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.
Pro-Assad Russian Fighters Reportedly Killed In Syria
The Syrian rebel organization Jaysh Al-Islam reported on October 19, 2013 that, on the previous day, it had attacked a convoy of Russian fighters making its way to the town of Al-Sukhna to assist regime forces there. According to the report, several of Russian fighters were killed in the attack and three Russian officers were wounded, one of them critically, and were evacuated to the Tadmur hospital.
Albanian Jihadi Abu Hamza Urges Muslims To Join Mujahideen In Syria
On October 19, 2013, Al-I'tisam, the official media wing of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS), released a video featuring Abu Hamza Al-Albani, a 70-year-old Albanian jihadi in Syria, urging Muslims to join the mujahideen in Syria.
On October 19, a tutorial on how to install and run the Asrar Al-Mujahideen encryption program on the Mac OS was posted on the Al-Fida' forum. Asrar Al-Mujahideen program is the go-to program used by jihadis and Al-Qaeda affiliated groups for secure communication.
Arms and ammunition seized during the Keran fighting (Courtesy: Hindustantimes.com)
Recently, Indian troops fought a pitched battle against jihadis who had infiltrated across the Line of Control (LoC) into Indian Kashmir's Keran sector. In a report, an Indian magazine examines the jihadi challenge faced by the Indian Army in Jammu & Kashmir state and how the Pakistan-based jihadis are working to revive Kashmir jihad next year in the wake of the U.S. troop withdrawal.
The report, titled "The Jihadis Are Back," was published by Tehelka, a weekly magazine known for its investigative reports. The report notes that the jihadis are implementing an Al-Qaeda-style strategy of using fewer militants to achieve spectacular results. Three lead militant groups known for waging jihad in Kashmir are: Lashkar-e-Taiba/Jamaatud Dawa, Jaish-e-Muhammad and Hizbul Mujahideen, among others.
The report states: "Militancy in Kashmir has undergone a 'cultural shift.' It is not common to find bearded militants with a headdress or Afghan cap with checked scarves thrown around their necks or flung over their head. Now militants are mostly clean shaven and wear trendy clothes to avoid detection. However, what remains unclear is the connection between the resurging jihad and Pakistan."
New Afghan Terror Group Formed To Oppose Peace Negotiations
Afghan Taliban militants (image courtesy: unknown)
In Afghanistan, a new terrorist group has been formed with the explicit aim of opposing any peace negotiations between Afghanistan and the U.S., according to a media report. The report, which was first published by Afghan newspaper Hasht-e-Subh on October 19, named the new organization as Mahaz Fedai Tahrik Islami Afghanistan, or the Suicide Front of the Islamic Movement of Afghanistan.
Asmatullah Muawiya, the chief of Tehreek-e-Taliban Punjab and newly formed militant group Janood-e-Hafsa, has favored peace negotiations with the Pakistani government, according to a Pakistani daily.
Muawiya's group Tehreek-e-Taliban Punjab, popularly known as the Punjabi Taliban, is part of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) led by Hakimullah Mehsud. Recently, Muawiya was reported to have been removed from his position for favoring peace talks with Pakistan. A new militant group Janood-e-Hafsa owes allegiance to Muawiya.
Contacts to Establish Shura Council For Salafi Organizations In Syria, Along With Jabhat Al-Nusra
In recent days, the heads of Salafi organizations in Syria have been in contact regarding the establishment of a joint shura council. A representative from Jabhat Al-Nusra, the official Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, also participated in the deliberations, and the organization could participate in the shura council if and when it is established.
Reports: 'Indian Mujahideen' Transforming Into Al-Qaeda-Style Network
Yasin Bhatkal was arrested from Nepal-India border in August 2013
Based on details from the interrogation of Yasin Bhatkal, the co-founder of Pakistan-backed terror organization Indian Mujahideen who was arrested last August by Indian officials on the India-Nepal border, several Indian media reports quote intelligence sources as saying that the anti-India terror group is evolving into an Al-Qaeda-style network, with its goal being to fight for shari'a rule.
