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.
According to a report in the pan-Arab Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the Iraqi Hizbullah Brigades, a group in the pro-Iran Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), have begun building a new camp on the border with Syria to replace its camp that was destroyed in a U.S. airstrike on December 29, 2019.
On January 20, 2020, the Muhajireen Ahl-e-Sunnat Iran movement, an Iranian Sunni faction affiliated with Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), released a video named "The People of the Cave of Our Times," about the faction's activity in the Al-Kabinah region in northeastern Latakia, against the Russian forces who are supporting the Syrian regime.
Platform: Facebook
EXCLUSIVE: On Facebook, Australian ISIS Widow Marks One Year In Al-Hol Camp In Syria
An Australian ISIS widow on Facebook recently shared that she hit a 1- year milestone, in that she has been detained at Al-Hol camp in Northern Syria for nearly one year.
The majority of ISIS widows and other women detained by the Kurds in Syria reside in Al-Hol camp, which houses approximately 70,000 women and children.
ISIS Releases Video Of Boy Executing Nigerian Christian, Vows Attacks On Christians Will Continue
On January 18, 2020, the Islamic State (ISIS) released a video clip showing the execution by ISIS West Africa of a Nigerian Christian man captured in Borno State in northeastern Nigeria, between the towns of Auno and Jakana.
ISIS Claims Killing And Wounding 14 Iraqi Soldiers In Two Attacks In South Anbar
On January 16, 2020, the Islamic State (ISIS) released a statement saying that that its fighters carried out two attacks against the Iraqi army near the Arar crossing on the border with Saudi Arabia.
On January 16, 2020, the Islamic State (ISIS) released its weekly newspaper Al-Naba', which features an editorial accusing the U.S. of empowering the Shi'ites in Iraq and downplaying the Shi'ite militias' calls to expel U.S. troops from the country, saying that without U.S. support, the militias will be defeated by ISIS.
Jihadi Social Media - Account Review: ISIS Media Operative On Facebook
The following information is based on a general overview of a social media account demonstrating jihadi terror-related activity / sympathies.
On January 20, 2020, Al-Qaeda General Command released a statement in Arabic and English commending the past year's operations by Al-Qaeda affiliates Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen (Al-Shabab) and Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimeen (Group for Support of Islam and Muslims – GSIM).
On January 18, 2020, after several months of attacks mounted by Al-Qaeda affiliates in North Africa and the Sahel, Al-Qaeda's media agency published a statement in Arabic and English on behalf of the Al-Qaeda General command titled, "Salutations for the Defenders of Islam in Mali."
In Audio Message, GSIM Commander Urges People Of The Sahel To Join Jihad Against French Forces
On January 18, 2020, Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimeen a (Group for Support of Islam and Muslims – GSIM), Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the Sahel region, published a video on its Rocket.Chat platform featuring a 26-minute audio message from senior GSIM commander.
Al-Qaeda-Linked Nigerian Jihadi Group Reemerges With Attack On Army Convoy
On January 17, 2020, a pro-Al-Qaeda media outlet reported that Nigerian Al-Qaeda affiliate Ansar Al-Muslimeen fi Bilad Al-Sudan, known as Ansaru, had attacked a Nigerian army convoy.
Issue 84 of the weekly newspaper published by the Ebaa news agency, which belongs to the Syrian jihadi group Haya't Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), contains an article by an HTS religious official celebrating the January 3, 2020, death of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) – which is currently engaged in peace talks with the U.S. in Doha, Qatar – has rejected a U.S. demand to sever its relations with Iran, according to an Urdu daily.
Afghan Taliban On Doha Talks: 'The American Side Wants To Waste Even More Time'
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) – currently engaged in talks with the U.S. in Doha, Qatar – has issued a statement expressing concern over a key point of a likely U.S.-Taliban peace agreement that is yet to be signed.
Afghan Taliban Spokesman: 'We Will Also Provide A Safe Passage To The U.S. And Other Foreign Forces'
According to a report on an Afghan news website, Suhail Shaheen, the Doha-based spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization), said that the issue of a ceasefire was never discussed by the U.S. delegation during the ongoing U.S.-Taliban talks in Doha, Qatar.
