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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A Telegram channel which disseminates news of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the ruling Taliban jihadi organization), published an article claiming the leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Khorasan or Iran tipped off the U.S. military about the location of Al-Qaeda's leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who was killed in a U.S. done strike in Kabul, Afghanistan on July 31.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
Second Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the ruling Taliban jihadi organization) has said that the U.S. drone attack on a safe house in Kabul city on July 31, which killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, violates both national sovereignty and the Doha Agreement, according to an Afghan media report.
In a post published on its blog on August 4, 2022, an anonymous "journalist" who claims to have close sources to Al-Qaeda, discussed the implications for the organization of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri's death in the U.S drone strike on July 31 in Kabul, Afghanistan, anticipating some of the latter's next steps, including selecting a new leader to succeed Al-Zawahiri.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
A Jordan-based pro-Al-Qaeda ideologue continued to comment the U.S. drone strike that killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri in Kabul, Afghanistan on July 31. In recent tweets, the jihadi cleric defended statements made by Afghan Taliban officials saying they had no knowledge of Ayman Al-Zawahiri's arrival and stay in Kabul.
A Pakistani newspaper reports that several top leaders of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (the Movement of Pakistani Taliban, TTP) were killed in a roadside blast caused by a mysterious IED in eastern Afghanistan.
In early August 2022, an Al-Qaeda associate and writer published a three-part series of articles titled "Welcome to the Doha Agreement," in which he linked the Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan, a peace agreement signed by the U.S. and the Taliban in February 2020, with the July 31, 2022, U.S. airstrike that targeted and killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri in Kabul, Afghanistan.
A jihadi militant group operating in the Syrian city of Idlib and its surrounding areas is comprised of ethnic Albanians. In the past few weeks, the groups published a wide range of promotional content on Telegram documenting the activities of its fighters. The group's website also includes promotional content, as well as video tutorials for using weapons and videos of jihadi lectures.
On August 9, 2022, a Telegram channel supporting Iran-backed militias in Iraq published photos of a procession on London's Oxford Street, held in honor of the Shi'ite holiday Ashura on August 8. Among the photos was one showing attendees displaying photos on the window of his vehicle of IRGC Quds Force Commander General Qasem Soleimani and of the Iraqi deputy leader of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis.
By Y. Kerman
Following is the fourth part of a five-part report focusing on Islamic State East Asia Province (ISEAP) activity in the Philippines over the past year, since August 2021. Using the data available, it suggests how the ISIS branch in the Philippines might be expected to develop and what the official and unofficial media produced by this branch can tell us about its trajectory.
In a video, the Islamic State's Khurasan Province (ISIS-K) threatened Afghan Taliban officials and participants in the recently held grand jirga ("council") of pro-Taliban Islamic clerics and tribal elders of deadliest attacks.
On August 4, 2022, the Islamic State (ISIS) released issue 350 of its weekly newsletter Al-Naba', which features an editorial titled "The Rafidhi Infighting In Iraq." The editorial warns Iraqi Sunnis to expect no good changes from the country's Shi'ite ruling and political class, arguing that jihad is the only way to bring about change.
In early August 2022, the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed responsibility for two attacks on Shi'ites in Kabul.The attacks came as Shi'ites worldwide are preparing to celebrate Ashura, a major holiday for the Shi'ite branch of Islam, which falls this year on August 7-8.
On August 9, 2022, about 80 armed men attacked a prison in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), freeing more than 800 prisoners. The prison director stated that of the 874 inmates who had been in the facility, only 58 remained after the attack.
Between August 7 and August 9, 2022, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram channel shared news reports by different sources, including the Malian Army, about two alleged ISIS attacks which ISIS has not officially claimed.
On August 9, 2022, an ISIS outlet released a one-minute 14-second video of ISIS fighters delivering a message in Arabic to the Mozambican government, army, and Christians.
On August 8, 2022, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) outlet released a poster in English and Arabic versions titled "Harvest of African Christians," summarizing the "outcomes of the operations of two months (June & July) which targeted villages and cities of Christians" in Africa.
Pro-ISIS Foundation Recruits Mauritanians To Join ISIS
On August 9, 2022, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) outlet released a poster for the recruitment of new ISIS members in Mauritania.
Pro-ISIS Media Group Publishes Recipe For Cyanide On Justpaste.It
On August 8, 2022, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) outlet published a two-page guide in Arabic for producing homemade cyanide on the Justpaste.it website.
On July 30, 2022, an anti-Islamic State (ISIS) channel on the Al-Qaeda-operated Rocket.Chat server argued that the ISIS Central Media office was losing its grip on the official media outlet of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP).
On August 5, 2022, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) British preacher published a post on his blog, titled "What's the Difference Between Ukraine And Gaza?"
Between August 6-8, 2022 the official media outlet of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen (Al-Shabab), reported 14 new claims of attacks by Al-Shabab operatives in Somalia, Kenya, and on the Somali-Ethiopian border.
Al-Shabab Claims Attacks On Presidential Palace In Mogadishu And On Seven Military Bases In Kenya
On August 6-7, 2022, the official news outlet of Al-Qaeda's Somali-affiliate Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen (Al-Shabab), published a series of claims of responsibility for a number of attacks in Somalia and Kenya.
Al-Shabab Suicide Operation Against Somali Military Base Reportedly Kills Dozens, Including General
On August 5, 2022, Al-Shabab's media arm released a news bulletin reporting that the group carried out a suicide attack on a Somali military base that killed or wounded over 42 people, including a Somali general.
On August 8, 2022, the media arm of the Mali-based Al-Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nasr Al-Islam Wal Muslimin (JNIM), or the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), released a statement claiming the killing of five Malian soldiers and the capture of one in southern Mali.
On August 4, 2022, on the Al-Qaeda-operated Rocket.Chat, an Al-Qaeda supporter shared a post in English inquiring about which destinations would be suitable for hijra (i.e., traveling to wage jihad and live under shari'a). Asking whether the Levant, the Indian subcontinent, or Africa would be the best choice as a destination, the user asked others on the platform to message him directly with information.
On August 3, 2022, a media outlet operated by a Syria-based U.S.-born jihadi reporter posted a 48-minute video on its YouTube and Twitter channels featuring an interview with a prominent member of Hizb ut-Tahrir in the UK.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
Issue 39 of the Balagh magazine, published by a group of independent jihadi clerics and preachers based in Syria's rebel-controlled Idlib region, was released on August 6, 2022. This latest issue includes an article by an independent Syrian jihad warning of the danger that feminism and these women pose to Islamic society.
On August 3, 2022, a pro-jihadi Twitter account promoted several fundraising campaigns through PayPal, saying the funds will aid Syrians held in refugee camps and Palestinians in Gaza whose homes were destroyed during "Israeli bombardment."
New Gaza-Based Jihadi Group Claims Several Rocket Attacks Against Israel
A new group apparently based in Gaza claimed firing several rocket barrages at Israeli targets between August 5 and 7, 2022, in response to Israel's killing of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commander.
On August 8, a Syrian opposition website, published an article reporting the presence of three Iranian UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) bases in Syria.
On August 8, 2022, a website affiliated with the Syrian opposition reported that for the first time in its history the Iraqi Al-Nujaba Movement militia has opened a military training course for women.
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 5, 2022, Israel targeted several top military commanders from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) organization – starting with Taysir Al-Jabari, who was the northern Gaza commander of PIJ – and commenced operation Breaking Dawn. The eliminations of the commanders and some PIJ operatives took place following several days of tension and high alert sparked by information about the organization's intention to fire anti-tank weapons at vehicles travelling on roads in Israel from the nearby Gaza Strip.
