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.
By: Romany Shaker
As the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition troops from Afghanistan is already in its final stages as per the February 29, 2020 agreement between the United States and the Afghan Taliban, the Islamic State (ISIS) has begun to carry out increasingly diverse attacks via its Afghan affiliate, the Islamic State Khurasan Province (ISKP), in an attempt to expand its influence in the country.
On August 10, 2021, the pro-Al-Qaeda media group Jaysh Al-Malahim Al-Electroni released an "urgent" statement signed by the editors of its "Wolves of Manhattan" magazine, urging Muslims living in Western countries to carry out lone wolf attacks and exploit the ongoing protests against COVID-19 restrictions.
On August 6, 2021, the newly-founded pro-Al-Qaeda Al-Fursan Media Foundation released a poster titled "America Burns," encouraging lone-wolf attack against U.S. nationals.
An article that appears in Issue 298 of the official Islamic State (ISIS) Al-Naba' weekly magazine, published on August 5, 2021, which focuses on the organization's activities in Afghanistan, reports that during the previous week ISIS operatives in Afghanistan assassinated six "apostates," among them a senior figure in Afghani intelligence, and a man who previously worked as a translator for the American forces in the country and at the time of his death was a senior clerk in the Afghani government.
On August 9, 2021, the Islamic State (ISIS) official A'maq media outlet released a report which states that according to "military sources," in the morning hours of August 8, 2021, the organization's fighters seized control of the villages of Mabiba and Malibongo in Ituri State, Eastern Congo, following several days of "fierce battles" against the soldiers of the Armed Forces of the DRC, during which 18 Congolese soldiers were killed.
On August 6, 2021, the Islamic State (ISIS) released Issue 298 of its weekly newspaper Al-Naba', which included an editorial titled "But the Hour Is Their Appointment."
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 8, 2021, chatter on Rocket.Chat between supporters of the Islamic States (ISIS) suggested that Abu Hajir Al-Badri, who was allegedly in charge of producing ISIS's "The Voice of Hind" magazine, was arrested by Indian authorities. Users threatened that the Indian authorities will have to face consequences if they refuse to release him.
On August 4, 2021, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram channel posted an article arguing that attacks made against Gaza received more support from Arab media and governments, because Gaza is controlled by Hamas, which the writer accused of being a "secular" and "democratic" organization that implements "man-made" laws instead of shari'a.
On August 5, 2021, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram channel shared an archival clip from a video series originally released by Al-Hayat media in October 2018, highlighting the online operations of ISIS supporters and urging them to continue waging media jihad.
The Facebook user posts Islamic State (ISIS) news articles on updates from ISIS-controlled territories and the mujahideen, adding messages of support for the group. He also writes messages hoping for the Islamic community to be united under the caliphate.
An Illinois-based jihadi and convert to Islam who is active on social media platforms such as Instagram, Gab, Ruqqus, and the video-sharing platform BitChute lends support to jihadi figures.
On August 6, 2021, the media arm of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released a statement congratulating its Syrian affiliate, Hurras Al-Din, for carrying out a "qualitative operation" targeting a bus carrying Syrian soldiers in Damascus.
On August 5, 2021, Amjad, a Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) media foundation, released a video documenting a meeting between HTS leader Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani and representatives of the Aleppo area, in which he highlighted HTS fighting priorities, welcomed the idea of merging with other factions, and offered his assistance with military and security issue in areas controlled by other factions.
Over the past few days, Telegram channels that support the Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) have alleged that Muslim Al-Shishani, Chechen-born commander of the Syria-based Caucasian Junud Al-Sham ("Soldiers Of Syria") jihadi faction; Abu Al-'Abd Ashida', commander of the Syrian Al-Qaeda-aligned Tansiqiyat Al-Jihad faction; and members of the Syrian Al-Qaeda affiliate Hurras Al-Din are plotting to carry out an attack on HTS commanders and headquarters.
On August 10, 2021, the media arm of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Mali, the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), released a video clip featuring an audio recording of the group's leader discussing French military operations in Mali and other regional and global events, including the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the impact of COVID-19.
In a six-page essay titled "A Call to the Muslim Youth [regarding] the Life of the Ummah and the Source of its Strength," published August 4, 2021, an Al-Qaeda supporter lashes out at young Muslims who devote their time to entertainment and pleasures instead of waging jihad.
An article published on August 7, 2021, in Issue 28 of the Thabat weekly 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 8, 2021, Al-Qaeda supporter Warith Al-Qassim published several posts on Telegram marking the anniversary of two significant attacks carried out by the group on U.S. interests.
Pro-Al-Qaeda Media Activity Surges With The Launch Of Five New Unofficial Media Groups
Since the last week of July 2021, at least five new unofficial pro-Al-Qaeda media groups have been established.
Al-Qaeda supporter Haydarah Al-Qandahari published a five-page essay addressed to the organization's supporters on the internet titled "Zero Hour Has Struck," urging them to engage in media jihad to spread Al-Qaeda's messages and ideology.
Pro-Al-Qaeda Media Groups, Supporters Celebrate Hurras Al-Din's Second Raid In Syria's Damascus
Yesterday and today, several pro-Al-Qaeda media groups and Al-Qaeda supporters shared posters celebrating the second raid carried out by the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, Hurras Al-Din, in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
In late July-early August 2021, the Qassem Al-Jabareen Company, a pro-Iranian Shi'ite group in Iraq, claimed responsibility for more than ten attacks against American forces' convoys in four Iraqi governorates –Dhi Qar, Babil, Al-Qadisiyah and the Baghdad Governorate.
On August 10, 2021, Nasr Al-Shammari, deputy secretary general and the official spokesman of the Iranian-backed Iraqi Shi'ite group Al-Nujaba' Movement, tweeted a poster urging Turkey to learn from the experience of the Americans if they intend to occupy Iraq, and calling on the Iraqi people, parliament, and government to end all occupation of the country.
