Summary of Information on Jihadist Websites April 2019
Main Points
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announces the launch of a series of military operations under the name “al-Fath” against US forces and their allies with the aim of ending the US occupation of Afghanistan. According to it, the ongoing harm caused by the US to the country’s people and its efforts to prevent the establishment of an Islamic system require the Emirate to uphold the commandment of Jihad against it. The Emirate has further clarified that while it is committed to the negotiations and the peace process, it cannot remain indifferent in the face of the military operations and crimes of the US and its allies against the Afghan civilians.
The al-Qaeda leadership expresses solidarity with the Muslim residents of “Eastern Turkistan” in Western China in the face of China’s oppression policy against the Muslim minority in China and expresses support for the “Turkistan Islamic Party” and its leader, Sheikh Abd al-Haqq al-Turkistani) in the fight against the Chinese regime. According to it, the issue of Turkistan is considered to be an important issue that must be solved, among other things, by reinforcing the propaganda efforts and funneling financial contributions to a campaign that will promote the problem of the Muslims in China to the consciousness of the Muslim nation.
The al-Qaeda leadership expresses support for the Muslims’ popular protests against Arab regimes, especially in Algeria and Sudan, but also in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Morocco. According to it, the overthrowing of the reigning regimes is not enough, and all the mechanisms of the regime must be uprooted to prevent the return of the old regime to power. Along with calling on Muslims to take to the streets and intensify the protests, the leadership called for maintaining unity amongst the protesters’ ranks and for applying Sharia law. The leadership also advised how to wage an effective protest against incumbent regimes such as through the establishment of defense forces to safeguard the revolution and revolutionaries.
Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda, makes it clear that the jihad war is the only way to fight the oppression and eradicate tyrannical rulers.
The Al-Qaeda leadership is launching a new magazine called “Ummah Wahidah” (One Nation). The central idea emphasized throughout is the importance of maintaining unity of the ranks, the importance of fostering the propaganda efforts and the ranks of jihad in the fight against the foreign forces in the Islamic countries and the local regimes that assist them. Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri, the organization leader, emphasized in the opening remarks of the new journal that jihad is legitimate because it is intended to protect the holy and Muslim places. The journal’s editorial board has also made it clear that the publication is part of the organization’s ambition to reinforce the propagand campaign and to foster awareness of the importance of the Muslim nation’s assistance to their Muslim brethren and jihad activists who are leading the campaign against the enemy of Islam.
Sheikh Ali Mahmud Raji, the official spokesman for the al-Shabaab al-Mujahidin movement, an al-Qaeda affiliate in Somalia, said that in recent times the organization has intensified its attacks on sensitive areas of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, due to a desire to thwart the enemy’s plans to harm Muslims. In addition, he threatened to harm any structure in which the enemy is found, including hotels, claiming these serve as military bases. He also called on members of the Somali security forces to repent and join the Mujahideen. According to him, the withdrawal of the African Union Force from Somalia indicates the defeat of the enemy and its failure to cope with the Mujahideen’s attacks.
Sheikh Abu ‘Ubaydah Yusuf al-‘Anabi, head of the Council of Dignitaries of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, praises the Algerian people for protesting against the incumbent regime but warned not to fall for the machinations of the government but strive for its overthrowing and for a radical and comprehensive change in the government system when the principles of Islam are the guidelines. He also called on the Algerian military and security forces to be attentive to the demands of the people and to assist in the popular protest.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula accuses Saudi Arabia of systematically persecuting Saudi Arabia’s Muslim citizens. This is against the backdrop of the Saudi regime’s intention to execute 37 Saudi civilians on charges of involvement in terrorism and subversion under the regime. The organization threatened to take revenge on the Saudi regime for these and other crimes in due course.
Sheikh Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State organization, speaks in a video taken after five years of absence since June 2014. In his speech, he urged his supporters to avenge the members of the organization who were killed in Baghuz, Syria, making it clear that the jihad will “continue until the end of days of the resurrection”. Alongside this, he praised the attacks carried out by his supporters in Sri Lanka and the various provinces under the “Blessed Al-Sham District Revenge Campaign”. He also acknowledged the pledges of loyalty of his supporters in Burkina Faso, Mali and several groups operating in the Khorasan Province (Afghanistan-Pakistan and parts of Iran).
Islamic State operatives carried out a series of attacks against enemy forces in Syria, Libya, the Sinai Peninsula and other areas, from April 9th to 13th, in response to the loss of Baghuz, the last stronghold of its operatives in Syria. The campaign was named the “Blessed Al-Sham District Revenge Campaign.” Thus, the organization reported that during this campaign 92 military operations were carried out leading to the death and wounding of 362 people in more than 180 areas spread over eight districts.
The Islamic State organization claims responsibility for a series of terrorist attacks carried out by a terrorist cell that has sworn allegiance to the organization, against a number of churches and hotels during Easter in Sri Lanka. The attack was praised by supporters of the organization, including Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the organization leader.
This article is part of the RED-Alert project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation Programme under grant agreement No 740688.
