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: Jihadis, Iran-Backed Militias Slam Saudi Crown Prince's Interview With Fox News
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 20, 2023, U.S. cable news channel Fox News aired an interview with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS).
EXCLUSIVE: Pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram Outlet Celebrates France's Withdrawal From Niger
On September 25, 2023, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Telegram channel shared a post commenting on statements made by the French President Emmanuel Macron announcing that his country will withdraw its ambassador and troops from Niger in the wake of the July coup that overthrew democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum.
On September 14, 2023, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released issue 17 of its periodical magazine "Sada Al-Malahem" (the Echo of Epics), after a 12-year hiatus.
On September 21, 2023, the Islamic State (ISIS) published issue 409 of its weekly newsletter Al-Naba', featuring a two-page editorial titled "Continue On Your Path," which praised ISIS mujahideen who continue to uphold the duty of jihad, urging them to steadfastly adhere to the tradition of jihad, which most Muslims have forsaken.
On September 22, 2023, the Islamic State (ISIS) published issue 409 of its weekly newsletter Al-Naba'. The issue contains a one-page Arabic-language article titled "What an Evil Alternative for the Wrongdoers" [Quran 18:50], castigating those who abandoned jihad in favor of democracies and un-Islamic governments, and claiming that jihad realizes its goals while its alternatives fail to deliver on their promises.
Pro-Islamic State (ISIS) Media Outlet Releases Poster Inciting Lone Wolf Attacks
On September 21, 2023, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media foundation released an infographic poster inciting Muslims to carry out lone wolf attacks.
On September 23, 2023, Shahada News Agency, the media arm of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen (Al-Shabab), released an Arabic statement claiming that Al-Shabab fighters carried out an attack against a military base housing Kenyan and U.S. forces in Somalia's Lower Juba province.
Al-Shabab Releases Video Documenting Attack On Somali Military Base In Somalia's Mudug Region
On September 18, 2023, a media outlet of Al-Qaeda shared a 17-minute video in Arabic and Somali produced by Al-Kataib Media Productions, the multimedia production arm of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen (Al-Shabab).
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 23, 2023, Al-Kataib, an official media outlet of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen (Al-Shabab), released a statement by Al-Shabab's Office of Politics and Wilaayaat [Provinces], titled "American War Crimes against Women and Children in Somalia."
On September 25, 2023, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed responsibility for three attacks against UAE-backed forces between September 24-25 in Yemen's southern Abyan and Shabwah governorates.
Between September 27-28, Al-Zallaqa, the media arm of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the African Sahel, Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimeen (the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims – GSIM), claimed responsibility for seven attacks in the past week, in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Benin.
On September 24, 2023, Al-Zallaqa, the media arm of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in the African Sahel, Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimeen (the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims – GSIM), issued a statement claiming a September 15 attack against the Burkinabe army in the Hauts-Bassins Region.
In April-May 2023 issue of its Urdu-language journal Nawa-i-Ghazwa-e-Hind ("The Voice of the Battle of India"), Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) has several articles focused on India, arguing that the ummah is facing a single enemy from Jerusalem to India.
In the June-July 2023 issue of its Urdu-language journal, Nawa-i-Ghazwa-e-Hind ("The Voice of the Battle of India"), Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) published multiple articles marking the 16th anniversary of the July 2007 military operation in the Red Mosque of Islamabad.
Following the recent decision by the Egyptian government to ban the wearing of full-face coverings for women in Egyptian schools, several Telegram channels supportive of jihadi groups and causes published posts and shared memes criticizing the decision, with many saying that the move was indicative of anti-Islamic stances by the Egyptian government, with some calling for the overthrow of the Egyptian government.
On September 20, 2023, a pro-Al-Qaeda Telegram channel released an article titled: "The Reality of the Kafir [Unbeliever] Adel Emam," which accused Egyptian actor Adel Emam of waging a war, in his films, against Islam. It is noteworthy that Emam is known for his depictions of extremists in films such as The Terrorist and Terrorism and Kebab.
On September 20, 2023, a prominent Al-Qaeda supporter published a post on Telegram condemning the Islamic State (ISIS) for causing a divide in global jihad, arguing that the Islamic State in Iraq, which rebranded to become ISIS, following the announcement of the caliphate, has become a proxy that fights the mujahideen on behalf of the "Zio-Crusader coalition" and Arab rulers.
On September 22, 2023, a Lebanese Hizbullah-linked website published a pictorial report documenting and discussing the recent visit of Ismail Qaani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to Syria, where he met with fighters from Iran-backed militias.
On September 21, 2023, a Syrian opposition-affiliated outlet published an article that reviews the ways in which drugs are smuggled from Syria to Jordan, and the prominent role played by Hizbullah, which includes coordination with the Syrian security forces.
On September 26, 2023, the leader of Yemen's Ansar Allah, a.k.a. the Houthis, Sayyid Abd Al-Malik Badr Al-Din Al-Houthi, extended his congratulations to Muslims worldwide on the occasion of Prophet Muhammad's birthday, calling on them to carry out the celebrate the occasion. In his address, Al-Houthi argued that Muslims are in great danger of being subordinated and contained by the global Jewish-Zionist lobby, whose arms are America, Israel, some European regimes, and other allies.
In the latest part of its video series titled "Zer-e-Nazar," Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan criticizes the recent protests in Pakistan, led by supporters of Imran Khan, the country's former prime minister. Khan's arrests, in May 2023, were eventually declared illegal by Pakistani courts. But Khan's first arrest, by Pakistan's anti-corruption police, triggered mass protests and attacks against Pakistani military and government buildings.
In a Pashtu-language article, a pro-Afghan Taliban website promotes conspiracy theories, namely, that the 9/11 attacks were an inside job. The article further asserts that the United States is no longer a feared and respected superpower in the world after 2001.
