Periodical Review: Summary from the Jihadi Forums – The First Half of May 2013
This report summarizes notable events discussed on jihadist Web forums during the First Half of May 2013. Following are the main points covered in the report:
• At the end of April 2013, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan warns of a coming wave of attacks on coalition forces.
• Jihadist Web forums publish the responses to Web surfers’ questions of Sheikh Ahmad Abu Abd al-Ilah, head of the Policy Committee of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
• Hezbollah’s involvement in fighting alongside the forces of Bashar al-Assad against the Syrian rebels arouses a rancorous debate on jihadist Web forums. At the same time, calls to attack Hezbollah are backed by the establishment of local jihadist groups, like the Ahrar Al-Bekaa Brigades, which mass to fight Hezbollah.
• The Taliban in Al-Sham [The Levant] is established, and declares its aim of fighting Syrian regime forces until they are overthrown.
• Contributors to jihadist Web forums debate the merits of “lone wolf” attacks such as the one perpetrated at the 2013 Boston Marathon by the Tsarnaev brothers in the war of attrition against the West.
• Visitors to the Ansar Al-Mujahideen Web forum urge the mujahideen to infiltrate Israel from the Sinai Peninsula, crossing the border in the guise of migrant workers.
• Jihadist Web forums host a discussion of the persecution of Muslim Rohingya by the government in Myanmar (Burma).