Periodical Review – Summary from the Jihadi Forums – The First Half of July 2015
This report summarizes notable events discussed on jihadist internet forums during the first half of July 2015. Following are the main points covered in the report:
Sheikh Qasim Al-Raymi, the new leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), pledges allegiance to the leader of Al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and expresses his condolences over the death of Al-Wuhayshi, his predecessor as leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. He calls upon the mujahideen to continue their struggle against the United States. He accuses the United States and other Western countries of using the Shi’ites as shields against attacks by the mujahideen, and as a tool in order to enslave the Sunnis. He praises the military successes of the Sunni Salafi jihad umbrella organization in Syria, Jaysh Al Fateh, in the sphere of its struggle against the Alawi regime and the Shi’ite forces. In addition, al-Raymi promises to invest efforts in liberating the organization’s captives.
Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent calls upon Muslims in Pakistan to go out and fight against the Pakistan regime and its security forces. That is due to the trend of oppression imposed against the Muslims and the side-lining of the Islamic religion in the country.
The Islamic State takes responsibility for a shooting attack carried out by a fighter named Abu Yahya al-Qayrawani against tourists at the beach and in the hotel compound in the Sousse vacation city. Thirty-eight people are killed in the attack, and dozens more are injured. In the statement claiming responsibility, the Islamic State justifies its attack on tourists, since they were citizens of countries in the coalition attacking the Islamic State.
The Al Nusra Front, a branch of Al-Qaeda in Syria, puts out a new magazine in English called Al-Risala. This new publication discusses issues such as the importance of migration of Sunni Muslims to the jihad arena in Syria to fight against the Syrian regime, and accusations against the Islamic State regarding the sinful establishment of an Islamic Caliphate and for causing division among the ranks of mujahideen.
Islamic State fighters from Saudi Arabia threaten to harm Shi’ites and Shi’ite religious scholars in Saudi Arabia, and to continue carrying out attacks against them in Saudi territory. According to the fighters, the Islamic State is concentrating all of its efforts in expanding its presence in Saudi territory, as is apparent in the terror attacks against Shi’ite mosques in the country.
Islamic State fighters from Algeria threaten to attack the secular Algerian regime and the security forces, due to the massacres they carried out against the Algerian people. In addition, fighters from the jihad organizations in Algeria call for a pledge of allegiance to the Islamic Caliphate headed by Sheikh Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi, and for immigration to their territories to join the jihad.
The Islamic State publishes a propaganda video documenting the execution of 25 Syrian Army soldiers at the amphitheatre in the city of Palmyra (Tadmor) which it conquered in May, 2015. The execution is carried out by teenage boys. In addition, an explosion of the Tadmor prison is documented. The prison was a prominent symbol of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and was known as a site where thousands of Sunni Muslims had been tortured and died.
The Ibn Taymiyya Center, which focuses on reporting on the Palestinian Salafi jihad movement, announces the launch of an online fundraising campaign to purchase weapons for the Palestinian mujahideen. The campaign is called “Arm us…we will receive money from you and you will receive our blood”.
