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.
In the past 12 months, Turkish hackers on various forums have reported many breaches of U.S. government and privately owned computer systems. The records reportedly acquired through these hacks include those published by the White House, Congress, FBI, CIA, DOD, DHS, and LAPD.
On September 11, 2020, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated media outlet released a video message from the group's top leader, Ayman Al-Zawhiri.
On September 11, 2020 Al-Qaeda's central media wing released its magazine in an English translation of the original Arabic-language issue which was devoted almost entirely to commemorating the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
On September 10, 2020, Al-Qaeda In The Arab Peninsula (AQAP) issued a communique condemning the decision of the French satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo to re-publish cartoons of Muhammad and calling on supporters to attack against the magazine staff and EU officials.
On September 15, 2020 a Telegram channel affiliated with Iran-backed factions in Iraq, reported that a group released a statement claiming the its fighters killed several U.S. officers in two IED attacks which targeted a U.S. vehicle near an army base in Baghdad, Iraq.
On September 17, 2020, a newly formed media group promoted by Islamic State (ISIS) supporters released a three-minute video urging Muslims to carry out attacks in retaliation for French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo's recent reprinting cartoons of Muhammad that the magazine had run in the past and in response to which two men attacked the weekly's headquarters in January 2015, killing 12 people and injuring 11 others.
On September 17, 2020, the Islamic State (ISIS) published an exclusive report in its weekly newspaper Al-Naba' in which it claimed that on August 9 its fighters abducted and killed six French nationals in Niamey, Niger, as well as two of their "apostate" guards.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
Ahead of the anniversary of 9/11, ISIS's Al-Naba weekly published an editorial titled "From 9/11 to the Muslim Caliphate," which described 9/11 as "a tremendous event" which caused great losses to the enemy, but also marked the beginning of the new crusades against Islam and thus caused much harm to the Muslims as well.
Libyan National Army (LNA) Announces Killing Of Leader Of ISIS Cell In Libya
In a statement posted on his Facebook page on September 15, 2020, the spokesman for the Libyan National Army (LNA), claimed the LNA dismantled an Islamic State (ISIS) cell in a southern Libyan town following an intense battle.
Pro-ISIS Group Allegedly Exposes Spy Targeting Women In Syrian Detention Camps By Hacking His Phone
On September 11, 2020, a group released a video allegedly exposing a man posing as an ISIS official who attempted to gather information and/or manipulate a woman with an unknown objective, who is currently held in a Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) detention camp in Syria, by offering her a way to leave and regroup with ISIS members.
A recent pro-Islamic State (ISIS) convert to Islam who appears to be in Germany is active on Twitter and expressed his reverence for Osama bin Laden.
On September 11, 2020, Al-Qaeda's central media wing, released the third issue of its magazine in an English translation of the original Arabic-language issue released on December 31, 2019. An article titled "The Road to 9/11: The Origins and Evolution of the Idea" recounts the behind-the-scenes discussions and planning of what later became the 9/11 attacks.
On the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the media arm of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) published a document which reviews the consequences of the events of 9/11 for the U.S. and for Al-Qaeda.
English-Language Al-Qaeda Magazine: American Public Never Understood Root Causes Of 9/11
On September 11, 2020 Al-Qaeda's central media wing released its third issue of its magazine in English.
On September 14, 2020, a van was targeted by a drone-launched missile believed to belong to the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, in Idlib, Syria.
Syrian Jihadi Faction Claims Its Snipers Killed A Russian Officer
On September 14, 2020, a Syrian jihadi group reported that its sniper company had killed a soldier of the Assad regime south of Idlib.
Tensions between the neighboring countries of Turkey and Greece have recently escalated due to disputed claims by the two regarding the borders of each country's economic maritime zones, which determine the rights to drill for oil and natural gas.
On September 14, 2020, Syria-based jihadi clerics on Telegram reacted to the first round of peace talks between representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban that took place in Qatar on September 11, 2020.
On September 16, 2020, one day after the signing of the agreement in Washington to normalize relations between Bahrain and Israel, a pro-Iranian militia in Bahrain announced the establishment of an offshoot which will operate against "the Zionist presence" in the country.
Iraqi Reporters Resign, Go Into Hiding After Receiving Death Threats From Iran-Backed Militias
On September 13, 2020, the Saudi-funded Al-Arabiya Network website reported that journalists employed in Iraq by Jordan-based Dijlah Television have resigned and gone into hiding amid a campaign of threats.
Over the course of the past few weeks, a Telegram channel affiliated with Iran-backed factions in Iraq published several posts rejoicing over the many reports of wildfires and explosion accidents in the U.S., using the hashtag #The Burning States of America.
The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On September 12, 2020, the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted a picture of himself with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund, the deputy emir of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Afghan Taliban organization) in Doha, Qatar, on the first day of the intra-Afghan talks, which are supposed to reach an agreement on the future of peace in Afghanistan.
Under increasing pressure from the United States, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Afghan Taliban), Qatar, and other pro-Taliban sources, the Afghan government released six hardcore Taliban commanders who were immediately transferred from Kabul to Qatar, where the intra-Afghan talks on the future of peace in Afghanistan begin on September 12.
