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.)
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Afghan Taliban's Official Statements Issued On The Day Kabul Fell
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On August 15, 2021, when the Taliban mujahideen began pouring into the city of Kabul and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was hours from fleeing the country, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Afghan Taliban organization) published two statements on its official website.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On August 18, 2021, the media arm of the Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), released a statement congratulating the Afghan Taliban for their "blessed victory" in Afghanistan, hailing their role in protecting Al-Qaeda, and urging them to implement Allah's shari'a in the country.
On August 17, 2021, the Al-Qaeda affiliate Kurdistan Battalions in Iran and Iraq issued a statement commenting on the Taliban's takeover of Kabul following the U.S. withdrawal.
On August 17, 2021, a pro-Al-Qaeda outlet released a statement on Telegram regarding the recent developments in Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal from the country and the Taliban's takeover.
Pro-Al-Qaeda Thabat Magazine Glorifies Recent Taliban Gains In Afghanistan Following U.S. Withdrawal
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Issue 29 of the Thabat weekly magazine (August 13, 2021), which is published by the pro-Al-Qaeda Thabat News Agency, glorifies the recent military gains of the Taliban in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of the American forces from the country.
An article published on August 7, 2021 in a magazine published by the pro-Al-Qaeda Thabat News Agency, titled "America the Bubble of the Current Era" claims that the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has put paid to the image that the U.S. had created for itself as the world's strongest superpower.
On August 18, 2021, Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) released a statement congratulating the Taliban and the Afghan people for liberating Afghanistan from the "occupation and its allies," urging the international community to side with nations, not their oppressors.
On August 18, 2021, the Civilian Council of Displaced People of Al-Sharqiyah, a pro-rebel faction organization released a statement congratulating the Taliban for "scoring a mighty victory which pleased the hearts of Muslims all over the world."
On August 16, 2021, the Syria-based Jihadi faction Tansiqat Al-Jihad (The Coordination of Jihad in Syria) issued a statement congratulating the Taliban on its progress in Afghanistan.
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Jihadis outside Afghanistan, among them pro-Al-Qaeda clerics, supporters of Al-Qaeda, and Syrian jihadis, including members of Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), celebrated reports of the Taliban's advances in Afghanistan.
Foreign Fighters In Syria Express Support For Taliban And Their Victory In Afghanistan
The Taliban victory in Afghanistan and their takeover of the country in a very short period of time sparked a wave of responses and congratulations from numerous jihadi organizations across the world who view the movement as a role model and proof of the efficacy of the path of jihad – even if it involves ongoing struggle and an abundance of victims.
Al-Qaeda-Aligned Foreign Fighters In Syria: The Taliban Is A Model Of Devotion And Fortitude
On August 17, 2021 an Idlib-based jihadi group which consists of French-speaking foreign fighters aligned with Al-Qaeda, issued a statement congratulating the Taliban's fighters on their "manifested victory" in Afghanistan.
On August 16, 2021, several pro-Al-Qaeda media outlets released a joint statement congratulating Taliban for their "victory" in Afghanistan.
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Following reports of the Taliban's capture of the Afghan capital Kabul, which has been widely celebrated by jihadis and jihadi clerics online, the Syria-based Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) launched a recruitment campaign urging Syrians to copy the Taliban's example if they wish to experience the victory attained by the Taliban.
English-speaking jihadis, largely from the West, are commenting on the takeover of Afghanistan by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Afghan Taliban).
In two August 15, 2021 Telegram posts, a prominent Al-Qaeda supporter celebrated the Taliban's return to Kabul, declaring that mujahideen will conquer the capitals of all Muslim countries and then capture Rome.
On August 16, 2021, several videos circulated across social media platforms showing a stampede of Afghan civilians rushing to board a plane at Kabul airport. Videos showed Afghan interpreters and contractors who worked for the U.S. elbowing and shoving each other in an attempt to board a U.S. Air Force plane, with some civilians clinging to the exterior of a plane and dropping to their deaths.
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On August 16, 2021, Telegram channels affiliated with Iran-backed militias in Iraq posted extensive coverage of the situation in Kabul following the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan and the Taliban's takeover of the capital.
ISIS Claims Deaths Of Two Soldiers In Ambush Of Nigerian Army Convoy In Borno State
On August 11, 2021, the Islamic State's (ISIS) West Africa Province (ISWAP) released a minute-long video clip documenting an ambush its operatives laid for a Nigerian Army convoy on August 1.
On August 8, 2021, joint Mozambican and Rwandan forces captured the strategic port city of Mocímboa da Praia in northeastern Mozambique from insurgents affiliated with the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP), after the city had been a "major stronghold of the insurgency for more than two years," according to a tweet by the Rwandan Defence Forces.
On August 8, 2021, the Rwanda Defence Force reported in a tweet that "the port city of Mocímboa da Praia, a major stronghold of the insurgency for more than two years, has been captured by Rwandan and Mozambican security forces."
On August 12, 2021, an Al-Qaeda supporter shared on Telegram a photo of what he said was a brand-new U.S. drone that Taliban fighters had seized in Afghanistan.
On August 6, 2021, the U.S. State Department named Bonomade Machude Omar a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT).
Iraqi Shi'ite Group Vows To Increase Attacks On U.S. Convoys On Ashura Day
On August 15, 2021 a pro-Iranian group involved in attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq released a statement on its Telegram channel in which it threatened to increase its operations against the American forces' supply convoys on August 17 and 18, 2021, which coincide with the tenth day of the Islamic month of Muharram.
On August 17, 2021, two pro-Iranian Shi'ite militias in Iraq carried out a total of seven attacks targeting U.S. military convoys in Iraq.
On the afternoon of August 16, 2021, Al-Hashd Al-Sha'abi (Popular Mobilization Units, PMU) announced that Sai'id Hassan Sa'id, commander of Battalion 80 of the Yazidi force for the defense of the Sinjar Mountains, which is subordinate to PMU, "was killed in an unidentified drone attack" in the Sinjar District in the northwest of the Nineveh Governorate.
On August 17, 2021, Telegram channels that support the pro-Iranian Shi'ite militias in Iraq released posters depicting a hypothetical evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, and Iraqi leaders, including Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, clinging to the exterior of aircraft as they flee Iraq.
On August 17, 2021 a website affiliated with the Somalia-based jihadi group Al-Shabab, published a report condemning the Turkish government for providing military support to the Somali government for its fight against Al-Shabab.
On August 12, 2021, the Islamic State (ISIS) released Issue 299 of its weekly newspaper Al-Naba', which included an editorial praising ISIS fighters in Syria's deserts, describing these regions as "paradise" for believers and "hell" for the organization's enemies, including the Syrian, Russian, and Iranian forces and their militias.
The front page article in the latest issue of Swat Al-Hind (the Voice of India), a magazine published by the supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS) in India, discusses the importance of the use of social media in addition to military force in waging jihad.
In a lead article, the latest issue of Swat Al-Hind ("The Voice of India"), a magazine published by supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS) in India, declares the formation of the United Nations and the adoption of man-made constitutions by different countries to be counter to the teachings of the Koran and Islamic traditions.
After the Afghan Taliban jihadis entered Kabul, and President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan, a large number of mujahideen belonging to Pakistani jihadi groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) entered the Afghan capital, according to a leading Indian newspaper.
Third Issue Of Pro-ISIS Monthly Magazine Distributed On Facebook
On August 17, 2021, the third issue of a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) magazine was posted on Facebook. On the following day, the magazine was also posted on several pro-ISIS Telegram accounts.
On August 16, 2021, a pro-Islamic State media group released a poster stating that the situation of the Islamic State Khurasan Province (ISKP) fighters in Afghanistan is good "especially from the military perspective."
Pro-ISIS Cyber Group Warns Supporters About Attempts To Hack Websites
On August 11, 2021, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) outlet, a prominent disseminator of cyber security information, published an article titled, "Security Threats: Hacking Websites and Ways to counter [this Threat]."
On August 16, 2021, media sources reported that the former wali or governor of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), was killed in the Pul-e-Charkhi prison on the outskirts of Kabul after it was captured by the Afghan Taliban.
Syrian Opposition Website: Lebanese Hizbullah Has Taken Control Of Three Oil Wells In Syria's Homs
On August 10, 2021, a Syrian opposition website, published a report claiming that fighters from Lebanese Hizbullah, supported by Russia-backed militias and Syrian military forces, took control of an oilfield near Homs.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On August 11, 2021, Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Lebanese Hizbullah, warned of psychological warfare against resistance factions in Lebanon and elsewhere, stressing that there should be an effort to expose it.
On August 13, 2021, the spokesman of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (The Movement of the Pakistani Taliban, TTP) released a statement denying the group's involvement in the July 14, 2021 attack that killed nine Chinese workers and four others near a hydroelectric project in Dasu, a remote town north of the capital, Islamabad.
An Instagram user shares videos that celebrate Taliban attacks and conquests.
A Canadian man posts content from jihadi preachers and writes messages in support of the unification of the ummah under a caliphate.
Jihadi Social Media – Account Review (JSM-AR): UK Muslim Convert Promotes Jihadi Clerics On Twitter
A UK woman tweeted messages from prominent jihadi preachers.
A UK Instagram user posts about the "liberation" of Palestine from the "Zionist entity" through armed jihad. He's made multiple posts and videos discussing how Muslim armies are "obligated" to go to war against Israel.
