The Islamic State’s Online Strategy and Violent Extremism in Africa

David Fidler, Into Africa: The Islamic State’s Online Strategy and Violent Extremism in Africa, 19 Apr 2016 "Military campaigns in Iraq and Syria have re-taken territory from the Islamic State and damaged it in other ways, including its ability to finance military operations. As counter-attacks continue in the Middle East, the Islamic State’s activities in Africa, especially North Africa, are increasing. These activities include a defining characteristic of the Islamic State—its use of the Internet and social media to strengthen its control of territory and advance its extremist agenda. This aspect of the group’s efforts in Africa has garnered less interest than the number of its fighters in North Africa or its territorial foothold in Libya. However, the Islamic State is applying its online strategy in Africa, which raises questions about how to respond to this development."

'Global Jihad Sustained Through Africa'

RUSI - UKTA No.2: Global Jihad Sustained Through Africa "The latest UK Terrorism Analysis suggests that Africa represents a potential new front for counter-terrorism in Britain and the linkages already evident across the continent suggest the development of some disturbing new trends."

Abdelhamid Abu Zeid

Edward Cody, Washington Post, 'Emir of the south' Abu Zeid poised to take over al-Qaeda in NW Africa, 20 Oct 2010 includes net ref "For many Europeans, Islamic terrorism has a new face: Abdelhamid Abu Zeid, the "emir of the south." "

aQ 'under pressure'

Matthew Levitt, Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, Status Check on the Struggle against Global Terrorism, 10 Aug 2010: "The State Department's recently released Country Reports on Terrorism 2009 (CRT 2009) reveals several important trends in the evolution of global terrorism. The good news is that al-Qaeda is facing significant pressure, even as the organization and its affiliates and followers retain the intent and capability to carry out attacks."

Refers to US Dept of State, Country Reports on Terrorism [tip: Jerusalem Post]

aQ hostage clip

Reuters Africa, Italian hostage in Africa heard in Internet appeal, 28 Feb 2010 "An Italian hostage who was seized with his wife in eastern Mauritania in December has urged Prime Minister Silvo Berlusconi to intervene to secure their release in an audio clip posted on the Internet."

Algeria

Reuters Africa, Al Qaeda says it was behind Algeria bombing, 1 Oct 08

"Al Qaeda's north Africa wing said it was behind a deadly suicide bombing in Algeria on Sunday, according to a statement posted on the Internet on Wednesday."

aQ

rttnews.com, Al-Qaida In North Africa Issues New Threats, 23 Sep 08 "In a 28-minute new video posting on the Internet, Wadud slammed a "new colonial offensive" by the West in North Africa and warned Muslims not to back the local "regimes of apostasy and treason." He decried governments in Mauritania, Algeria and other North African countries, claiming that Mauritania has become "a nest of foreign intelligence.""

Mauritania

albawaba.com, Mauritania: Al Qaeda calls to establish Islamic state after coup, 12 Aug 08, Abu Musab Abd el-WadoudAl Qaeda's North Africa wing has called for Jihad in Mauritania to establish Islamic rule after a military junta ousted the country's elected president. "Raise the banner of jihad and let us bleed and have our limbs severed until we bring back a caliphate styled along the lines of The Prophet's way," the leader of the al Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb, Abu Mus'ab Abd el-Wadoud, said in a statement posted on the Internet on Tuesday."

AQIM+YouTube

redorbit.com, Algerian Paper Says Armed Islamists Use YouTube to Spread Messages, 2 Jun 08 "In the YouTube and Daily Motion video mediums on the Internet network, the terrorist groups, particularly the Salafi Group for Call and Combat [GSPC; the group now known as Al-Qa'idah in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb, or AQLIM], have found a space to conduct their subversive propaganda following the closure of several of their sites and forums."

Text of report by Yassine Mohellebi published by Algerian newspaper La Tribune website on 2 June [(via 2008 BBC Monitoring Media.]

Algeria

Reuters, Qaeda N.Africa wing claims Algeria attack-Web, 30 Jan 08 "Al Qaeda's north Africa wing said it was behind a blast at a police station in Algeria which authorities said killed two people, according to a statement posted on the Internet on Wednesday."

echoroukonline.com, Algeria: army fights off 50 terrorists in Tizi Ouzou, 14 Oct 07 "A total of 300 cell phones chips were found with a terrorist who was among three ones killed by army forces in Tizi Ouzou on Monday, said the same source."

AKI, Men and women to be separated in internet cafes, 17 May 07 "Owners of trendy internet cafes, as well as bars and restaurants popular with young Iranians have received a letter signed by national police authorities in which new measures are announced to enforce "the country's moral health." "Public places will not be allowed to use dark windows anymore or curtains which make it impossible to view from the outside what is going on inside," said the letter, which states in particular that men and women must not be allowed inside internet cafes together but in separate days or schedules "to avoid unpleasant promiscuity.""

Also in Iran, a gap in the market is about to be filled: rferl.org, Iran To Make 'Islamic Bicyles' For Women, 17 May 07, "Iran will soon start manufacturing "Islamic bicycles" for women to allow them to remain largely hidden from view as they ride."

LA Times, Algeria election marked by low turnout, 18 May 07 ""If you participate in these elections today, then you are with the traitors in this great sin and you will support them in their tyranny and infidelity and their fight against religion," said Abu Musab Abdul Wadud, the group's leader, or emir, in a statement broadcast on the Internet."

Amr Khaled is in the Time Top 100 Most Influential people ... al-Ahram Weekly, He made it on Time, 17-23 May 07"... [Fahmy] Howeidy [al-Ahram columnist] speculates that the West "welcomes" the talented preacher on the grounds that "his discourse promotes dialogue and rallies masses of youth through the barrier-breaking satellite channels and the Internet." The fact that Khaled is not bearded was an extra asset in the eyes of the West, according to Howeidy."

BBC News, Global net censorship 'growing', 18 May 077, "The level of state-led censorship of the net is growing around the world, a study of so-called internet filtering by the Open Net Initiative suggests." This refers to the Open Net Initiative [I couldn't get through to the report, as it seems their site is overloaded with traffic at present ... presumably not DoS attacks].

Guardian, Al-Qaida in Iraq leader believed dead, 1 May 07 "The al-Qaida in Iraq leader, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, has been killed in a fight between insurgents north of Baghdad, the interior ministry claimed today."

somalinet.com, Algeria: Al Qaeda confirms death militant slain, denies he was head, 28 Apr 07, "Al Qaeda's North African wing said on Friday that one of its militants was killed by the Algerian army, but denied he was a group leader, according to a Web posting
"Yes, brother Moussaab was martyred ... (but) he was not the number 2 in the organization, or number 3, 10 or even 20," Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said in a statement posted on the Internet."

Echorouk Online, Terrorism: Police keeps watch on cybercafes, 29 Apr 07, "It’s worth recalling that a terrorist network was dismantled in El-Oued (southern Algeria) of which a member was a cybercafe owner. Four young people’s parents said their sons used to frequent this cybercafe and disappeared after few weeks. Security services confirm that these young people have joined 'al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb'. They seized computers of this cybercafé and found in the memory bank that the young people contacted other Algerians to join Iraqi resistance."

BBC News, Fertiliser bomb trial: Bugged talk, 30 Apr 07 leads to extensive coverage on the trial, including various net references, and surveillance footage. Also see BBC News, Questions over 'plot mastermind', 1 May 07

The last post: AKI, Egypt: Courageous Blogger Bows Out, 30 Apr 07, "The Egyptian Sand Monkey - one of the country's most popular and straight talking blogs - has closed down his site. In a farewell message, the blogger explained "that there has been too much heat around me lately," adding he feared for his anonymity with "State Security agents lurking around my street and asking questions about me." He went on to say that his bowing out was also due to changes in the Egyptian blogosphere, "too much media attention, too much hype," and the need for a period of reflection." So, farewell Egyptian Sand Monkey. Great blog, whilst it lasted.

Gulf Daily News, 'Fight Israel with bombs', 30 Apr 07, "An Al Qaeda leader called on the Hamas group to fight Israel with "bombs and fire" in an Internet video posted yesterday, days after militants launched rockets into southern Israel breaking a ceasefire.

""Where is revenge, where are the bombs, where is the fire?" Abu Yahya Al Libi asked members of the military wing of Hamas in a video posted on a website used by the Islamist groups."

Reuters, Iran to filter "immoral" mobile messages, Apr 28, 2007, "Iran's Telecommunications Ministry will start filtering "immoral" video and audio messages sent via mobile phones, state television reported on Saturday.

"The Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, a body set up after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, has instructed the ministry to buy the equipment needed to prevent any misuse of Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), it said." Seems like a difficult job, and I'm not sure what technology or criteria they might apply ...

kansascity.com, Keeping ex-detainees away from terror: A Saudi program offers counseling, financial aid and other incentives to change militants’ minds, 29 Apr 07 "Saudi officials said the goal is to stop the proliferation of radical ideology that they said is bred in prisons and on the Internet. The ideology has flourished at Guantanamo and is evident among the returning detainees — even those who were moderates before they were imprisoned, officials said."

NDTV, Power, politics, terror and the cyberworld, 26 Apr 07 Overview.


This one amused me at the weekend: The Guardian, Islamic street preachers, 28 Apr 07 Riazat Butt explores the consequences of The Taqwacores novel, written by Michael Muhammad Knight. Butt's newspaper article also contained URLs, which seemed to have fallen off the online edition, but here's one or two to get you started: The Kominas' MySpace page; Vote Hezbollah's My Space page. As a Clash/Pistols/Banshees (etc.) fan from first-time around, this is certainly interesting listening (however it is labelled). Brian Whitaker also wrote a piece on this, entitled Punk Muslims. I hope to get hold of Knight's book in due course, and add to this listing of bands. In terms of this blog, it is particularly relevant how the bands are using the web to promote themselves (just like everyone else - CDs are dead).

Reuters, Qaeda group says Iraq a "university of terror", 17 Apr 07 "In an audio recording found on the Internet on Tuesday, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, leader of the self-styled Islamic State in Iraq, also sought to mend fences with other anti-U.S. insurgent groups in Iraq following reports of tensions between them." Also see AP, Iraq Group: We Make Own Rockets, 17 Apr 07 "A voice purported to be of the leader of an al-Qaida-linked group in Iraq claimed in an audiotape posted on the Internet Tuesday that the group had begun manufacturing its own rockets."

Asharq Alawsat, Al Qaeda, Active Again!, 17 Apr 07, "But this exploitation of video technology for propaganda was not utilized by the group when it launched its mass killings in Algeria. Today it has begun to resume its activities making it clear that it intends to reinforce its combat and media presence through videos and online Islamic publicity." Interesting article by Diana Mukkaled, relating to recent attacks in Morocco and Algeria. Also see Middle East Online, Casablanca on full alert after suicide attacks, 16 Apr 07 likely to have serious economic consequences in the region: "Police said they had arrested the head of the group responsible for suicide explosions at a Casablanca Internet cafe on March 11 and Tuesday's attacks."

AKI, Al-Qaeda Web Video Boasts U.S. Soldier 'Panic', 17 Apr 07, "The film clip shows American soldiers on a routine security patrol gripped by panic when they thought they had fallen into an insurgnet ambush. An armoured vehicle is shown travelling along a country road and an explosion on the ground as it passes by. After shaking the vehicle proceeds forward for several metres. At that moment, one hears the screams and cries of the soldiers on board. At that precise moment, across the screen appears the writing: "Here are the shouts of the soldiers as they are overwhelmed with fear and panic"."

The Reflector, Turkey joins Web-blocking trend, 17 Apr 07 commentary

Non-tech, but interesting nevertheless: Reuters/Times Online, Makeover for Arctic mosque, 17 Apr 07 refers to the Nurd Kamal mosque in Norilsk.

ABC News, Al Qaeda-Linked Group Used Google Earth to Plan Attack, 22 Jan 2007