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December 11, 2020 Special Announcements No. 991

Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Weekly: December 5-12, 2020

December 11, 2020
Special Announcements No. 991

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: Iran-Backed Groups Claim Responsibility For Attacks On Two U.S. Army Convoys In Baghdad, Threaten To Attack U.S. Bases

On December 10, 2020, a Telegram channel affiliated with Iran-backed Shi'ite factions in Iraq, published a post claiming that a group named Qasem Al-Jabareen carried out attacks on two U.S. army convoys in south Baghdad near Al-Samawah.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Islamic State's Khurasan Province Claims Murder Of Afghan Woman Journalist In Afghanistan

On December 10, 2020, the Islamic State's (ISIS) Khurasan Province claimed responsibility for the murder of an Afghan woman journalist.

 

EXCLUSIVE: ISIS Presents Its Own Video Narrative Of The Battle Of Mosul To Counter Netflix Film

The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.

Media activists who support the Islamic State (ISIS) exploited the highly publicized release of the film Mosul, on Netflix on November 26, 2020, to propagate their own narrative about the war for control of the city.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Article In Jihadi Magazine: Mike Pompeo's Photo With Afghan Taliban Leaders Shows That Taliban Are An 'Equal Partner With A Superpower Like America'

An article in an Urdu-language jihadi magazine published by the Taliban asserts that a photo of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Afghan Taliban deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar sharing a stage in Doha, Qatar, shows that the Taliban is an "equal partner with a superpower like America."

 

EXCLUSIVE: Iraqi Shi'ite Group Releases Footage Showing Headquarters Of U.S. Oil Companies In Iraq, Lists Of Their Personnel's Names, Pledges To Avenge Soleimani, Al-Muhandis

On November 28, 2020, a new Shi'ite militia in Iraq posted footage on its Telegram channel which, it claimed, shows the headquarters of "U.S. companies" operating in Iraq.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Jihadi Social Media – Account Review (JSM-AR): Iraqi Facebook User In Virginia Is Friends With Arrested American ISIS Supporters, Posts Jihadi Content

A Facebook user appears to be close with two men arrested on suspicion of materially supporting the Islamic State (ISIS) and planning terror attacks on U.S. soil.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Report In Qatari Daily: Pro-Iranian Militias Continue To Dig An Extensive Network Of Tunnels Along The Syria-Iraq Border

On December 3, 2020, a London-based Qatari daily published an article reporting that in order to evade aerial attacks, Iran and its allied militias have further developed the network of tunnels that had been used by the Islamic State (ISIS).

 

EXCLUSIVE: Article In Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Magazine Blames Jews For Coronavirus, Says It Was 'Hidden So That It Could Be Used Like An Atom Bomb, Especially Against Muslims'

The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.

An article in the latest issue of an Urdu-language jihadi magazine published by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) blames "the Jews and their puppets" for the coronavirus epidemic and for harassing Muslims during the pandemic.

 

ISIS Claims Responsibility For IED Attacks On Chadian Army Boats On Lake Chad, Killing Dozens

On December 8, 2020, the Islamic State (ISIS) released a statement claiming that its fighters carried out IED attacks on Chadian army boats on Lake Chad.

 

Pro-ISIS Poster Calls For Attacks On France, French Companies In 'Muslim' Countries Until 'Mockery' Of Islam, Prophet Muhammad Cease

On December 3, 2020, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media outlet on Telegram released a poster depicting a heavily armed ISIS fighter standing in a Paris street looking at the Eiffel Tower.

 

Pro-ISIS Social Media Campaign Exploits Anniversary Of The Demolition Of A Mosque In India To Incite Indian Muslims To Wage Jihad

On December 4, 2020, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram channel launched a social media campaign aimed at inciting Muslims in India to follow the path of jihad under the leadership of ISIS.

 

Jihadi Social Media – Account Review (JSM-AR): Australian Instagram User Prays For Release Of ISIS Supporter Jailed On Charges Of Plotting Attacks In Sydney, Threatens France

An Australia-based Instagram user has posted many photos of himself with an ISIS supporter who was arrested in Sydney on charges of planning terrorist acts.

 

Jihadi Social Media – Account Review (JSM-AR): Washington, D.C.-Based Man Posts Pro-ISIS Content In Urdu On Facebook

A pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Facebook user writes that he now lives in Washington, D.C., and that he attended University there.

 

Jihadi Social Media – Account Review (JSM-AR): Netherlands-Based Twitter User Shares Sermons By Prominent Jihadi Preachers, Encourages Followers To Translate Imprisoned Scholars' Writings, Lectures And 'Spam Social Media With Them'

A Facebook user whose profile indicates he is based in the Netherlands regularly shares audio sermons and videos by jihadi scholars and leaders.

 

Jihadi Group Claims Responsibility For Shelling Turkish Army Base In Idlib, Syria

On December 7, 2020, a Syria-based group that says it is "independent" released a statement claiming that one of its detachments has shelled a Turkish army base in Idlib.

 

Leader Of Al-Qaeda Affiliate In Syria Urges Followers To Remain Steadfast, Follow Path Of Prophet, 'Righteous Ones' In Face Of Plights

On December 3, 2020, a pro-Al-Qaeda media outlet released a letter written by the leader of an Al-Qaeda-affiliate in Syria.

 

Syria-Based Jihadi Group Ansar Al-Tawhid Releases Video Documenting Group's Military Training, Operations, Urging Mujahideen To Remain Steadfast

On December 8, 2020, a jihadi group that had been linked to Al-Qaeda before declaring its independence shared a video on Telegram documenting its fighters' military training and operations against the Syrian regime and Russia.

 

Iran-Backed Iraqi Shi'ite Cyber Team Exploits Twitter, Facebook, Instagram Content Reporting Policies, Targets Accounts Of Activists, Journalists, Politicians

The past few months have witnessed a surge in activity on several Telegram channels affiliated with Iran-backed groups in Iraq, including a team that targets social media accounts belonging to Iraqi activists who oppose Iran-backed militias in Iraq, including journalists and researchers based outside the country.

 

Following Split, Iraqi Shi'ite Group Changes Name, Denies Involvement In Baghdad Vandalism

On December 7, 2020, an Iraqi Shi'ite group issued a statement announcing that the group's name has been changed. The decision came a few weeks after the group announced that its members decided to split into two groups.

 

Al-Qaeda Affiliate GSIM Claims Several Attacks On French, UN Forces In Mali In Revenge For France's Insults To The Prophet Muhammad

On December 5, 2020, an official media outlet of an Al-Qaeda affiliate released a statement claiming responsibility for simultaneous rocket attacks on three bases of French Barkhane forces in Mali, which took place on November 30.

 

Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) Claims Terrorist Designation By U.S., Now Rescinded, Was Based On Chinese 'Deception,' Calls On Other Countries To follow U.S. Lead

On November 5, 2020, the U.S. State Department rescinded the terrorist designation of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), an Uyghur jihadi group believed to be active in China's Xinjiang province, also known as East Turkestan.

 

Afghan Taliban Criticize EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell For Opposing Taliban Demand For Islamic Government In Afghanistan

At a multilateral conference on Afghanistan in Geneva on November 24, 2020, Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and a vice president of the European Commission, said: "A ceasefire should not be an outcome of the (peace) process. It should accompany the process from today... Any attempt to restore an Islamic emirate would have an impact on our political and financial engagement."

 

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Publishes Latest Issue Of Its Urdu Magazine, Stresses Unity In Its Ranks And Jihad Against Armed Forces

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has strengthened its ranks in recent months by uniting several former factions, has published Issue Eight of its Urdu-language magazine.

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