Abdullah Khalid Al-Adam (also known as Abu Ubaydah), a radical operative who is apparently close to senior members of Al-Qaeda, has become something of an oracle on all matters of security for the mujahideen, as indicated by his popular series of articles, “The Terrorism Industry”
To Recruit Supporters and Foment Terrorism against the West
During the past year, evidence has mounted both on jihadist Web forums and in the Arab press that foreign Islamist fighters have entered Syria expressly to join the fighting against the Syrian regime. The growth of this trend is due largely to Al-Qaeda’s desire to
The following surveys the main jihadist groups currently active on the African continent. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is the most significant of these groups, and is active primarily in North Africa and specifically Algeria, where it originated. AQIM has been active for a
During the past year and a half, Al-Qaeda leader Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri has mentioned the State of Israel with increasing frequency. This trend reflects his desire to place Palestine at the center of jihadist discourse, and to direct jihadist efforts against Israeli territory. The latest
Last week’s military coup in Egypt, which culminated in the overthrow of the sitting President Mohamed Morsi and the arrest of hundreds of his Muslim Brotherhood supporters, has given rise to mass demonstrations by the Muslim Brotherhood, which is unwilling to concede defeat or accept
Liwa Al-Sham, an independent Salafi-jihadist media institution devoted to publishing information about Syria, produced two studies describing and analyzing two key attacks perpetrated by the Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’s arm in Syria, against targets of strategic importance to the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Both of the
During the first half of January 2013, France embarked on a military campaign to prevent northern Mali from falling into the hands of militias, some of them jihadist affiliates of Al-Qaeda. During an assault on Timbuktu, fleeing jihadists left behind a treasure trove: a notebook,
Al-Qaeda’s nature and goals are transnational, as is evidenced by its threats and operations not being confined to particular countries or regions. Rather, through its many affiliates and adherents, Al-Qaeda has been able to extend its reach to many geographic locations, each of which has
On July 24, 2007, Al-Fajr, the official media institution of Al-Qaeda, which is responsible for disseminating all official publications of Al-Qaeda and its affiliates, published the first installment of an audio course titled, “The Terrorism Industry”, which covers “security and intelligence and their importance to
This is the second segment in the series “The Terrorism Industry” by Sheikh Abu Ubaydah Abdallah al-Adam, who was until his death a prominent leader of Al-Qaeda responsible for its intelligence and security operations. The series was published by the Al-Fajr Media Institution, which is
During the first half of April 2013, a rift was exposed between the Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, and the Islamic State of Iraq, Al-Qaeda’s branch in Iraq. The rift became clear after the cold response given by Abu Muhammad al-Golani, leader of the
During January 2014, there was another indication of the deep rift between the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham, and the Al-Nusra Front and Al-Qaeda, with the publication of a letter written by Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi. Al-Maqdidi is considered the father of the Salafi-jihadist
Jihadist Web forums are the leading propaganda mechanism of the jihadist organizations currently huddled under the umbrella of Al- Qaeda.
This is the third segment in the series “The Terrorism Industry” by Sheikh Abu Ubaydah Abdallah al-Adam, who was until his death a prominent leader of Al-Qaeda responsible for its intelligence and security operations. The series was published by the Al-Fajr Media Institution, which is
This is the fourth segment in the series “The Terrorism Industry” by Sheikh Abu Ubaydah Abdallah al-Adam, who was until his death a prominent leader of Al-Qaeda responsible for its intelligence and security operations. The series was published by the Al-Fajr Media Institution, which is
This is the fifth segment in the series “The Terrorism Industry” by Sheikh Abu Ubaydah Abdallah al-Adam, who was until his death a prominent leader of Al-Qaeda responsible for its intelligence and security operations. The series was published by the Al-Fajr Media Institution, which is
This is the sixth segment in the series “The Terrorism Industry” by Sheikh Abu Ubaydah Abdallah al-Adam, who was until his death a prominent leader of Al-Qaeda responsible for its intelligence and security operations. The series was published by the Al-Fajr Media Institution, which is
Recently, we have been witnessing a new phenomenon – key figures in the Islamic world, who in the past took part in armed Jihad or at least ideologically supported it, are now working to counter the radicalization process and to minimize recruitment to terrorist organizations.
One of the most interesting and important phenomena yet to have received appropriate treatment in research literature is the de-radicalization process which several Islamic terrorist organizations have undergone and are still undergoing.
October 2012, Al-Qaeda’s official media institution, Al-Fajr, which is responsible for the distribution of official publications written by Al-Qaeda affiliates around the world, published an article titled, “How to Confront Raiding Special Forces” by Badr al-Subhi.
It seems that Operation “Protective Edge”, which began on July 8, 2014 in order to stop Hamas’s rocket fire from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli settlements, was expected to bring about a significant shift in the global jihadist discourse in terms of increased militant rhetoric
This is the seventh segment in the series “The Terrorism Industry” by Sheikh Abu Ubaydah Abdallah al-Adam, who was until his death a prominent leader of Al-Qaeda responsible for its intelligence and security operations. The series was published by the Al-Fajr Media Institution, which is
This is the eighth segment in the series “The Terrorism Industry” by Sheikh Abu Ubaydah Abdallah al-Adam, who was until his death a prominent leader of Al-Qaeda responsible for its intelligence and security operations. The series was published by the Al-Fajr Media Institution, which is
AZAN is an English-language magazine that covers various jihadist-related topics and is published by the Taliban in Pakistan. The Taliban in Pakistan, otherwise known by its full name, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (“Taliban Movement of Pakistan”), is a jihadist group that was founded in 2007 as a
On August 18, 2011 a terrorist attack was carried out on the Israel-Egypt border in which several Israeli vehicles were attacked on Highway 12 and clashes broke out with IDF forces. Eight people were killed in the attack and 40 others were injured.
Since the coalition offensive led by the United States against the “Islamic State” (IS) began, threats made by IS to attack American targets have significantly increased. On 21 February 2015 a member of Al-Minbar jihadi Forum, which supports IS, published an online post under the
Over recent months, we have witnessed several targeted killings of senior operatives of global jihad organizations throughout the world, the most recent of which were pillars of Al-Qaeda: Abu Basir Naser al-Wuhayshi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and Mukhtar Belmukhtar, a
One of the issues presenting a challenge for terrorism investigators concerns Ayman al-Zawahiri’s influence on the path of global jihad in light of the increasing erosion of Al-Qaeda’s power. The growing rift between Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS), the assassinations of senior Al-Qaeda figures
The International Institute for Counter-Terrorism Monitoring Group, which monitors the Internet activity of jihadist elements, recently discovered a fundraising campaign on the social network, Twitter, under the heading “Campaign Arm Us” (Hamlat Jahhizna), which was organized by the Salafi-jihadist movement in the Gaza Strip for
Ahead of the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Al-Sahab jihadist media institution – the official communication wing of the Al-Qaeda leadership – announced the launch of an audio series containing interviews with Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaeda, regarding the “Islamic Spring”.
During the last few weeks, there has been a growing trend of lively discourse on the Shumukh Al-Islam forum about flight and aircraft. The downing of the Russian Kogalymavia Airlines plane in the Sinai Peninsula on October 31, 2015 increased the scope of the conversations
The social media sites serve, without a doubt, as important platforms in the hands of jihadist activists for transmitting messages about recruitment, for indoctrination, and for other uses. The serious terror attacks that occurred on November 13 in Paris significantly enhanced the impassioned and inciting
In recent years, jihadist groups have turned to several social media platforms such as Facebook, twitter, instagram, etc. to disperse their messages to the world. These messages have the goal of spreading the idea of the groups’ supremacy and overall righteousness to others in the
On December 4, 2015 the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Abd al-Malik Droukdel Abu Musab Abd al-Wudud, announced that the Al-Murabitoun organization, headed by Sheikh Mokhtar Belmokhtar, was joining the AQIM: “We hereby inform the Islam Nation that the lions of Islam
Al-Sumud is an Arabic language magazine published by the Taliban in Afghanistan, which covers the jihad objectives in the Afghan arena. The organization, which is also called the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”, is an Islamic jihad Sunni organization first active in Afghanistan in 1994, after
The Saudi regime and the Wahhabi religious establishment in Saudi Arabia have been perceived in the eyes of Global Jihad activists, already since the end of the last century, as illegitimate entities that ingratiate themselves to the West (in particular the United States). They are
The Taliban Afghanistan, also known by its full name “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”, is a Sunni Islamic jihadist organization that began to operate in Afghanistan in 1994 after the fall of the Soviet regime in country. The founder and leader of the organization, Mullah
During 2014, the Al-Malahem media institution, belonging to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), published a series of eight recorded lectures about military strategy and combat methods. The lectures – which were produced and presented by a senior official in the organization, Nasr bin Ali
One of the difficult challenges facing the West is the phenomenon of “lone wolf” terrorist attacks; a phenomenon encouraged by Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, among others, due to the ease with which they can be carried out, the great psychological deterrence effect that they
The media institution called “The Al-Himma Library”, which publishes pamphlets and manifestos for the Islamic State, published a new edition of a document entitled “Thirty Suggestions for Islamic State Emirs and Soldiers”. The document was originally authored by Abd al-Mun’im bin Izz al-Din al-Badawi, also
Saif al-Adel (literally: “Sword of Justice”) is a pseudonym for Muhammad bin Salah al-Din Zidan, an Egyptian strategist belonging to the generation of the founders of Al-Qaeda. Zidan was responsible for bin Laden’s security, he served as the organization’s explosives expert and he was involved
Saif al-Adel (meaning: “Sword of Justice”) is a pseudonym for Mohammed bin Salah al-Din Zidan, an Egyptian strategist from the generation of Al-Qaeda’s founders. Zidan was in charge of security for Bin Laden, and was also the organization’s explosives expert. He was involved – among
On November 28, Al-Sahab jihadist media institution published a new speech by Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaeda, titled, “We Will Fight Them as One Body”.
The month of Ramadan saw a significant increase in the number of threats made by jihadist organizations, especially the Islamic State, to attack western countries. At the same time, there was also a rise in the number of terrorist attacks that were carried out in
On April 24, Al-Furqan jihadist media institution, which belongs to the Islamic State (IS), published a recorded speech by the spokesman of the organization, Abu al-Hasam al-Muhajir, on jihadist forums, social networks and various Telegram channels of IS supporters. [1] In his speech, al-Muhajir strengthened
In April 2017, Al-Andalus jihadist media institution, which belongs to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), published a booklet that was written by Abu al-Hasan Rashid al-Bulaydi, a former member of the organization’s Shura Council in 2011 about how to wage jihad in Nigeria.
In 2016, the IS in West Africa split from Boko Haram. As a result, two main jihadist groups were formed in the Nigerian arena: Boko Haram, led by Abubakar Shekau, and the IS in West Africa, led by Abu Musab al-Barnawi. From a broad perspective,
