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.
EXCLUSIVE: ISIS Supporters Reeling After Telegram Presence Hit By Europol-Prompted Suspensions
Beginning on November 22, 2019, a massive wave of suspensions and deletions has struck disseminators of Islamic State (ISIS) material and supporters of the organization on Telegram, as a consequence of The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation's (Europol's) 16th Referral Action Day. Very few official ISIS dissemination channels remain active, while the overwhelming majority of ISIS supporter groups have been shut down.
On November 26, 2019, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media outlet released a poster on Telegram mocking the recent Europol campaign to suspend pro-ISIS Telegram accounts, deeming it counterproductive.
A pro-Al-Qaeda Telegram channel published an article in two installments, titled "Hurras Al-Din Leadership between Submission and Collapse."
On November 15, 2019, Palestinian Islamic Jihad's (PIJ) military wing, Al-Quds Brigades, published on its Telegram channel links to its new WhatsApp groups. The new groups were created after WhatsApp shut down Al-Quds Brigades' previous groups.
On November 26, 2019, a delegation from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) visited Tehran where it held talks with Iranian leaders on the future of Afghanistan, according to an Afghan news website.
On November 21, 2019, a major Islamic State (ISIS) media account on Telegram used for distributing incitement material in English, re-shared a post urging Muslims in the West to attack jails and kill judges, politicians, and security forces responsible for "the oppression of the unbelievers against the Muslims." The message was accompanied by a series of posts quoting religious material which stresses the importance of the Islamic obligation to free Muslim prisoners, in addition to several links to Australian news articles reporting on the arrest or conviction of jihadi operatives in Australia.
ISIS Claims To Have Killed Eight Algerian Soldiers In Clash Near Border With Mali
On November 21, 2019, Nashir News Agency, the media arm of Islamic State (ISIS) released a statement saying that on November 18, ISIS fighters of Wilayat Al-Jaza'ir (Algeria Province) and the Algerian army clashed in the town of Taoundrat, which is in Tamanrasset province, near the border with Mali. According to the statement, eight Algerian soldiers were killed in the clashes, including a ranking officer.
On November 21, 2019, the Islamic State's (ISIS) Al-Naba' weekly newspaper reported in Issue 209 that on November 17, ISIS in Central Africa attacked two military barracks belonging to the Mozambican Army and Russian forces in two villages in Mozambique's northern province of Cabo Delgado, killing six and wounding others.
On November 26, 2019, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media group issued a statement on its new Telegram channel dismissing media reports that claim that the destruction of two helicopters during a military operation against jihadi fighters in Menaka, Mali was due to an accidental collision.
On November 26, 2019, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media group shared a poster on Telegram urging Muslims to travel to the battlefronts of jihad and fight alongside the mujahideen.
Pro-ISIS Tech Group Warns Of 'Fake' Telegram Domain Links, Urges Supporters To Remain Cautious
On November 20, 2019, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) group, which is one of the foremost disseminators of cyber security information to the pro-ISIS online community, shared on Telegram a post in both Arabic and English warning ISIS supporters of "fake" Telegram domain links.
Pro-ISIS Tech Group Cautions Supporters Against Using WhatsApp
On November 17, 2019, a pro-ISIS tech group published a statement on Telegram warning against the use of the encrypted messaging app WhatsApp, due to the risk of surveillance posed by the visibility of user phone numbers.
Pro-ISIS Poster Encourages Targeting U.S. Soldiers
On November 21, 2019, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media foundation released a poster showing an ISIS fighter aiming a heavy machine gun at a convoy of U.S. soldiers in the desert.
An English-language jihadi media operation which describes itself as an "online Dawah [preaching] project since 2014," is believed to be the product of a single jihadi operative, whose online activity consists primarily of producing jihadi media content in English and sharing English-language religious jihadi content on numerous online platforms.
The following information is based on a general overview of a social media account demonstrating engagement with jihadi ideology and clerics.
Profile Of An English-Language, Pro-ISIS Preaching Operation On Mainstream Social Media
An English-language jihadi media operation which describes itself as an "online Dawah [preaching] project since 2014," is believed to be the product of a single jihadi operative, whose online activity consists primarily of producing jihadi media content in English and sharing English-language religious jihadi content on numerous online platforms.
On November 15, 2019, an Al-Qaeda media outlet published the 31st issue of its monthly brochure on Telegram. The online pamphlet addresses media jihad operatives and all Muslims, urging them to conduct arguments in a cordial manner and refrain from extraneous bickering and profanity in their discussions on social media.
Use this preview: On November 20, 2019, the media arm of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) released an audio recording featuring Abu Abd Al-Ilah Ahmed, the head of the group's media committee.
Ansar Ghazwatul Hind (AGH), an Al-Qaeda affiliate operating in Jammu & Kashmir, released a statement on Telegram that stresses the importance of jihad against Hindus, following the ruling of the Supreme Court of India that handed over the 16th-century Babri mosque to the Hindus.
On November 22, 2019, a pro-Al-Qaeda Telegram channel posted a new video showing Al-Qaeda affiliate Ansar Al-Tawhid fighters in Syria launching artillery attacks against Syrian regime positions near Aleppo.
On November 25, 2019 the media arm of the Mali-based Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM) posted a statement saying that the group's fighters attacked and seized full control of an "army and police detachment in Kelbo, Burkina Faso," and that the group's fighters launched a raid on an army checkpoint in Mopti, Mali.
New Head Of Syrian Salvation Government Appointed Amid Discontent With HTS In Idlib
On November 18, 2019, Ebaa News Agency, the official media outlet of the Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), reported that the General Shura Council of the rebel-led Salvation Government, which controls the Idlib area of northwestern Syria, had voted in an emergency meeting to accept the resignation of Prime Minister Fawaz Hilal.
On November 21, 2019, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) thanked the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Aal Thani, for brokering a deal that helped free three Haqqani Network commanders in exchange for two Western professors of the American University of Afghanistan (AUF). The professors were held captive by the Haqqani Network since 2016.
In a statement released on November 17, 2019, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) made note of recent successes against the Islamic State (ISIS, or Daesh) in Afghanistan.
In a statement, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) slammed Gen. Mark Milley, the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, for saying in an interview that the American mission in Afghanistan has not ended, and that the Pentagon is not ready to withdraw.
