Summary of Information on Jihadist Websites The First Half of September 2015
This report summarizes notable events discussed on jihadist Web forums during the first half of September 2015. Following are the main points covered in the report:
Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaeda, re-emerges in the media through a new series of videos titled, “The Islamic Spring”. Among the topics raised is his willingness to cooperate with the Islamic State against enemy coalition forces in the region, albeit with reservations and without recognizing the Islamic Caliphate led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He also details, at length, Al-Qaeda’s strategy in the internal and external arenas.
The Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan admits to having concealed the death of its former leader, Mullah Omar, for a period of two years, explaining that 2013 was a decisive year in the organization’s struggle against foreign powers. In honor of the appointment of the new leader of the Emirate, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, his biography is published. Many members of Mullah Omar’s family, as well as many other Muslims in Afghanistan, swear allegiance to the new emir, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor.
Abdullah al-Shami, a member of Al-Nusra Front’s Shura Council, attacks the Turkish government and notes that it does not intend to fight against the Islamic State, but rather it intends to intervene in the area north of Aleppo in order to prevent the establishment of a Kurdish state along the southern border with Turkey. In light of this, he explains that Al-Nusra Front has decided not to continue its military involvement in the area north of Aleppo.
The Islamic State launches a new series of videos regarding the issuing of the gold dinar in various IS provinces. IS media institutes in the majority of provinces in Iraq and Syria publish videos in which the gold dinar is presented to local residents who welcome the initiative. Most of the messages in these videos focus on highlighting the gold dinar’s supremacy over the American dollar, which is made of paper, and expressing hope that the new Islamic currency will weaken the global economy.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula publishes a new issue of the English-language magazine, INSPIRE, in which it calls on Muslims in the West to continue the wave of lone-wolf terrorist attacks, such as the attacks against the French magazine, Charlie Hebdo. In addition, it calls on Muslims in the West to assassinate high-ranking military, financial and political figures, and provided operative advice in order to implement it.
The Islamic State publishes a new issue of the English-language magazine, DABIQ. Among the various articles is a ransom demand for the release of a Chinese prisoner and a Norwegian prisoner being held captive by the organization.
