fight.
By: Mansour Al-Hadj*
In the years following the events of the Arab Spring, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged as an active player in many conflicts in the Arab and Muslim world. Its bold and direct support of groups and governments along with its political, financial, and military involvement have brought a lot of criticism to the rich Gulf state from various parties including jihadi groups, writers, and religious figures.
Of its various activities, the UAE has received the most condemnation and sustained the most casualties for its involvement in the conflict in Yemen, where it plays a significant role in the struggle against Al-Qaeda, unlike Saudi Arabia, which focuses its attention on the Houthis. In the last few years, the UAE has expanded its military aspirations and presence in many countries. It has sent troops to Yemen, built a military base in Somaliland, and sponsored local forces opposing jihadi groups in Yemen and Libya. Both Al-Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State (ISIS) have condemned the UAE's objectives, presence, and support for security forces in Yemen. These groups have plotted to carry out attacks inside the UAE and have successfully carried out operations against UAE troops and forces loyal to it in Yemen.
This report will present the reactions by jihadi groups in the form of threats, direct operations against the UAE, and operations targeting forces sponsored by the UAE as well as statements made by prominent jihadi scholars condemning the UAE for its involvement in conflicts in Muslim countries.
On September 7, 2018, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Indonesian Telegram channel posted tips for those seeking to make hijra (emigrate) to ISIS territories.
On September 2, 2018, Lt. Gen. Austin Scott Miller replaced Gen. Johan Nicholson as the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. On September 11, 2018, the Islamic Emirate (the Taliban organization) issued a statement that was dismissive about yet another such appointment in the 17 years of the Afghan war, which began soon after 9/11.
ISIS West Africa Video Documents Assault On Nigerian Army Post
On September 8, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) West Africa Province released a video, titled "Disperse Them," documenting the August 30, 2018 attack on a Nigerian army post in the town of Zari in northeast Nigeria.
On September 11, 2018, the Islamic State's (ISIS) Aden-Abyan Province released a video documenting the group's attacks and deep-strike operations targeting government buildings in Aden, Yemen, as well as its assassinations of government officials, soldiers, and imams accused of being affiliated with the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
On September 12, 2018, the pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Ashhad media group released a video that condemned the government of Jordan, which it accused of waging war against Islam, and praised Jordanian men who have joined jihadi groups and been martyred for the sake of Allah.
ISIS In Khorasan Claims Responsibility For Assassination Of Intelligence Official In Kashmir
On September 10, 2018, the Islamic State (ISIS) in Khorasan released a statement claiming that its fighters had assassinated an intelligence official in Kashmir.
On September 5, 2018, the pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Al-Muhajireen Foundation media outlet published on its Telegram channel a poster warning ISIS fighters not to leave ISIS-controlled territories in Syria to go to "apostate-controlled" areas, that is, areas controlled by other Syrian rebel groups.
On September 4, 2018, Al-Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released via its media company Al-Malahim a 40-minute video titled "The Preliminary Introduction To Demolishing The Espionage."
On September 11, 2018, Jund Al-Islam, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadi group based in Sinai, Egypt, released a video that condemned the United States for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and urged Muslims in Egypt to join Jund Al-Islam to "support their religion and Jerusalem."
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On September 11, 2018, Al-Qaeda media wing Al-Sahab released an audio recording of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri marking the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, titled "How To Confront America?"
Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) Nasheed Praises Jihad, Calls Muslims To Fight On Front Lines In Syria
On September 11, 2018, the Syrian branch of the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) released a jihadi video nasheed in Uyghur titled "Come, Let's Go To The Front Line." The nasheed praises jihad and calls on Muslims to go to the front lines in Syria. Through this jihad, it says, Muslims can defend the ummah, live in pride, and attain paradise.
Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) Releases Video Documenting Group's Eid Celebration
On September 6, 2018, Sawt A-Islam, the media arm of the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), a pro-Al-Qaeda group based in Syria, released a video documenting the Eid celebrations of the group's fighters and their families. The video was posted on the official Telegram channel of the Global Islamic Media Front, a pro-Al-Qaeda media group.
Family Members Of Jalaluddin Haqqani Vow To Carry On His Legacy Of Jihad
The family members of veteran jihadi leader Jalaluddin Haqqani, who died on September 3, 2018, have vowed to carry on his legacy of jihad in Afghanistan. In a statement published on the website of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization), the family members stated: "We the family members of the late Haqqani... Al-Haj Muhammad Ibrahim (Haqqani), Al-Haj Khalil-ur-Rahman (Haqqani), Al-Haj Khalifa Mullah Sirajuddin (Haqqani), are of the belief that our faithful and vanguards of Islam nation understand the current problems and security situations and know that we cannot conduct an open funeral or condolence gatherings."
Hizbul Ahrar, a splinter group of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan ("Movement of the Pakistani Taliban," TTP), has released a video, uploaded to YouTube on September 7, 2018, claiming responsibility for a suicide bombing in Mastung district of Pakistan's Baluchistan province on August 19, 2018, and identifying the attacker.
Pakistani Cleric Tells Muslims 'Not To Expect Entry Into Paradise Without Jihad'
Speaking at an event in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, Islamic cleric Maulana Ataullah Kashif told Muslims "not to expect entry into paradise without jihad."
Islamic clerics associated with Al-Rehmat Trust, the charity arm of Pakistani jihadi group Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), have urged Muslims in a series of lectures in Vehari district of Punjab province, Pakistan, to follow the path of jihadi fighters, according to a report in JeM's Urdu-language weekly newspaper Haftroza Al-Qalam.
Afghan Taliban: 877 Afghan Government Officials Joined Taliban In August 2018
In August 2018, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) recruited 877 people working in various departments of the Afghan government, according to a report.
