ji·had·ica

Gaza Galore in New Issue of Sada al-Jihad

The thirty-second issue of the ever so slick magazine Sada al-Jihad is out. Like the rest of jihadi media these days, it focuses on Gaza. Practically the entire 41-page journal is devoted to Palestine, and the front page features a close-up picture of the blood-stained face of a Palestinian child. However, the articles do not seem to contain many original viewpoints and analyses. They highlight the civilian suffering, the treason of the Arab leaders, and the futility of the moderate  Muslim Brotherhood approach. Much of this has been heard before. But this does not mean the Gaza rhetoric is inconsequential. For many I am stating the obvious, but the Israeli assault on Gaza has greatly benefited al-Qaida propagandists and recruiters. In 2007 and 2008, the global jihadist message was losing some of its resonance, partly as a result of Iraq’s sectarian turn, bickering within the jihadi movement, and the absence

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Thomas Hegghammer January 28, 2009

Saudi and Yemeni Branches of al-Qaida Unite

Earlier this week we learned that the Saudi and Yemeni branches of al-Qaida had formally merged. The release of Sada al-Malahim on Monday was accompanied by an extract from an interview with AQY leader Nasir al-Wuhayshi, who said the Saudi mujahidin had pledged allegiance to him and agreed to form a united organization under the old name “al-Qaida on the Arabian Peninsula.” In another development, Friday’s New York Times reported the rise of former Saudi Guantanamo detainee Sa’id al-Shihri to the deputy leadership of al-Qaida in Yemen. The two stories came together in a fascinating video released on the forums yesterday. The video, entitled “From here we begin and in Jerusalem we will meet”, featured Nasir al-Wuhayshi, Said al-Shihri, Qasim al-Raymi and Muhammad al-Awfi seated side by side, each giving a 4-minute statement. The video served at least three purposes. The first was to tap into popular outrage over Gaza.

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Thomas Hegghammer January 24, 2009

AQIM, the Plague and the Press

There is an incredible story coming out of Algeria these days. International and Algerian media have reported that 40 members of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) were killed by the plague (black death) at a training camp in Tizi Ozou, eastern Algeria earlier this month (see also here). According to intelligence officials, the outbreak was either a consequence of poor living conditions or, more likely, due to a biological weapons experiment gone awry. While this would seem to place AQIM in line for a Darwin Award, that is precisely why we should be careful to conclude too early on the veracity of these rumours. AQIM, on its side, has been quick to respond to the story, publishing Wednesday (January 21) an official statement refuting the reports. Ascribing the story to “hypocrite pens” and characterizing it as “a plot by the intelligence community”, AQIM “assures that the claims are totally

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Hanna Rogan January 23, 2009

New Issue of Sada al-Malahim

Al-Qaida in Yemen (AQY) has released the seventh issue of its magazine Sada al-Malahim (SM), adding to the mounting evidence that the group is thriving. The slick 44-page publication contains no less than 30 articles by 23 different pen names. Many of the latter are no doubt invented, but the issue must be the work of a well-run media cell of a certain size. An undated picture on p. 16 showing 20 people training in the desert, as well as note on p. 12 inviting readers to submit questions to the journal’s gmail address, suggest that AQY is not about to collapse any time soon. The front page story, “Gaza under siege by Arab rulers”, is quite interesting. The article hardly mentions Israel and America, but instead lashes out at the Arab regimes and government clerics for facilitating the siege by repressing the mujahidin. “[The rulers] incriminated anyone who merely

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Thomas Hegghammer January 19, 2009

The New Crew

Will has left the building and he has handed me the keys to what is an absolutely extraordinary edifice. Since Jihadica was launched last May, I have never ceased to be awestruck by the depth and scope of Will’s analysis. I am grateful for and truly humbled by the opportunity to temporarily run Jihadica in his absence. I had promised myself I would never blog (for lack of time), but I just couldn’t sit back and watch Jihadica die. I thus had the audacity to ask Will if he wanted me to take over until he gets back, and he generously agreed. The only reason I think can pull it off is that I will be joined by my very able colleagues Brynjar Lia, Anne Stenersen, and Hanna Rogan, all of whom are intimately familiar with the jihadi Internet. We are all blogging virgins, so please bear with us in

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Thomas Hegghammer January 18, 2009

Return Of The Jihadica

No sooner had I signed off than I got an email from a friend whose scholarship I deeply respect volunteering to take over Jihadica with the help of his equally brilliant cohorts (Tim unwittingly prophesied it in his kind send off).  It’s not a done deal but I wanted to post something before all of Jihadica’s readers abandoned ship.  Stay tuned over the weekend.  If this works out, you’re going to love what’s coming.  If not, I’ll delete this message and go back to the farewell post. As for me, I’m officially exiting the building.

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Will McCants January 15, 2009

Farewell For Now

I am starting a new job on Friday and will no longer be able to blog.  I’ve been thrilled by the interest the site has generated and by the dispassionate, thoughtful analysis of its readers, who range across the ideological spectrum.  I hope the positive response to this site in the blogosphere and media will encourage others with the requisite language and cultural expertise to undertake similar endeavors.  Please drop me a line if you do. I will keep the site online so that others can benefit from the primary source material I’ve gathered.  And you can still reach me through the contact page. Thank you for reading and responding.

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Will McCants January 14, 2009

Bin Laden And Zawahiri Not Sharing Talking Points

It’s interesting to compare Bin Laden’s new statement on Gaza with Zawahiri’s of last week.  Of course the overarching message–jihad now!–is the same.  But unlike Zawahiri, Bin Laden doesn’t mock Obama, he doesn’t echo Zawahiri’s call for demonstrations in Egypt (Bin Laden says demonstrations are useless), and he takes a slightly more conciliatory view of democracy (electing a president, yes; man-made legislation, no).  Bin Laden is also more explicit about how to raise money to finance the jihad (hit up rich businessmen). Bin Laden does echo Zawahiri in one important respect.  Zawahiri said that the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq is one of the “good omens” (basha’ir) of AQ coming to fight in the Palestinian Territories.  Bin Laden ends his message by saying that in this year there will be “omens” (tabashir, from the same Arabic root as basha’ir) of the receding of the Zionist-Crusader campaign.  Make of it what you

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Will McCants January 14, 2009

Q&A On Gaza

Asad al-Jihad2, who some claim is senior AQ member Hukayma, is taking questions on Gaza.  The Q&A session, modeled on that of Zawahiri, is open for four days of questions; AJ2 will give his answers soon after.  Individuals are allowed to ask five question and news orgs can ask ten. One has to be careful not to read too much into these questions since some were probably posted by intel orgs.  But the concerns raised jive with everything else I’ve seen on the forums: what’s our stance on Hamas, who are the authentic Jihadi groups and why aren’t they doing more, and what do we do about Egypt and the Gulf countries? I don’t have time to summarize them all, but one question directed to Asad al-Jihad2 struck me: “What is your view regarding the recent disclosure that Gaza is being annexed to Egypt and the West Bank is being

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Will McCants January 12, 2009

No Jihadi Claim Of Rocket Attacks

There’s been no claim on the forums today for the rockets fired from southern Lebanon into Israel but everyone believes it’s a Salafi-Jihadi group.  Some have opined that it’s Fatah al-Islam, but they’re as clueless as the rest of us.  Look here and here for some clues as to what’s going on. Update: From MEMRI.

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Will McCants January 8, 2009
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