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: Organization Building Support For The Iranian Regime And Hizbullah In Argentina
Ever since the founding of the Ayatollah regime in Iran, the country has invested significantly in the export of the principles of the revolution to the world at large, in establishing local support bases in other countries, and in undermining local governments abroad. A political organization headed by Argentine-born Shi'ites appears to support Iranian regime flagship objectives to export the Iranian Islamic revolution's principles and values and to build support for the Iranian regime and for Hizbullah in Latin America.
On June 24, 2020, the Islamic State (ISIS) Syria region released the third video in a series, with the latest installment focusing on operations in northeastern Syria.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On June 22, 2020, On The Ground News (OGN) media outlet, which is run by Syria-based American jihadi reporter Bilal Abdul Kareem, reported that Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) had arrested "British aid worker Tauqir Sharif," also known as "Abu Husam Al-Biritani" in Idlib. Sharif, 32, from Walthamstow, who lives and works in Idlib alongside his British wife, Racquell Hayden Best, had his British citizenship revoked in May 2017.
On June 18, 2020, several groups of foreign fighters and clerics in Syria issued a "statement of thanks and support" expressing gratitude to the Syrian people for their hospitality and backing of Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), which they urge all mujahideen in Syria to support.
A pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media outlet recently published an article on its Telegram channel in which it urged supporters of the group to take part in media advocacy for its own sake. The author of the article posited that spreading ISIS's messages on social media wears down the "Crusader" enemy.
A teen Instagram user claims to be a convert to Islam, and that he lives in Maryland. He writes that before he converted he had wanted to join an American militia. The user, who is African American, and says that he had been arrested and mistreated by police, has written several times about what he apparently views as the futility of peaceful protest and the need for violence.
After Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) arrested two commanders who left the group to join a newly established operations room, which is aligned with Al-Qaeda, tensions between the two jihadi groups have escalated into armed conflict.
On June 18, 2020, the Islamic State's (ISIS) weekly included an editorial denouncing its rival group Al-Qaeda and its "spies" and accusing them of collaborating with the West and the tyrant rulers in the war on the Islamic State. The editorial also accused Al-Qaeda's "spies" of luring the Algerian leader of Al-Qaeda In the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), who was killed on June 3, 2020 in an operation carried out by French forces and their allies near the Algerian border.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) Confirms Death of Its Algerian Leader Abdelmalek Droukdel
On June 18, 2020, nearly two weeks after the fact, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) officially acknowledged the death of its longtime leader, Abdelmalek Droukdel, also known as Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud, who was killed by French forces on June 3, 2020 in northern Mali, near the border with Algeria.
Al-Qaeda Eulogizes AQIM Leader, Vows To Fight 'American-French Crusader Enemy'
On June 24, 2020, the media arm of Al-Qaeda released a statement eulogizing Al-Qaeda In the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) leader Abdelmalek Droukdel, also known as Abu Mus'ab 'Abd Al-Wadud, and threatening to continue fighting against "the American-French Crusader enemy."
In the past few days, several Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadi groups released statements eulogizing the longtime leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Abdelmalek Droukdel, also known as Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud, who was killed by French forces on June 3, 2020 in northern Mali, near the border with Algeria.
ISIS Claims To Have Repelled A Joint Nigerian-Cameroonian Assault
On June 21, 2020, the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed its fighters had repelled a joint assault from the Nigerian and Cameroonian armies in the Lake Chad region.
ISIS Claims Two IED Attacks On Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Turkish Army
On June 24, 2020, Islamic State's (ISIS) Syria Province claimed responsibility for two IED attacks on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkish Army, killing and wounding those inside.
ISIS's Central Africa Province Claims Killing Several U.N. Peacekeeping Forces In Congo
On June 23, 2020, The Islamic State's (ISIS) Central Africa Province claimed responsibility for a June 22 attack on United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) peacekeeping forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
On June 25, 2020, the Islamic State (ISIS) released its weekly newspaper which includes an editorial accusing Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) of justifying actions for which it had previously condemned ISIS, such as its declaration of the Caliphate and its call for Muslims to pledge allegiance to the caliph.
Supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS) in India have released an issue of their occasional magazine, which features has a series of articles promoting jihad, especially in the region from Afghanistan to India.
An Islamic State (ISIS) magazine released by supporters of ISIS in India, criticizes in a lead article the manhaj ("method") followed by the Afghan Taliban and Al-Qaeda, arguing that it is not the manhaj followed by late Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. It particularly challenges an affiliate of Al-Qaeda in Kashmir to think about these issues and possibly join ISIS, which it says follows bin Laden's manhaj.
An Islamic State (ISIS) magazine released by supporters of ISIS in India, lauds the role of jihadis engaged in media and related activities such as publishing books, magazines, and websites, creating infographics and posters, and uploading and archiving videos and data.
On June 21, 2020, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media group released a video highlighting the disastrous impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy and predicting that it will lead to recession, unemployment and an increase in crime in the U.S. and the Arab world.
ISIS Supporters Mourn Death Of "German" Security Apparatus Operative
On June 22, 2020, prominent supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS) published a eulogy on their social media accounts for an operative. The operative's nationality is unclear. While few details were shared about his identity, his role within ISIS, or the circumstances of his death, he was apparently a fairly well-known figure among ISIS supporters and members and an operative of some prominence.
On June 21, 2020, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated outlet published a statement on behalf of the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM) claiming responsibility for an attack on the Malian army.
HTS Tries To Prevent Further Defections With Arrests And Threats To Defectors And Would-Be Defectors
In recent weeks, in addition to the financial and military challenges which plague Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), which essentially controls wide swathes of the Idlib area, it is now contending with defections of senior members and operatives from its ranks.
Group Of HTS Fighters Expresses Condolences For The Deaths Of Two Senior Members Of Hurras Al-Din
On June 18, 2020, a group of fighters from Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) published a condolence message for the deaths of two Al-Qaeda operatives in Syria.
On June 8, 2020 Al-Qaeda's central command released the second issue of its English-language magazine which included an article that quoted Osama bin Laden calling for economic, as well as physical, attacks on the U.S.. The article noted that men and women can carry out "E-Jihad" from their homes.
On June 21, 2020, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Instagram user promoted in a post and in her account's bio section a campaign on a British fundraising site that has raised over $200 for widows and orphans in Syria.
According to her posts, an Instagram user is a detainee in the Al-Hol camp in Northern Syria. She gives her followers security tips in several posts, noting that the surveillance cameras in the camp are very advanced and that they also record audio. She remarked that raising children is also a form of jihad.
Urdu Daily: Kashmiris Raise ISIS Flag On Building In Kashmir's Summer Capital
Kashmiris raised a flag of the Islamic State (ISIS) at a building in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir, in which Indian security forces had killed three youths in the past, according to a report in ab Urdu daily.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
Two statements issued by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Afghan Taliban organization) on June 21 and June 22, discuss America's role in Afghanistan and the process of the withdrawal of American troops from the country.
Report: Afghan Teenager, Trained And Sent By Taliban To Blow Himself Up, Surrenders
A young teen, whom the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban organization) had trained and sent to blow himself up, has surrendered to Afghan security forces, according to an Afghan media report.
