Jihadist groups, including the al Qaeda-linked Ansar al Sharia Tunisia, are cheering on the announcement that al Qaeda’s affiliates in Iraq and Syria are henceforth to be known as the “Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.”
Al Qaeda in Iraq’s emir announced a new brand for his organization’s efforts in Iraq and Syria: the “Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.” The name replaces all previous names used by the group, including the Al Nusrah Front in Syria, which was a creation of AQI.
In a Facebook posting, Ansar al Sharia Tunisia took issue with “Jewish” Senator John McCain’s visit to Tunisia this week. McCain met with prime minister Ali Larayedh, who has been in a war of words with Ansar al Sharia Tunisia’s leader.
Jihadist social media sites are asking supporters to pray for Abdullah Azzam al Qahtani, an al Qaeda in Iraq leader who admittedly proposed an attack against the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Al Qahtani, the sites say, was scheduled to be executed inside Iraq this week.
Members of an Egyptian ultras group market a t-shirt featuring Osama bin Laden and other jihadist leaders on Facebook to their fellow soccer fans. These same fans fly a flag with bin Laden’s face on it before and after soccer games.
Ansar al Sharia has alleged that American drones are flying overhead inside Tunisian territory. We have no independent information confirming the use of drones in Tunisia. The group is using the allegation as part of its propaganda campaign.
Tunisia’s prime minister accused Abu Iyad al Tunisi, the head of Ansar al Sharia Tunisia, of being “deeply involved” in violence and arms trafficking. Abu Iyad, in turn, released a statement threatening to “direct our war against” members of the Ennahda government.
The role of Tunisians in the Syrian war has become a hot topic in recent weeks. Ansar al Sharia Tunisia continues to lionize Tunisian “martyrs” and recently devoted a chant to them on its Facebook and YouTube pages.
Two Facebook posts contain messages from Ansar al Sharia Egypt leader Ahmed Ashush honoring slain al Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al Libi and praising Ansar al Sharia Tunisia. The statements were first published last year but were re-posted online in recent weeks.
Mohammed al Zawahiri, the younger brother of al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri, has launched his own Facebook page.
The al Qaeda-linked Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem (MSC) claimed responsibility for rocket attacks in Israel earlier this morning. The attacks were in protest of President Obama’s visit.
Magharebia reports that a Salafi jihadist leader in Tunisia has “officially announce(d)” his support for al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’s call for jihad.
A Libyan named Faraj al Chalabi has been detained in connection with the Sept. 11, 2012 attack in Benghazi. It is “unclear” what role he is suspected of playing, but he fled to Pakistan afterwards. Muammar Qaddafi’s regime previously said he worked for al Qaeda.
The head of Ansar al Sharia Tunisia has said that foreign jihads have “emptied Tunisia of its young,” but his group’s Facebook page openly celebrates the “martyrdom” of Tunisians killed while fighting in Syria.
Sulaiman Abu Ghaith served Osama bin Laden as a spokesman, threatened mass casualty attacks against America, and recruited the al Qaeda cell responsible for a 2002 attack on US Marines in Kuwait. He lived under a loose former of house arrest in Iran for years before being reportedly freed in 2010.
ISAF has corrected its earlier reporting on the level of violence in Afghanistan. ISAF had previously claimed that the number of enemy initiated attacks in Afghanistan had decreased by 7 percent in 2012, as compared to 2011. In reality, there was no change.
After having its official Facebook page repeatedly deleted, Ansar al Sharia Tunisia has launched its own website.
Slimane Hadj Abderrahmane, an ex-Gitmo detainee, has reportedly been killed while fighting in Syria. Abderrahmane was allegedly a member of an al Qaeda-linked group prior to his detention in late 2001. Authorities at Guantanamo deemed him a “high” risk to the US and its allies.
American officials have not been granted access to senior al Qaeda-linked terrorists detained in Egypt. One of them has ties to the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.
The Egyptian press has reported on two letters written by Muhammad Jamal to Ayman al Zawahiri. Jamal’s trainees reportedly took part in the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya. The letters do not deal with the Benghazi assault, but one of them was written less than one month beforehand.
The assassination of a popular politician has sparked a crisis in Tunisia. Ansar al Sharia Tunisia, an al Qaeda-linked group, has called for a common Islamist solution to the crisis.
An online banner advertising a video dedicated to Khalid Salah Abdul Hadi Jadullah, a Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem terrorist, portrays him as an al Qaeda martyr.
The Ansar al Sharia Facebook pages analyzed by The Long War Journal contain valuable information, in addition to bluster. Two Facebook pages we reported on have been taken down since our articles first appeared.
Ansar al Sharia Egypt, an al Qaeda-linked group, has called on Muslims to resist France’s intervention in Mali. In an entry on its Facebook page, the group posted an image of the Eiffel Tower being attacked and asked, “Is France unaware of who it is fighting?”
According to an article in the Washington Post earlier this week, AQIM is leading the jihadist coalition in Mali.
On its Facebook page this week, Ansar al Sharia Tunisia honored two senior al Qaeda leaders who have been reportedly killed. The page contains numerous posts dedicated to global jihadist causes in addition to the group’s provision of social services.
The younger brother of al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri has called for jihad in Mali and threatened France, as well as other countries. He “organized” last week’s protest at the French Embassy in Cairo. Al Qaeda banners were on display during the protest.
Mohammed al Zawahiri, the younger brother of al Qaeda’s emir, helped stage a protest in front of the French embassy in Cairo today. The protesters denounced France’s intervention in Mali, saying the country was “at war against Islam.”
Robert Fowler, a Canadian diplomat who was kidnapped by Mokhtar Belmokhtar in 2008, considers Belmokhtar’s group to be ideologues. Fowler has also reportedly said that Belmokhtar was the “principal intermediary between AQIM and al Qaeda in Pakistan” at some point.
The group responsible for the raid on a natural gas field in eastern Algeria has demanded the release of two well-known jihadists: Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman (a.k.a. the “Blind Sheikh”) and Aafia Siddiqui (a.k.a. “Lady Al Qaeda”).