Summary of Information on Jihadist Websites January 2019
Highlights
The Al-Qaeda leadership praises jihad fighters on the various jihad fronts, especially its official branch in Somalia, Al-Shabab al-Mujahideen, for the attack carried out by its members in Nairobi, Kenya. At the same time, the leadership calls for continued terrorist attacks against anyone seeking to promote normalization with Israel, as the president of Chad had “sinned” in Israel in this regard, and threatens to continue to carry out attacks against Christian targets as long as they continue to occupy Islamic land and support the Jews.
Al-Shabab al-Mujahideen, Al-Qaeda’s branch in Somalia, claims responsibility for an attack that was carried out by its members in the Riverside Drive business district, which contains dozens of western companies, in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. According to Al-Shabab, the attack was carried out in response to the intention to turn Jerusalem into the capital of Israel (hence, earning the name “Jerusalem will never be Jewish”) in light of the US president’s statement, in response to the Zionist persecution of Muslims in Palestine and in response to the call by Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaeda, to attack Jewish and Western targets around the world. The organization claims that the attack in Nairobi was carried out to show solidarity with the Palestinians, and it promises to launch additional attacks in the future against American and Zionist targets in Africa.
Sheikh Abu Ubayda You suf al-Annabi, head of the Council of Dignitaries of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, accuses the Algerian regime of being responsible for the social problems and identity crisis among the Muslim residents of Algeria. In light of this, al-Annabi calls on his followers not to pay taxes to the state coffers and not to enlist in the ranks of the security forces in order to weaken the Algerian regime, stressing that jihad is the only guarantee for its overthrow.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula publishes a video reviewing the circumstances and causes behind Muslims becoming spies for local governments. According to the organization, intimidation, threats, extortion, financial temptations and emotional distress are among the factors behind this phenomenon. At the same time, the organization recommends to Muslims who are under pressure to become spies to stay away from these agents and appeal to jihad operatives for assistance.
Abu Dujana Al-Qasimi, a senior leader in Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, a Salafi-jihadist umbrella organization in Mali that operates in cooperation with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, declares that all attempts by the “Crusader enemy” to achieve a military victory in Mali have failed. According to him, his organization has the support of the tribes in Mali and he asks Malian residents to remember that the latter is not a legitimate regime, but rather a ransom regime for murdering Muslims, establishing an alliance with Franc, etc., and therefore it must be fought against.
Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, a Salafi-jihadist umbrella organization in Mali that operates in cooperation with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, criticizes Muslim rulers who are willing to promote normalization with the State of Israel, such as the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, the leader of the Emirates and the leader of Chad, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the organization, it carried out a protest attack against Chad army forces in response to Chad’s trend of normalization with Israel. It calls on the residents of Chad to oppose this trend, emphasizing that it constitutes an act of treachery against the Muslim Nation, including the Palestinians.
Jund Khilafa Kashmir, which belongs to the Islamic State in Kashmir, launches a new English-language journal called Al-Risalah, which he says is intended to promote jihad against the infidels, especially Hindus living in the region.
Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, expresses support for Turkey’s attack on areas east of the Euphrates, and stresses that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is considered an enemy of the Syrian revolution and must be removed from areas where Sunni Arabs reside. In addition, al-Julani called for a military merger between all fighters in the Idlib area in order to safeguard the liberated areas.
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.
