Category: The Islamic State

The Archivist: Media Fitna in the Islamic State

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

NOTE: For prior parts in The Archivist series you can view an archive of it all here. And for his older series see: Musings of an Iraqi Brasenostril on Jihad.
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Media Fitna in the Islamic State
By Aymenn al-Tamimi
The Islamic State has two main types of media departments that come under its media administration: central media institutions such as al-Furqan Media and al-Hayat Media, and the provincial media offices.The latter category includes areas of formally declared ‘provinces’ (e.g. Raqqa province in Syria and Diyala province in Iraq) and areas where the Islamic State operates on the ground but has not declared a ‘province’ (e.g. Somalia). In addition to these institutions, we have Amaq News Agency, which covers services provision and civilian life in Islamic State territories, military operations and even Islamic State terrorist attacks around the world, but has not been formally acknowledged to be a part of the Islamic State’s media apparatus. In origin, Amaq News Agency is the foremost example of what was envisioned as an ‘auxiliary’ media agency for the Islamic State.
The internal documents I have obtained concern problems in media production in Raqqa province and disagreements between media departments. For example, in the first document, the Delegated Committee (the higher governing body of the Islamic State) reprimands the wali (provincial governor) of Raqqa for supposed shortcomings in media coverage of events. The Delegated Committee also asks the wali to get on with the issuing of Mawkab al-Nur (‘Procession [/Convoy] of Light’).
Those who track Islamic State propaganda will recognize Mawkab al-Nur as the name of a nasheed released by Ajnad Media and the name of a series embodied in two videos from the Ninawa provincial media office, the first released in January of this year and the second in April. The first issue displays operations against Iraqi forces in the battle for Mosul, including multiple suicide bombings from an aerial point of view and armed clashes. The second issue is similar in nature, and touches on themes like fathers following their sons in the path of carrying out ‘martyrdom’ operations (suicide bombings): for instance, one father who ends up becoming a suicide bomber in the Mosul operations narrates how two of his sons had previously carried out suicide bombings in Baghdad.
Despite the letter from the Delegated Committee on 22 April, the fourth document in this post illustrates that the matter of issuing Mawkab al-Nur for Raqqa province remained an unresolved problem as of 5 May, with the document noting the existence of an ongoing dispute as of that date between al-Furqan Media and Amaq News Agency in Raqqa province. In fact, to date, no video has come out from Raqqa province under the title of Mawkab al-Nur, though there have been other video series issued from Raqqa province in recent months like “The Fertile Nation” and “Dust of The War.”
Many of the problems discussed in these documents seem to be traced to the appointment of Abu al-Hassan al-Iraqi as head of the Raqqa province media office, but three media workers in the province- all Syrian in origin- are named for having produced suspect video clips that show sensitive military positions, with requests made to the relevant parties to subject the three men to verification procedures. Unfortunately, I have no further documentation to shed light on the ultimate fate of the three media workers.
Two other points of interest stand out in the documents. First, the fourth document in this post is the only internal one I know of so far that mentions Amaq News Agency by name. Second, the third and fourth documents mention a certain Rayan Mash’al (aka Bara’ Kadek). His name came to prominence at the end of May 2017 when his brother announced on Facebook that he had been killed in a coalition airstrike on al-Mayadeen in Deir az-Zor province. Originally from Aleppo, Rayan Mash’al was said to have been one of the founders of Amaq News Agency, having previously been involved with Aleppo News Network.

Old photo of Rayan Mash’al posted by his brother.

Rayan Mash’al in a clip posted by Aleppo News Network in September 2013.
Below are the documents translated, with any small explanatory clarifications in square brackets.

Islamic State
Delegated Committee
No. N 12/72
Date: 25 Rajab 1438 AH/22 April 2017 CE
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The brother, the wali of Raqqa (may God protect him):
Please highlight the ongoing battles in the north of the wilaya and comply with the issuing of Mawkab al-Nur that your media was obliged to produce in its series in cooperation with the other media centres in the Islamic State.
We have seen a shortcoming in your offices’ undertaking and neglect in covering the ongoing events in the wilaya, including:
– The battles against the Kurdish apostates.
– The establishment of 7 Shari’i hudud punishments that the brothers in the realm of Hisba carried out.
– An inghimasi operation in Ayn Issa in which the soldiers of the Caliphate killed 40 apostates and took 5 prisoners.
– Initiatives of the Diwan al-Khidamat in Wilayat al-Raqqa for which the Diwan spent a sum of 30,000,000 Syrian pounds [c. $54500-60000].
And this is what has come to us concerning the shortcoming of your offices, and that you consider that there is no equivalence between them and the other offices in the wilayas of Iraq and al-Sham.
And know that we are before a great trust: whoso disdains it, the fruit of his jihad goes in vain. And who so slackens from supporting his brothers in assignments that have been entrusted to him, has betrayed God and His Messenger.
Please deal with the matter quickly and inform us with an outline.
Wa as-salam alaykum wa rahmat Allah

Islamic State
Delegated Committee
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Islamic State
Diwan al-Amn al-Aam
Wilayat al-Raqqa
Date: 29 Rajab 1438 AH [26 April 2017 CE]
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
We in the security office in Wilayat al-Raqqa have briefed the Delegated Committee in a letter in which we clarified that Abu al-Hassan al-Iraqi did not comply with the plans that the office put in place for the course of work of the media office.
And during the display of clips recorded in the wilaya and its countryside areas, it became clear to us that the recorded videos show the first manufacturing factory in the old city and the recording is with you as no. 032.
Some of the clips also showed the boundaries of the old enclosure in Raqqa city on which the fighters of the Islamic State have built fortifications and coverings for snipers within the plan put in place to defend the city.
And during the display of clips to the military commander Abu Muhammad al-Khorasani, the security office with us was entrusted to destroy the clips or delay their issue until the military commander considers it permissible to publish them or use them as photographic material or as an archive for issues.
Therefore, we have confiscated the clip as a ‘trust’ with us, and have issued a summons for three of the correspondents in Wilayat al-Raqqa’s media office, and they are:
– Abu al-Khayr al-Raqqawi
– Abu Safa’ al-Ansari
– al-Hussein al-Shaheed
And we are waiting for the wali’s authorization to undertake a verification process with them and carry out the appropriate procedures in that case.
Abu al-Hikm al-Raqqawi
Security office/Eastern sector for Wilayat al-Raqqa

Islamic State
Diwan al-Amn al-Aam
Islamic State
Amni Aam official- Wilayat al-Raqqa
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Islamic State
Markaz al-Amn al-Aam
Wilayat al-Raqqa
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
To the brother Abu Ali al-Afari [name suggests he is from Tel Afar] the official for tracking the media offices in the Islamic State:
We ask you for authorization to carry out a verification process with the media workers:
– Abu al-Khayr al-Raqqawi: born in Raqqa in 1399 AH [1978-9 CE], his father is Ali al-Bashir. He joined the Islamic State in 1435 AH after abandoning work with the Sahwat.
– Abu Safa’ al-Ansari: born in Aleppo in 1401 AH [1980-1 CE], his father is Aymenn al-Sayegh.

New audio message from the Islamic State’s Shaykh Abū Bakr al-Ḥussaynī al-Qurayshī al-Baghdādī: "But Sufficient Is Your Lord As A Guide And A Helper"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

The title of this release is in reference to Qur’anic verse 25:31. Here it is in full: “And thus have we made for every prophet an enemy from among the criminals. But sufficient is your Lord as a guide and a helper.”
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Shaykh Abū Bakr al-Ḥussaynī al-Qurayshī al-Baghdādī — But Sufficient Is Your Lord As A Guide And A Helper

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

Eye On Jihadis In Libya Weekly Update – September 26, 2017

Posted on by libyaanalysis

IS in Action
On 22 September, the US conducted an airstrike on an IS camp in the desert valleys about 150 miles south-east of Sirte, reportedly killing 17 ISIS fighters and destroying 3 vehicles. US Africa Command (Africom) said the strikes were carried out by armed Reaper drones flying from a base in Sicily. Reda Eissa, a spokesman for the Government of National Accord’s (GNA) Misrata-led al-Bunyan al-Marsus (BM) coalition said he had no information about the airstrikes. Interestingly, the Libyan National Army (LNA) also said that it conducted airstrikes against IS targets near Sadada, west of Sirte, on the same day.
Africom officials said that IS used the camp to move fighters in and out of the country, stockpile weapons and equipment, and plot and conduct attacks, adding that, “IS and al-Qaida have taken advantage of ungoverned spaces in Libya to establish sanctuaries for plotting, inspiring and directing terror attacks.” Africom also praised the GNA and their aligned forces for being valued partners against terrorism. This is the first US airstrike against IS under Donald Trump’s presidency.
Last week, the IS branch in eastern Libya, known as Wilayat Barqa, published its first video since the beginning of the year entitled ‘But They Never Lost Assurance Due To What Afflicted Them’. The long video covers the IS suicide car bomb attack in Nawfaliyah on 31 August and the Fugha checkpoint massacres in southern Libya on 23 August, as well as patrols east of Sirte and camps in the desert.
The video revealed that Ramadan Muhammed al-Rabeeie, whose nom du guerre is Abu Faraj al-Ansari, was the suicide bomber responsible for the Nawfaliyah attack in which 4 people died. He was reportedly born in 1984 and was a resident of Ras Abeida in Benghazi with five other brothers. He was imprisoned during the Qadhafi regime for connections to al-Qaida. He was a senior leader in Ansar al-Sharia Benghazi and allegedly commanded a specialist assassination and bomb squad. He joined IS in 2014. Al-Ansari had managed to escape from Sabri area of Benghazi in January 2017, but it appears that he has now perished in the suicide car bomb.
Other Jihadis
On 17 September, the Libyan National Army (LNA) broadcast televised ‘confessions’ of Ibrahim Muftah Abu Nuwwara, an imprisoned Ansar al-Sharia fighter from Ajdabiya who is in LNA custody. Nuwwara ‘confessed’ that a spate of assassination and kidnapping operations conducted in Ajdabiya were on his orders as well as the orders of al-Saadi al-Nawfali, a senior commander of the Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB), al-Kilani Abu Nuwwara, Usama Jadhran, and Khalid Ibsis al-Fakhiri.
In the confession, Nuwwara added that logistical and material support came from Benghazi via Yousef al-Faidi. He said al-Faidi is a key military commander in Ansar al-Sharia and was one of the main operatives conducting assassination and abduction operations in the east since the end of 2011 and it was he who used to deem any rivals as “infidels”. Al-Faidi was reported to have died in July 2015, but it appears he may still be alive with the BDB.
Nuwwara was captured in a sting operation in Khoms in March 2017 and thereafter transferred back to Ajdabiya. He allegedly also participated in the BDB attacks against the LNA in 2016. Prior to that, he and his three brothers had reportedly set up the Ajdabiya Ansar al-Sharia branch in March 2015 to support the establishment of the BDB and their mission to Benghazi via the Oil Crescent. His brother al-Kilani Abu Nuwwara, aka Abu Layth al-Ansari, was a unit commander in the BDB and was killed in a LNA airstrike in Jufra on 9 November 2016. His second brother Ahmed Abu Nuwwara was killed in another LNA airstrike in Ajdabiya on 24 November 2016. The last brother, Shahaat Abu Nuwwara, who reportedly led an Ansar al-Sharia cell in the town of Sultan, was killed in clashes with the LNA on 10 July 2017.
This ‘confession’ sparked intense anger and social rifts in Ajdabiya last week, leading to gunmen burning houses belonging to the Jadhran and Abu Nawwara families in retaliation for their alleged involvement in the assassinations. These developments have triggered deep rifts in the local area and forced members of the Maghraba tribe, to which these families belong, to condemn the acts.
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A weekly update of ISIS’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 ISIS in Libya this week, click here, and to read about the developments within the anti-ISIS Coalition of Libyan militias, click here. To read all four sections of this week’s Eye on ISIS in Libya report, click here.
Eye-on-Isis-Logo-001

 

New release from Abū Mu'ādh al-Shamarī: "Guidance Series on the Worshippers Rules of Jihād #1: Explaining the Meaning of the Concept of Jihād"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin


Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Abū Mu’ādh al-Shamarī — Guidance Series on the Worshippers Rules of Jihād #1- Explaining the Meaning of the Concept of Jihād
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To inquire about a translation for this release for a fee email: [email protected]

New video message from The Islamic State: "But They Never Lost Assurance Due To What Afflicted Them – Wilāyat Barqah"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

The title of this release is in reference to Qur’anic verse 3:146. Here it is in full: “And how many a prophet [fought and] with him fought many religious scholars. But they never lost assurance due to what afflicted them in the cause of God, nor did they weaken or submit. And God loves the steadfast.”
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To inquire about a translation for this video message for a fee email: [email protected]

New issue of The Islamic State’s newsletter: “al-Nabā’ #98"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

For prior parts see: #97, #96, #95, #94, #93, #92, #91, #90, #89, #88, #87, #86, #85, #84, #83, #82, #81, #80, #79, #78, #77, #76, #75, #74, #73, #72, #71, #70, #69, #68, #67, #66, #65, #64, #63, #62, #61, #60, #59, #58, #57, #56, #55, #54, #53, #52, #51, #50, #49, #48, #47, #46, #45, #44, #43, #42, #41, #40, #39, #38, #37, #36, #35, #34, #33, #32, #31, #30, #29, #28, #27, #26, #25, #24, #23, #22, #21, #20, #19, #18, #17, #16, #15, #14, #13, #12, #11, #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, and #1.
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Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: The Islamic State — al-Nabā’ Newsletter #98
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To inquire about a translation for this newsletter issue for a fee email: [email protected]

New video message from The Islamic State: "And We Made For Their Destruction An Appointed Time – Wilāyat al-Barakah"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

The title of this release is in reference to Qur’anic verse 18:59. Here it is in full: “And those cities – We destroyed them when they wronged, and We made for their destruction an appointed time.”
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To inquire about a translation for this video message for a fee email: [email protected]