Periodical Review: Summary from the Jihadi Forums – The First Half of September 2011
This report summarizes the most prominent events brought up in the Jihadi online forums in the first half of September 2011. Following are the main issues raised in this report:
• A new tape by Ayman Al-Zawahiri was released to commemorate the 9/11 terrorist attacks; in general there was relatively little discourse on the Jihadi forums about the 10th anniversary of the attacks.
• A senior writer on the Jihadi forums predicts that the confrontation between Al-Qaeda and the U.S., alongside the uprisings in the Arab world, will lead to a real opportunity to re-establish the Islamic caliphate.
• Uncorroborated reports claiming that the Al-Qaeda’s Chief of Operations in Pakistan, Abu Hafs Al-Shihri, was killed. There were also uncorroborated reports that the commander of terrorist attacks overseas, Yunis Al-Mauritani, has been arrested.
• The publication of new issues of the magazines published on behalf of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
• A rise in the Jihadi publications discussing Libya’s future in view of the collapse of the regime, at the expense of discussions on Syria, Egypt and other centers of uprisings around the Arab world.
• Extensive charity work by the Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen movement in Somalia.
• The Islamic Emirate of the Caucasus calls for financial aid.
• New Jihadi groups are establishing Facebook pages.