Category: Franchises

New video message from al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula’s Shaykh Khālid bin ‘Umar Bāṭarfī (Abū al-Miqdād al-Kindī): “Hastening Into [Association With] Them”

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

The title of this release is in reference to Qur’anic verse 5:52. Here it is in full: “So you see those in whose hearts is disease hastening into [association with] them, saying, ‘We are afraid a misfortune may strike us.’ But perhaps God will bring conquest or a decision from Him, and they will become, over what they have been concealing within themselves, regretful.”

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To inquire about a translation for this video message for a fee email: [email protected]

Eye On Jihadis in Libya Weekly Update: March 5

Posted on by libyaanalysis
IS in Action

On 28 February, IS published its al-Naba newsletter no. 171, which featured an article titled “The fate of Sirte is not the fate Derna.” The article is critical of the al-Qaeda aligned groups who occupied Derna along with IS till the latter was expelled from the city in July 2015.

Other Jihadi Actors

On 26 February, al-Qaeda affiliated armed groups mobilized 130km east of Misrata according to Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesperson, Ahmed al-Mesmari. Al-Mesmari claimed the LNA’s Air Force would undertake strikes on their positions.

A weekly update of IS’s actions, the Western response, and developments pertaining to Libya’s other militias is available by subscribing here. To read about Western countries’ responses to IS in Libya this week, click here, and to read about the developments within the anti-IS Coalition of Libyan militias, click here. To read all four sections of this week’s Eye on IS in Libya report, click here.

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New video message from al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula’s Shaykh Khālid bin ‘Umar Bāṭarfī (Abū al-Miqdād al-Kindī): “And What Their Breasts Conceal Is Greater: A Comment on the Reception of the Vatican Pope in the Arabian Peninsula”

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

The first part of this title is in reference to Qur’anic verse 3:118. Here it is in full: “Oh you who have believed, do not take as intimates those other than yourselves, for they will not spare you [any] ruin. They wish you would have hardship. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater. We have certainly made clear to you the signs, if you will use reason.”

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To inquire about a translation for this video message for a fee email: [email protected]

Eye On Jihadis in Libya Weekly Update: February 26

Posted on by libyaanalysis

IS in Action

On 26 February, Tunisian security forces captured IS member, Hicham Krouma, who is suspected of being involved in a several of attacks and assassinations in Tunisia as well as abroad. Krouma is said to have spent time in Derna as well as in Raqqa, Syria.

On 26 February, security forces in Sirte arrested IS member Ibrahim Mohammed Saleh Al-Qaziri, at his home in Sirte. Al-Qaziri is believed to have been responsible for broadcasting the IS radio station “al-Tawhid” in 2015 and 2016.

Other Jihadi Actors

On 25 February, Misratan security forces arrested suspected al-Qaeda member, Ayman Abu Amoud, who is thought to have been involved in the kidnapping of the Jordanian ambassador to Libya, Fawaz al-Itan, in 2014. Abu Amoud had previously been imprisoned in Abu Salim under Qadhafi. In 2011 he joined the 17 February Brigade before moving to the Rafallah al-Sahati Brigade in Benghazi. In October 2015, Abu Amoud was arrested in Benghazi, but was later released as a part of a prisoner exchange. He is said to have also fought with the Ghwell government in Tripoli in 2017 and participated in the latest clashes with 7th Brigade in Tripoli.

A weekly update of IS’s actions, the Western response, and developments pertaining to Libya’s other militias is available by subscribing here. To read about Western countries’ responses to IS in Libya this week, click here, and to read about the developments within the anti-IS Coalition of Libyan militias, click here. To read all four sections of this week’s Eye on IS in Libya report, click here.

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New nashīd from al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula: “Well-Established Creed”

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula: “Well-Established Creed”

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Source: Telegram

To inquire about a translation for this nashīd for a fee email: [email protected]

Check out my new peer-reviewed academic journal article in Perspectives on Terrorism: “Not Gonna Be Able To Do It: al-Qaeda in Tunisia’s Inability to Take Advantage of the Islamic State’s Setbacks”

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

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Abstract

This article examines Katibat Uqba Bin Nafi, al-Qaeda/al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghrib’s official branch in Tunisia. It sheds light on an unexplored case study on jihadi groups in recent times by investigating its history and forthcoming prospects. Moreover, it plans to use this article as an avenue to weigh in on the debate within jihadi studies on the future of al-Qaeda and if it can take advantage of the Islamic State’s misfortunes in Iraq and Syria as well as Libya. The latter of which has more direct impact on IS’s network in Tunisia. The article interrogates a number of Arabic primary sources that have yet to be surveyed from KUBN and AQIM that will help clarify these inquiries. It will identify shortcomings in KUBN’s capacities and highlight reasons why IS will likely remain a more attractive avenue for jihadi mobilization in Tunisia going forward. This is relevant since much of the debate on AQ’s status analyzes the topic from more of a macro level than looking at specific groups within its broader global network. This research will illustrate that while the consensus might be that AQ is primed to benefit from IS’s setbacks, in the case of Tunisia, unless conditions change locally, KUBN is unlikely to follow the same trend as other AQ branches or when evaluating AQ as a whole.

Click here for the full article (15 pages).