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 July 9, a Twitter account associated with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban umbrella organization in the country led by Mullah Mohammad Omar), released a photo of U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl appearing to be happy in the company of Taliban commander Badruddin Haqqani.
Background
A German-speaking jihad fighter, likely from Austria; is associated with the Islamic State (IS). He appears to be currently located in the province of Al-Raqqa in Syria. Abdullah regularly posts information about current events in Syria and Iraq on his Facebook page, especially concerning IS operations and activities, and reports about his life as a jihadi. He also shares videos and files with instructions for easily building improvised bombs, and has called for attacks on Vienna.
Jihadis Release Pro-Islamic State (IS) English Magazine
Rahmatli Moyo
On July 7, 2014, jihadis on the Al-Minbar Al-'Ilami Al-Jihadi forum released an English-language magazine named Haq. The magazine, which features a pro-Islamic State (IS) content, along with criticism of the IS's opponents, consists of 26 pages that were released in PDF-format. The magazine was dated Ramadan 1435 (July 2014).
On July 9, 2014, the Islamic State (IS) media company Al-Hayat released a brief video featuring a German IS mujahid who is seen visiting wounded IS fighters at a hospital.
The video is part of the IS's "Mujatweets" video series, the target audience for which is Muslims living in the West. It is in German with English subtitles, and is just over one minute long.
An ad for recruitment of volunteers for Iraq; Image: Roznama Inquilab (Delhi), June 29, 2014
Following are excerpts from a media report showing that 25 percent of approximately 100,000 Indian Shia Muslims who have registered with Delhi-based organization Anjuman-e-Haideri to go to Iraq to fight against jihadists are women:
70-Year-Old Woman: "I Am Sure I Will Find A Suitable Role For Myself; If Nothing, I Will Just Be A Human Shield To Protect The Shrines"
"Over 25% of Indian [Shia] Muslims volunteering to travel to Iraq's battlefields and protect Shia shrines are women...
"A battlefield is one of the unlikeliest travel destinations for a 70-year-old grandmother of over a dozen kids, but that's where Jahan Ara Begum really wants to go. Jahan Ara, a widow with failing eyesight and speech stuttered by age is among the scores of women from [the northern city of] Lucknow who have expressed willingness to join the struggle against the terror group ISIS in Iraq."
Indian Daily: 18 Indian Muslim Youth Among Jihadists Fighting In Iraq And Syria
ISIS jihadists march in Syria
According to an Indian newspaper, at least 18 Muslim youth from India are fighting as part of jihadist organizations in Iraq and Syria.
"The [Indian] security establishment is tracking 18 Indian citizens who have travelled to Iraq and Syria to fight as jihadis. As sectarian violence intensifies in these countries, India, along with other nations, is trying to track and prevent its citizens from joining this war," a report noted."
Urdu text reads: "Maulana Muhammad Masood Azhar – Free Medical Camp for Displaced Persons from Waziristan, Al-Rahmat Trust (Pakistan)"
Pakistani terrorist groups such as Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba have set up relief camps for the people displaced from North Waziristan where the Pakistani military is carrying out an anti-Taliban operation. Some refugees went to Afghanistan while others found shelter in Pakistan. Now, Pakistani media reports reveal that the militants are not only helping people, they are also recruiting them for the cause of Syria jihad.
Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) is founded by Maulana Masood Azhar, one of three militants released by India in exchange for the passengers of an Indian plane hijacked to Kandahar in 1999. The JeM has a charity called Al-Rahmat Trust (see the above image), which advances its jihadi causes. Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was founded by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed; the group renamed itself Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) and later the Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF). Both the JeM and the LeT/JuD/FIF are known for carrying out terror attacks in India, with the latter accused of carrying out the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and the former accused of the 2001 attack on the Indian parliament in New Delhi – in addition to numerous attacks in Indian Kashmir.
It is believed that JeM and LeT leaders are protected by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of the Pakistani military. Early this year, JeM emir Maulana Masood Azhar emerged from his hiding to conduct a meeting by phone in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. Azhar's re-emergence was examined by journalist Zahid Hussain in a column dated February 2, 2014. Following are excerpts from the column, preceded by excerpts from a July 4th report by journalist Taha Siddiqui from a relief camp in the town of Bannu and examining the terrorist groups' influence there.
Nasir Al-Wuhayshi
On July 4, 2014, the Al-Bashar media company, associated with Al-Qaeda in the Arabia Peninsula (AQAP), released a video in which a singer named Al-Khoulan performs a song titled "The Brother of Islam", based on "the words of Al-Qaeda Leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri" (the lyrics are apparently taken from one of his speeches). The song is prefaced by a short message from AQAP leader Nasir Al-Wuhayshi, read out by an announcer, in praise of Al-Zawahiri.
AQAP Preachers Call On Muslims To Cease Attacks On Rival Religious Scholars
On July 5, 2014, the Al-Malahem media organization identified with AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) released an 11-minute video titled "The Responsibility in a Statement." In it, two AQAP preachers, Hareth Al-Nazari and Ibrahim Al-Rubaish, urge Muslim believers to refrain from gossip and from slandering each other, and to desist from unbridled attacks against the jihad movement's religious scholars. The two issued their statement in response to the campaigns of vilification that are currently being waged by supporters of global Al-Qaeda against supporters of the Islamic State and its leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and vice versa.
AQAP Releases Photos Of Attacks On Southern Saudi Arabian Targets
Getting ready to fire a grad rocket towards the Saudi side
The Yemen based Ansar Al-Shari'a organization, released on July 5, 2014 through Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's media wing Al-Malahem, a series of photos from a military action codenamed "the revenge raids on behalf of the female prisoners", that it carried out in recent days on the Saudi-Yemeni border. The photos document Ansar Al-Shari'a members firing grad rockets towards a Saudi National Guard target at the Al-Wadi'a border crossing.
The Twitter account Ifriqya Lil-I'lam is publishing exclusive jihadi content from North Africa and the Sahara regions. The account is also promoting previously published material from Salafi-jihadi groups active in the region like Ansar Al-Shari'a in Libya (ASL), Ansar Al-Shari'a in Tunisia (AST), and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
The account's general coverage of Islamic affairs across North Africa, with some focus on Libya in particular, is meant to portray those regions as a single connected one. In that regard, the account references the historic timeline, beginning in the 7th century CE, when Muslims began conquering the northern parts of the continent on their way towards establishing the "great Africa emirate," while hoping that "Allah brings it [i.e. the great Africa emirate] back sooner rather than later."
'Supporters Of Islamic State' Claim Responsibility For Rocket Attacks On Israel
On July 9, 2014, a hitherto unknown group calling itself The Supporters of the Islamic State in Jerusalem published a claim of responsibility for firing rockets on Israeli targets.
In Second Interview, Caucasus Emir 'Ali Abu Muhammad Focuses On Suicide Operations
'Ali Abu Muhammad
On June 29, 2014, the Caucasus Emirate released a filmed interview with its emir, 'Ali Abu Muhammad. In a previous interview, released on May 22, the emir emphasized that the Caucasus mujahideen should fight at home, not abroad. In this installation, he focused on the topic of suicide operations, which he called "the highest degree of the faith". He stressed that they are permissible, but only under certain conditions.
Media Report: Afghan District Falls To The Taliban After 12 Days Of Fighting
The following are excerpts from an Afghan media report that Alasay district in Afghanistan's Kapisa province has fallen to the Taliban:
"Following 12 consecutive days of clashes in Alasay district of northeast Kapisa province, Taliban insurgents have taken control of Askin valley of Alasay district of Kapisa, local officials said. The Taliban insurgents gained control of the valley at around 3AM local time [of July 6].
"Local residents and police forces have fled the area in search of safety to eastern Laghman province, said Shukraullah, police chief of Alasay. He said Alasay is a key district of Kapisa in which the Taliban can threaten several other districts."
