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Periodical Review January 2011 – No. 1
This report summarizes the most prominent events mentioned in the Jihadi online
forums in the second half of December 2010. Following is a summary of the main
issues raised in this report:
• Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula publishes two new editions of its journal.
The publications focus on how the Sharia permits fighting against the
Yemenite defense forces.
• The GIMF publishes a new edition of the “Sada Al-Jihad” magazine after over
a year of not publishing anything.
• “The Islamic State of Iraq” continues to threaten Christians.
• The “Mujahideen Shura Council” is formed in the Gaza Strip, with the aim of
uniting the various Salafi groups active in the Strip.
• The Egyptian defense forces arrest activists on Jihadi websites.
• The “Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen” movement and the Islamic Party in Somalia
officially announce their merger.
• The “Boko Haram” movement in Nigeria claims responsibility for attacks
against Christians in the country.
• A supervisor of a Jihadi forum calls upon Al-Qaeda to act forcefully to prevent
the division of Sudan.
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February 2011
New Publications
Ideology
• The Al-Ma'asada media institute published an audio segment entitled “The
women's war” by Sheikh Muhammad Salim Walad Muhammad Al-Amin Al-
Majlisi.1
Sheikh Muhammad Salim Walad Muhammad Al-Amin Al-Majlisi was born in
Nouakchott, Mauritania in 1976. He is the mufti of the “Ansar Allah” Mauritanian
organization, a Salafi-Jihadi organization identified with Al-Qaeda. In 2007, he
was tried in a Mauritanian court after publishing a fatwa permitting the killing of
French citizens. The court sentenced him to prison but, in September 2010, he
was pardoned by the government.
• The “Al-Furqan” Jihadi media institute, operating on behalf of the “Islamic
State of Iraq”, published a video entitled “The Snake has Awakened [from
wrath] – part 3”.2
• The GIMF published an 88-page long booklet entitled “Interpretation of the
Texts so that the Usurpers Recoil”. The booklet was written by Sheikh Abu
Sulaiman Al-Somali, a Salafi sheikh from Somalia.3
• The “Shumukh Al-Islam” Jihadi forum published a booklet containing Sheikh
Abu-Al-Walid Al-Maqdisi’s answers to questions posed by the forum's surfers.
Sheikh Al-Maqdisi is the Emir of the “Jama'at Al-Tawhid wal-Jihad”, a
Palestinian Jihadi-Salafi group in the Gaza Strip. The sheikh's responses
1 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
2 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
3 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
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mainly concentrated on the group's treatment of Hamas and of the Salafi
movement in the Gaza Strip.4
• The “Al-Ma'asada” media institute published a 15-page long booklet entitled
"Disproving those who refuse to declare the Hamas government as heretic
through interpretation". The booklet was written by Sheikh Abu Saed Al-Amili,
a Salafi-Jihadi sheikh whose identity is unknown but who is very active in the
Jihadi propaganda field.5
In the booklet, Al-Amili stresses that Hamas members are considered Muslims
who have left their religion. This is for many reasons, such as Hamas
members' imposition of man's laws and government over Sharia law, and the
slaughter by Hamas of the Salafists in the Gaza Strip in August 2009.
According to the Sheikh, Hamas must be perceived as it truly is and must not
be given a clean slate through manipulation of the Sharia.
• The “Ansar Al-Mujahideen” English forum published a link to the English
translation of one of GIMF's publications entitled “The Blazing Light in
4 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
5 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
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Inciting for Jihad”. The publication was written by Abu Qandahar Al-
Zarqawi.6
• The “Al-Qimmah” English forum published a 100-page long article refuting
a book entitled “Martyrdom in Jihad versus Suicide Bombings”. The book
can be found at the following link:7 http://www.salafimanhaj.com.
Strategy
• The “Abdullah Azzam Brigades” published their third announcement entitled
“The Path of the criminals must be made clear”.8 According to the
organization, Hezbollah has succeeded in penetrating the ranks of the
Lebanese Army and in taking over its leadership. As such, today, the ones
who are actually in control of the Lebanese Army are none other than
Hezbollah and the Shiites, who are using the army in order to carry out their
plans to systematically eliminate the Sunni community in Lebanon. The
person heading this plan is Abbas Ibrahim,9 who receives his orders from the
Shiite community in Lebanon. For example, he secretly led (and is still doing
so), the Lebanese Army towards the Sunni refugee camps in Lebanon, whilst
purposely distancing the Shiite soldiers from the battle field in order to
prevent Shiite loss of life and thereby strengthen their numbers in the army.
The organization explains that, while it appears as if the struggle is between
the Christians and the Sunnis, or between the Christian Lebanese army and
the Sunni terrorists, an impression for which the country's biased propaganda
is partially responsible, in actual fact, the struggle taking place is between the
Shiite community and the other ethnic groups in Lebanon.
6 https://ansar1.info
7 http://www.alqimmah.net
8 http://www.leyoth.ws/vb
9 Serves as the deputy director of the Lebanese Army Intelligence
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In their announcement, the organization specifically addresses the Lebanese
Army's commander, Jean Kahwagi. The organization claims that they have no
intention of carrying out attacks on Lebanese territory or of fighting against
the Lebanese Army, with the exception of the Jews. Nevertheless, the
organization stresses that it will not look kindly upon attempts to harm the
Lebanese Sunnis. The organization explains that the present trend of sullying
its name is the result of the Lebanese Shiites’ deceitful propaganda. The
organization therefore asks the Sunnis to wake up and realize that the Shiites
are in actual fact leading the army against the Sunnis.
According to the organization, this trend will not continue and all the
oppressors, led by Abbas Ibrahim, will pay for their misdeeds. The
organization also addresses the other ethnic groups in Lebanon, telling them
to open their eyes and see that the Lebanese military leadership and its
armed forces have been taken over by the Shiite community.
In the announcement, the organization also mentions the terrible living
conditions of the Sunni prisoners in Lebanon. The group states that the
responsibility for this terrible situation lies with Hezbollah and the Shiites who,
in actual fact, run the military courts and the country's institutions. In light of
this situation, the organization turns to the Ulama, the preachers and the
Sunni intellectuals to act on behalf of the Sunni prisoners. The organization
also undertakes to act in every way possible in order to gain the release of
the Sunni prisoners.
• A surfer on the “Al-Leyoth” forum pointed out the differences in the speeches
made by bin-Laden and Al-Zawahiri. According to the surfer, Al-Zawahiri
often mentions the events of 2001, presenting them as an act of revenge for
the deeds against the Muslims and threatening to perpetrate additional
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attacks. Bin-Laden, on the other hand, seldom mentions the 2001 attacks.
Moreover, when he does, he describes them as a result of the actions of the
U.S. and the West and he always asks the West to think and act with
moderation. According to the surfer, it would seem that Al- Zawahiri's method
of speaking indicates that he is the leader and not the deputy. Al-Zawahiri
speaks enthusiastically while bin-Laden speaks rationally and discusses
subjects such as ecology and natural disasters.
Following this correspondence, arguments ensued among the surfers of the
forum. Some people advocated removing the original post. Others supported
leaving it on the forum, explaining that differences of opinion and character
are legitimate amongst leaders and sheiks so long as “the aim is one, the
heart is one and the spirit is one – that of the Jihad”.
Another surfer explained that bin-Laden speaks as a leader of a nation and
therefore he must deal with all the nation's issues – social, economic and
military. On the other hand, Al-Zawahiri, who is the first deputy, can speak
only about the Mujahideen and the Jihadi policies. Another surfer stated that
there is no contradiction between the speeches of both men as they are
discussing different issues. Bin-Laden is trying to influence the Western world
from the inside, as his image and statements are known there, while Al-
Zawahiri is speaking to the Mujahideen, the Al-Qaeda sleeper cells and the
organization's allies in the Arab world. According to the surfer, on a whole,
there is a good division of roles between the two leaders.
Yet another surfer attributes the differences in the speeches of the two
leaders to their different ideological backgrounds. According to the surfer,
bin-Laden was highly influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafism as a
result of his ties with Abdullah Azzam. The legacy of this influence is that bin-
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February 2011
Laden does not support strong controversy with others or clashing with
regimes, and that his first priority is the struggle against the American-Zionist
attack on the Muslim nation and the corruption and oppression at home. Al-
Zawahiri, on the other hand, was influenced by the ideas of Sayyid Qutb and
Ibn Taymiyyah with regards to faith, Jihad, the regime and the pre-Islamic
era of the regimes. He also experienced the clash with the Egyptian regime
which led to an impasse. As a result, Al-Zawahiri is hostile, politically and
maybe even personally, to the Muslim Brotherhood, as can be seen in his
speeches.10
• The GIMF published an eight-page long article written by Asad Al-Jihad2
entitled “Wikileaks documents – the Modern Rebellion against Modern
Armies”.11
The identity of Asad Al-Jihad2 is unknown, but he is considered to be a
veteran activist in the field of Jihadi propaganda and as someone with
definite ties to Al-Qaeda. Recently, he was “upgraded” in Jihadi online
forums to “Military expert and political commentator”.
According to the Asad Al-Jihadi2, the Wikileaks documents exemplify a new
type of rebellion against the way the U.S. and its allies conduct their war with
Al-Qaeda and the Mujahideen. He believes that the U.S. employs every
means possible in order to break the Mujahideen, without success. To that
end, it recruits allies, conducts a massive propaganda war against the
Mujahideen, silences any internal opposition, etc. The modern armies of the
U.S. and the West are unable to rebel against their current regimes, as the
latter act to preserve the social unity in the army and the advanced
10 http://leyoth.ws/vb
11 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
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technologies they have enable them to quickly expose any conspiracies or
attempts at rebellion against the state. The Wikileaks documents, however,
are a type of 'modern' rebellion against the propaganda used by the West and
their allies, who invest considerable efforts in camouflaging the truth and the
facts from the field.
According to Asad Al-Jihad2, one of the important consequences that may
occur as a result of these leaked documents is the increasing awareness of
the U.S. citizens, as well as the citizens of other states, of the American
administration's attempts to disseminate tendentious, censored, and distorted
information and to camouflage the truth, which could damage its image and
actions. This awareness will lead the citizens, eventually, to replace the
current regime. Thus, the Wikileaks documents express a type of “modern
rebellion against modern armies and a developing revolution against
developing regimes, in a new war in a new way”.
• The “Hanein” Jihadi forum reminded its members that in Abu Yahya Al-Libi’s
latest speech regarding the Pakistani woman, Aafia Siddiqui,12 he threatened
to take revenge against the U.S. for her arrest.13 Against this background, a
surfer wrote on the “Hanein” forum about Siddiqui’s importance to the Al-
Qaeda organization. In his post, the surfer says that both the Al-Qaeda Sharia
supervisor as well as the organization’s deputy leader, Ayman Al-Zawahiri,
referred to her arrest in special tapes.14 The surfer notes that when Al-
Zawahiri's mother died in December 2009, he felt no need to publish a tape in
12 See:
http://www.ict.org.il/Portals/0/Internet%20Monitoring%20Group/JWMG_Periodical_Review_Dec_2010_No_2.pdf, page 2. 13 http://www.hanein.info/vb
14See:
http://www.ict.org.il/Portals/0/Internet%20Monitoring%20Group/JWMG_Periodical_Revie
w Nov._2010_No_2.pdf, page 2.
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February 2011
this respect. The surfer writes about Siddiqui’s standing and achievements
and quotes articles from foreign newspapers relating to her.15
Instructional and Guidance Publications
• The “Shabakat Al-Mujahideen Al-Electroniya” Jihadi forum (Al-Mojahden
Electronic Network) posted links to an explosives course by Abu Khabbab Al-
Misri. The course was published by the GIMF and by Dar-ul-Jabhah Publication
and Distribution.16
• A surfer on the “Shumukh Al-Islam” Jihadi forum published correspondence in
which he provided explanations accompanied by illustrations on how to
prepare mixtures of hydrogen peroxide.17 The explanations are quoted from a
book titled “The Explosives Course” by Abu Khabbab Al-Misri, an Egyptian
expert on chemical and biological weapons who is considered to be one of the
leading Al-Qaeda experts in this field. Al-Misri was killed on July 28th, 2008, in
15 http://www.hanein.info/vb
16 http://66.96.232.222/~majahden/vb
17 http://shamikh1.net/vb
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an aerial attack carried out by U.S. forces on the Afghanistan-Pakistan
border.
• A surfer on the “Shumukh Al-Islam” Jihadi forum published correspondence
containing an explanation accompanied by illustrations on how missiles are
directed to their targets.18
• A surfer on the “Shumukh Al-Islam” Jihadi forum posted an illustrated and
detailed instructions manual on how to construct a rocket launcher. The
instructions manual was originally published by the “Islamic State of Iraq”.19
18 http://shamikh1.net/vb
19 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
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February 2011
• A surfer on the “Shumukh Al-Islam” Jihadi forum wrote a post in which he
said that the former Minister of War of the “Islamic State of Iraq” had
expressed a wish, in the past, to build an aerial force which would be at the
disposal of the Mujahideen to help them with their operations. According to
the Minister, building aircrafts is easier than building motor vehicles. In his
post, the surfer explains that, after hearing this, he surfed the internet in
order to find such an instructions manual. Eventually he succeeded in finding
instructions manuals for the construction of light aircrafts. He directs the
surfers to the Zenith Aircraft Company’s website,20 as it provides detailed
instructions on how to construct light aircrafts. In addition, the surfer
provides numerous links for downloading instruction manuals and sketches on
this topic, as well as links to video tapes on YouTube.21
20 http://www.zenithair.com
21 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
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• A surfer on the “Shumukh Al-Islam” Jihadi forum posted an illustrated manual
published by the “Islamic State of Iraq” on how to prepare booby-trapped
books. For example, the surfer writes in his post that it is possible to insert
450 grams of TNT explosives into a book. Moreover, in order to increase the
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February 2011
number of casualties and damage, small iron bullets can also be placed
inside.22
• The “Al-Fajr” Jihadi media institute published its 17th audio segment entitled
“The Hidden Security Cover-Up”. This is part of a series of publications titled
“The Terror Industry: A Course on Security and Intelligence”.23
Promoting the Myth of the Shahid
• The “Al-Malahem” Jihadi media institute, operating on behalf of Al-Qaeda in
the Arabian Peninsula, published the fourth booklet of a series of publications
titled “The Shahids of the Arabian Peninsula”. The fourth booklet is titled "The
Biography of the Shahid: Abu Humam Al-Qahtani: Naif bin Muhammad bin
Said Al-Kudri Al-Qahtani.24
Apparently, in 2006, when he was only 19 years old, Al-Qahtani commenced
his training in Sa'adah, Yemen, where he acquired an in-depth knowledge of
explosives, weapons and the art of warfare. At the conclusion of his training,
he participated in preparations for the attack against Spanish tourists in the
Marib region in Yemen, during which eight Spanish citizens were killed.
22 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
23 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
24 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
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After this attack, he met the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and
joined the organization's ranks. One of his roles in the organization was to
deal with Jihadi propaganda. For example, he edited the first edition of the
“Sada Al-Malahem” Jihadi magazine and was one of the founders of the “Al-
Malahem” Jihadi media institute.
• The media center of the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) published the fifth video
clip of a series of publications called “The Lovers of Heaven”, in the Uygur
language.25
Magazines
• The “Al-Malahem” media institute, operating on behalf of Al-Qaeda in the
Arabian Peninsula, published over the course of several days two new issues
– no. 14 and 15 – of the “Sada Al-Malahem” Jihadi magazine.26 Both issues
focus mainly of the religious permission to operate against the Yemen security
forces.
25 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
26 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
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The cover page of issue no. 14
The cover page of issue no. 15
• The GIMF published a new issue (no. 37) of the “Sada Al-Jihad” Jihadi
magazine (the Echo of Jihad). The issue is 59 pages long and was published
over a year after the last issue was released.27 It should be noted that the
“Sada Al-Jihad” Jihadi magazine serves as Al-Qaeda’s mouthpiece in
27 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
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February 2011
Afghanistan. One subject addressed in the current issue is the Shiite's misuse
of the figure of Aisha, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad. Other topics
touched on in the publication include the issue of Kamilia Shehata’s
conversion to Islam, the Christians in Egypt, news pertaining to the various
Jihad theatres, and more.
• A surfer on the “Ansar Al-Mujahideen” Jihadi forum, who is described as being
in charge of the Jihadi propaganda group for cell phones, published a notice
titled: “Happy tidings – the renewal of the publication – issue no. 25 of the
‘Al-Waqi’ Jihadi newspaper”.28
The issue contains news in Arabic pertaining to the Mujahideen, such as the
parcel bombs sent by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The issue also
contains international news pertaining to subjects currently topping the global
agenda, such as the renewed nuclear talks between Iran and the
superpowers. In addition, the new issue contains a short section of news in
Persian.
28 http://as-ansar.com/vb
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February 2011
Reports from the field
Afghanistan - Pakistan
• The “Shabakat Al-Mujahideen Al-Electroniya” Jihadi forum (Al-Mojahden
Electronic Network) published an article following the announcement made by
U.S. president, Barak Obama, in which he says he intends to re-examine the
strategy in Afghanistan. The article relates the attitude of the Islamic Emirate
in Afghanistan in light of this statement given by President Obama. The
Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan views Obama's speech as another sign of the
Mujahideen's imminent victory. The organization emphasizes that the past
nine years have proven that reinforcing the forces in Afghanistan does not
bring about a change, but rather the opposite occurs – it causes more sever
casualties for the West.29
• A member of the Islamic Awakening forum posted an announcement titled
“Al-Aqsa Is Weeping for Another Ayyubi”. The announcement was made by
the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. In the announcement, the group calls for
the freeing of Al-Aqsa.30 The announcement was also published on the Ansar
Al-Mujahideen English Forum.31
• The Jihadi forums posted photographs from the terrorist attack carried out on
December 27th, 2010, in Kandahar.32
29 http://majahden.com/vb
30 http://forums.islamicawakening.com
31 http://www.ansar1.info
32 http://majahden.com/vb
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• The “Shabakat Al-Mujahideen Al-Electroniya” Jihadi forum (Al-Mojahden
Electronic Network) reported on a terrorist attack carried out in Kabul on
December 19th, 2010, that resulted in the death of 13 “agent” soldiers and
the injury of eight more.33 The “Hanien” Jihadi forum also reported that a
rocket was launched at the Kabul airport the day before.34
• The Mujahideen of the “Lashkar-e-Jhangvi” group (the Army of Haq) in
Lahore, Pakistan, kidnapped the son-in-law of Amer Malek, the Pakistani
officer who was in charge of the massacre at the “Red Mosque” in July 2007.
The group turned him over to Al-Qaeda’s Mujahideen in Pakistan, who then
33 http://majahden.info/vb
34 http://www.hanein.info/vb
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transported him to a safe location in Afghanistan. The Mujahideen in
Afghanistan are now demanding the release of 30 senior Mujahideen as well
as one hundred million Rupi in exchange for his release. In response to this
incident, one forum surfer posted comments in which he expresses his
confusion as to what the daughter or her husband have to do with the actions
of the Pakistani officer. The surfer adds that Islam prosecutes those whose
guilt has been proven.35
The report on the subject from a Pakistani newspaper
Iraq
• Two months after the terrorist attack against the “Our Lady of Salvation”
Church in Baghdad, the “Islamic State of Iraq” (ISI) organization has
resumed its threats against the Christians. The Ministry of War of the
organization issued a notice in which he called on the Christians in Iraq to
condemn the actions of the Christian Church against the Muslims, to pressure
the Church to release the Muslim women prisoners, to focus on religious
35 http://almohagr.p2h.info/vb
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activity and not to help the occupying forces and the Shiites in Iraq, to cease
all missionary activity and to give the Mujahideen in Iraq information on
anyone operating against them.36
• The “Islamic State of Iraq” (ISI) organization published a report summarizing
the organization’s activity in southern Iraq (totaling 21 operations). The
operations carried out by the organization include assassinations against Iraqi
security officials, ambushing the West’s army forces, and more.37
• A surfer on the “Shumukh Al-Islam” Jihadi forum called 'abuhamza',
participating in an online course for Jihadi propaganda given by the forum,
published correspondence titled “Wanted heads: the Black List”.38 In the
correspondence, the surfer provides a list of the heads of the Christian
community in Iraq, including their photographs, who should be killed. It
should be noted that following these threats, the www.syriaciraq.com
website, which served as the website for the heads of the Christian
community in Iraq, is no longer active.
• A surfer on the “Shumukh Al-Islam” Jihadi forum addressed his fellow surfers,
asking them to publish photographs of Muslims serving in the Iraqi Security
36 http://leyoth.ws/vb
37 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
38 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
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Forces so as to help the “Islamic State of Iraq” (ISI) organization know who
to assassinate. His appeal was answered and many photographs were posted
by surfers.39 Following are several such photographs:
39 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
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The Arabian Peninsula
• The “Shabakat Al-Mujahideen Al-Electroniya” Jihadi forum (Al-Mojahden
Electronic Network) quoted a French news agency, which reported that on
December 16th, 2010, a Jordanian citizen attacked a car carrying American
diplomats who worked at the American embassy in Sana’a. The car was
attacked after leaving the embassy building. There were no casualties from
the attack.40
The Maghreb
• A surfer posted a document on the subject of corruption in Tunisia. According
to the forum supervisor, Tunisia is a god-forsaken territory of the Muslim
nation, as its residents suffer from Western ideas and religious beliefs which
are forced on them and any Tunisians who resist are imprisoned for their
opposition. The forum supervisor expresses his wish for the death of the
Tunisian president.41
• A surfer on the “Shumukh Al-Islam” Jihadi forum, who is participating in an
online course for Jihadi propaganda offered by the forum, published
correspondence titled: “A golden opportunity: Why not try and invade the
Tunisian forums and groups now???”. In his correspondence, the surfer calls
on his fellow surfers to hack into Tunisian forums and social groups on the
“Facebook” social network, in light of the recent charged atmosphere and
wave of demonstrations in the country.42
• The “Shabakat Al-Mujahideen Al-Electroniya” Jihadi forum (Al-Mojahden
Electronic Network) published a series of articles that criticize the Moroccan
40 http://majahden.com/vb
41 http://almohagr.p2h.info/vb
42 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
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King and claim that he is operating against the Muslims and harming Muslim
women.43
The Al-Sham region
• The Palestinian “Ma'asadat Al-Mujahideen in Palestine” organization (the
Mujahideen Lion’s Den in Palestine), which identifies with Al-Qaeda and has
claimed responsibility for Israel's Carmel Forest fires,44 published an
announcement in which it claimed responsibility for the fire that broke out on
the train from Nahariya to Tel-Aviv at the end of December 2010.45
In the announcement, the organization declares an unlimited war against the
Jews and claims that its operatives were behind the fires in the Carmel
Forest, on the train and on an Israeli ship. The organization calls on Arab
Israelis, especially those residing in Jerusalem, to help in the war against the
Jews by providing funds, manpower and weapons. The organization also calls
on the Jihadi forums to increase the scope of the propaganda on the matter.46
• The “Al-Raya” media institute revealed, on December 25th, 2010, that the
Mujahideen of the “Aknaf Bayt Al-Maqdisi” met in Gaza and agreed to create a
Shura Council, the first step in founding a Unified Islamic Group under the Al-
Tawhid flag. This announcement followed intense negotiations and discussions
which culminated in an agreement. The “Al-Raya” media institute calls to all
the operatives in the Islamic groups to join this council, which will mark the
beginning of the founding of the Caliphate. The institute adds that an
43 http://majahden.com/vb
44 On the matter, see:
http://www.ict.org.il/Portals/0/Internet%20Monitoring%20Group/JWMG_Periodical_Revie
w_Dec_2010_No_2.pdf, pages 22-23. 45 http://shamikh1.net/vb
46 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
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announcement of which Islamic groups have joined the council will be made
“at the appropriate time”, due to security considerations.47
• The “Shabakat Al-Mujahideen Al-Electroniya” Jihadi forum (Al-Mojahden
Electronic Network) reported that Abu Ramez Al-Sahmarani, who was the
leader of the “Jund Al-Sham”, was killed.48
Egypt
• The Egyptian Security Forces arrested an Egyptian sheikh called Abu Ahmad
Abd Al-Rahman Al-Misri and a group of his supporters who were operating on
the internet. Among those arrested is the man in charge of the “Al-Mushtaqun
Ila Al-Jannah” magazine (Yearning for Heaven), as well as surfers and
supervisors on Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi’s website – www.tawhed.ws.49
Africa
• The “Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen” movement and the Islamic Party in Somalia
officially declared their merger under the name “Al-Shabab”. The merger was
done so that the two groups would become a unified force in their fight
against government forces and the African forces supporting them. The
announcement of the merger followed Al-Shabab's declaration that it plans on
increasing its attacks on Uganda and Burundi as a result of the Security
47 http://almohagr.p2h.info/vb
48 http://majahden.com/vb
49 http://leyoth.ws/vb
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Council's decision to increase the number of African Forces from 8,000 to
12,000.50
• A surfer from Mogadishu depicted the rise of the “Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen”
movement in Somalia as an effective Jihadi force and its unification with the
Islamic Party as another step towards declaring an Islamic Emirate in
Somalia, which become the core of the Islamic Caliphate.51 The Al-Shabab
movement held a special ceremony to note the unification of the two groups.
Following are pictures of the event:52
50 http://almohagr.p2h.info/vb
51 http://leyoth.ws/vb
52 http://66.96.232.222/~majahden/vb
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• A surfer wrote a post in which he asked about what has become of the
Nigerian “Boko Haram” movement since the death of its leader, Muhammad
Yusuf, in July 2007. Other surfers replied that the movement is an integral
part of the Muslim nation and that it should be helped. In one response, a
surfer explains that in Jihad when a leader dies, the Jihad does not stop, and
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February 2011
the same is true of the “Boko Haram” movement – the movement continues
to operate despite its leader's death.53
A surfer on the “Shabakat Al-Mujahideen Al-Electroniya” Jihadi forum (Al-
Mojahden Electronic Network) noted that the “Boko Haram” movement,
which, according to the surfer, is Al-Qaeda’s branch in Nigeria, has claimed
responsibility for terrorist attacks in the country against Christians, causing
the death of dozens of people.54
• Following the referendum in Sudan (as of the date of this report), one of the
supervisors on the “Shabakat Al-Mujahideen Al-Electroniya” Jihadi forum (Al-
Mojahden Electronic Network) published a call for Al-Qaeda to act against the
division of Sudan and the detaching of southern Sudan from the Arabic and
Islamic north. Moreover, the supervisor called on Al-Qaeda to issue a warning
to southern Sudan that it will fight the south until it is part of Islamic territory
again.55
The West and the rest of the world
• A surfer on the “Shumukh Al-Islam” Jihadi forum threatened that Al-Qaeda
intends to attack Western targets over Christmas: “Is the next strike going to
be in the heart of New York? In one of the aircrafts? In one of the towers?
The Pentagon? The White House? In places of entertainment? At schools and
universities? On public streets? Using car and truck bombs?”.56
• One of the surfers on the “Shumukh Al-Islam” Jihadi forum posted
correspondence titled “Al-Qaeda in Los Angeles America, Soon”.57 In his post,
the surfer threatens that on Christmas, Los Angeles will be struck by the
53 http://leyoth.ws/vb
54 http://majahden.com/vb
55 http://majahden.com/vb
56 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
57 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
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Mujahideen and Hollywood will burn. He also states in English that: “Black
Qaeda crawling to the city of magic and beauty and skyscrapers giant
crawling to the famous Rodeo Drive, full of shops, luxury and the best in the
world. Downtown Los Angeles, one of the most important commercial areas in
the city and the region and the number of the most famous skyscrapers in the
world, along with some major institutions in various fields.”
• A surfer on the “Shumukh Al-Islam” Jihadi forum called to attack the
“enemy’s soft underbelly” during the Christmas celebrations by taking over
the industrial control systems called SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data
Acquisition), located at various industrial plants and controlling data bases.
Such a takeover will enable the Mujahideen to gather information on the way
various mechanisms, such as electricity stations and power plants, operate, to
control them and to cause their collapse. According to the surfer, such a
takeover can also be done via the internet. The surfer notes several examples
of such infiltrations via the internet, including the infiltration of the Iranian
nuclear plants in June 2010 which was accomplished through the use of a
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worm known as “Stuxnet” that enabled its operatives to collect valuable
information on the Iranian nuclear program.58
• The “Shabakat Al-Mujahideen Al-Electroniya” Jihadi forum (Al-Mojahden
Electronic Network) issued a call to help the Mujahideen in Chechnya. This call
was made following the criticism by Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi of the Jihad in
Chechnya.59
General reports
• A supervisor on the “Shabakat Al-Mujahideen Al-Electroniya” Jihadi forum (Al-
Mojahden Electronic Network) reported that various security services are
hunting down a man called “Abu Sulaiman”, who has been issuing calls to
carry out terrorist attacks.
In his post, the supervisor talks about Abu Sulaiman Al-Nasir, who refers to
himself on the Jihadi forums as “one of the supporters of global Jihad”.
According to the supervisor, Sulaiman Al-Nasir was the first to publish
photographs of the suicide bomber Taimour Abd Al-Wahhab, who carried out
the attack in Stockholm in December 2010. Following the Stockholm attack,
Al-Nasir published an audio tape on the Jihadi forums in which he threatened
attacks on the NATO countries.60
In his post, the forum supervisor claims that the security services in Morocco,
and especially in the Grand Casablanca region, have been warned to increase
their security measures and to be alert and vigilant. According to the forum
supervisor, Abu Sulaiman Al-Nasir became the no. 1 wanted man after calling
on his supporters to threaten sensitive strategic targets, such as hotels,
58 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
59 http://majahden.com/vb
60 See:
http://www.ict.org.il/Portals/0/Internet%20Monitoring%20Group/JWMG_Jihadi_Dialogue_
Stockholm_Attack.pdf, pages 7-8.
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embassies, and foreign institutions, with the aim of spreading fear and
confusion. In his announcement, Al-Nasir also warned his supporters from
using their personal phones.61
Following the discussions surrounding the mysterious figure of Abu Sulaiman
Al-Nasir, a surfer on the “Hanein” forum published correspondence titled
“Urgent… The answer to anyone inquiring after Abu Sulaiman Al-Nasir”.62
According to this surfer, the answer to the mystery of Al-Nasir lies in the
period between 1997 and 2001. During this period, Abu Musab Al-Suri
founded the “Al-Ghuraba” training camp. The surfer explains that Abu
Sulaiman Al-Nasir is a product of Abu Musab Al-Suri’s book “Da'awat Al-
Muqawamah Al-Islamiyyah Al-'Alamiyyah” (The Global Islamic Resistance
Call), containing at its foundation a call to every Muslim to carry out individual
Jihad wherever he can.
• A representative of the “Al-Leyoth” forum, calling himself the Mujahideen’s
messenger, published a list on behalf of the Uzbekistan Islamic movement of
the 52 casualties the organization suffered over the course of the Muslim year
Hijra 1431 (2010). According to the movement, its operatives were killed in
conflicts against Crusaders and their assistants on several fronts: Pakistan,
Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The movement notes that the casualties are from
Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kirgizstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Morocco, Tunisia,
Turkey and Tatarstan in Russia. Many of them were killed in aerial
bombings.63
61 http://majahden.com/vb
62 http://www.hanein.info/vb
63 http://leyoth.ws/vb
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Abu Al-Harith from Tunisia (right) and Abd Al-Wadud Al-Ansari from Pakistan
Miscellaneous
• The “Ansar Al-Mujahideen” Jihadi forum published an announcement titled
“Happy tidings: a large group of writers has joined the “Ansar Al-Mujahideen”
forum”. Six prominent writers in the field of Jihadi propaganda have begun
operating on the forum, including the famous writer Asad Al-Jihad2.64
• One of the surfers on the “Shumukh Al-Islam” Jihadi forum, participating in
an online course for Jihadi propaganda offered by the forum, addressed the
Al-Qaeda leadership, asking it to establish an electronic newspaper that will
provide all of the news pertaining to the Mujahideen.65
• A forum member of the “Ansar Al-Mujahideen” English forum published an
article entitled “The war of hearts and minds – Jihad media vs. Crusader
media”.66 The article suggests different ways to establish Jihadi orientated
websites and gives tips on how to choose the right target audience.
64 http://as-ansar.com/vb
65 http://www.shamikh1.net/vb
66 http://www.ansar1.info
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• A supervisor on the “Shabakat Al-Mujahideen Al-Electroniya” Jihadi forum (Al-
Mojahden Electronic Network) classified the writing on the forum into three
types: (1) theoretical writing on religion and the Mujahideen; (2) writing
meant to please the reader, even if it is not entirely reliable; (3) writing that
creates conflict and division. The supervisor asks the surfers to refrain from
the last type of writing.67
67 http://majahden.com/vb