[11/06/09]			Response from Palestinian Islamists to Solidarity Calls from Shabaab al-Mujahideen The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a letter from an unnamed Palestinian Islamist in the Gaza Strip, posted on several prominent jihadi forums, thanking the top commander of the Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia for announcing a new campaign to launch military attacks on Israel. The letter explained, "You brought us pleasure a few days ago when you went out to a precious solemn march (in solidarity with Palestine and its Muslim oppressed people). How glad were we with regard to this precious march, which we saw as a preliminary beginning (for the recruitment) of the world to jihad in order to conquer Jerusalem and free it from the clutches of the brutal Zionists... We also thank you for your good act in establishing a jihadist forefront, which you have called Al-Quds Brigade in order to conquer Jerusalem...[in order to] lay siege to the descendants of [Banu] Quraysh, [Banu] Nazir and [Banu] Qinqa' and their followers and supporters and stick a knife in their necks. And then there will be no way that they can escape from our jihad swords. You will find that our homes are your homes, our weapon is your weapon, our farms are your farms, our money is your money, our blood is yours."

[9/17/09]			Abdullah Azzam Brigades Claims Nahariya Rocket Attack The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a new communiqué from the Ziad Al-Jarrah battalion of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades claiming responsibility for a rocket attack, launched from Lebanon, on the Nahariya settlement on September 11, 2009. The statement claimed the “outrageous hostility” of the Jews for provoking the attack: “they are (imposing) a siege, preventing prayers in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, building tunnels underneath it, working diligently to humiliate the Muslims and not taking into consideration their feelings and their holy assets.” The Brigades threatened, “your life will not be blessed, and you will not be rewarded with good. Our hearts still beat, blood still runs in our veins, and we are coming, with the help of Allah."

[8/18/09]			Hamas Mourns “Martyrdom” of Comrades in Gaza Clashes With “Outlaws” The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new communique from the Martyr Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement) mourning the “martyrdom” of five comrades slain in clashes last Friday in the southern Gaza town of Rafah with “outlaws” from “Jund Allah Ansar.” According to the statement, “The mujahedeen tried to convince the outlaw group, the militant group opened fire at them during their duty with the police, the members martyred immediately.”

[8/17/09]			Jund Ansar Allah Declares "Islamic Emirate" in Gaza The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new statement from "Jund Ansar Allah", a Palestinian Al-Qaida-startup franchise in the Gaza Strip, declaring the foundation of an "Islamic Emirate in Bayt al-Maqdis" under the command of cleric Shaykh Abu al-Nour al-Maqdisi. One day after the communique was issued, on August 15, al-Maqdisi was reported killed amid fierce clashes between Jund Ansar Allah fighters and Hamas security forces.

[8/16/09]			Jund Ansar Allah Threatens "Response" to Hamas Clashes The Palestinian militant group known as "Jund Ansar Allah" has threatened an unspecified "response" in coming days in revenge for clashes with Hamas security forces in the southern Gaza Strip. According to a new statement from "Jund Ansar Allah" posted on August 16, "we did not intend to bomb any security headquarters or attack any Hamas units like the so-called Fathi Hammad has claimed, and we have no connection whatsoever with any explosion that occurred on the Palestinian battlefield, and we have not called anyone a Kafir, and we are not followers of Al-Qaida... And now we are awaiting our new commander." The communiqué blamed unnamed moderate leaders from Hamas for igniting a "schism" within the Palestinian Islamist movement, adding, "we wash our hands of responsibility for any events that might take place in the next several days as a result." The group also accused corrupt Hamas operatives of stealing over $120,000 in cash and equipment from Jund Ansar Allah during recent security raids.

[7/28/09]			Hamas Celebrates U.S. Troop Withdrawal from Iraqi Cities The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a statement from the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement) regarding the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraqi cities. According to the communiqué, " cause and that they drowned in Iraq's mud..." Moreover, "the victory of the Iraqi resistance is an episode in an integrative series; it is a service to the Islamic project that stands, in every area of Earth, in the face of the neo-imperialistic project(s) and the rogue Zionist-American plans.” The statement concludes by noting that " The American project in the region will fall resoundingly, and committing any new stupidity in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan or others will be a disaster for America and her armies, and all of their schemes will shatter atop the rock of the [Islamic] nation's awareness, Jihad and steadfastness.”

[6/26/09]			Army of Islam Announces Split with GIMF The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a new statement from the Army of Islam (a.k.a. Jaish al-Islam) in the Gaza Strip -- a Palestinian Islamic militant faction opposed to Hamas -- announcing that it is withdrawing from a mutual agreement with the online jihadi logistical support group known as the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF). For more on the GIMF and the Army of Islam, see NEFA Senior Investigator Evan Kohlmann’s interactive chart, titled “Al-Qaida’s Online Couriers."
[6/22/09]			New Audio Recording from “Jundallah in Palestine” Leader The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated an audio recording from Abu Abdullah al-Muhajir, the leader of "Jundullah in Palestine", an Al-Qaida startup group based in Gaza. In the recording, titled “The Proclamation”, al-Muhajir states, “we tell our brothers the mujahideen in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kashmir, Pakistan, Chechnya, Yemen, Somalia, countries of Islamic Maghreb, and all the honest mujahideen in the rest of Muslims' homelands, we tell you: may Allah accept your Jihad and may He reward you on behalf of us the best of rewards, and you carried out your promise so you became the invulnerable fortress of this nation and its steadfast pillar, we consider you so and we do not exalt anyone but Allah.”
[5/11/09]			"Hamas: “Anti-Hamas Approach Fading” The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new communiqué from Hamas titled, "Anti-Hamas Approach Fading." In the statement, dated May 7, 2009, Hamas notes that "Since the conclusion of Zionist 22-day military offensive in January which coincided with U.S. President Barack Obama taking power in Washington, Hamas has had many more international visitors...There is simply a growing international perception, especially since the war that the old 'isolate Hamas' approach is not working." Further, "Alongside fiery Hamas declarations, such as that delivered last Friday in a Gaza mosque by a top Hamas man, Mahmoud Al-Zahar, in which he vowed the organisation would ‘never ever’ recognise Israel, there are distinct signs of Hamas pragmatism. There has been an almost total lull in rocket fire from Gaza at settlements in recent weeks. This pragmatism is meant to stem less from fear of Zionist retaliation and is geared more to bolstering the tentative gains in international credibility." Hamas ends by asserting that "The Zionist entity...may well find that a strident approach will bear little fruit when Netanyahu meets President Obama at the White House in three weeks time, and discovers just how far the U.S. Administration has departed from the absolutist anti-Hamas approach of the previous Administration, and steps up its insistence that the Zionist entity lines up with the two-state solution.”
[3/20/09]			Hamas Addresses Prisoner Swap: "Zionist Occupation Bears Full Responsibility" The NEFA Foundation has obtained a communiqué from Hamas' "military" wing, the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades, addressing the prisoner swap. According to the statement, "The Zionist enemy has not provided any new offer recently. What Olmert has tried to propagate in the Zionist media in recent days is maneuvering for internal political purposes and for absorption of popular protest within the entity, But, in fact, his move did not refer to any actual intention to complete the swap agreement.” It continued, “The enemy [needs] to understand that hindrance of the exchange deal will have a negative impact, and the only realization is disappointment and great loss."
[3/19/09]			Palestinian Al-Qaida Faction Claims Murder of Israeli Policemen The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a communiqué from a previously unknown Palestinian Al-Qaida faction claiming responsibility for the murder of two Israeli policemen in the West Bank. According to the statement from the “World Islamic Front for the Liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Aqsa Army” (dated March 15), “a unit of the al-Malhamah Brigades… has executed an attack on a Zionist vehicle on patrol, killing two police officers in the southern al-Aghur region of occupied Palestinian territory, near the Massua settlement. The incident took place on Sunday, March 15, 2009… At about 6:35 pm, three mujahideen from the al-Malhamah Brigades ambushed the Zionist police vehicle on Road No. 90, in Wadi Arabah, and shot two Zionist police officers. Praise be to Allah, the unit was able to safely return to its base. This blessed operation was launched as a response to the call issued by the Mujahid Shaykh Usama Bin Laden, may Allah protect him, in his sermon, ‘Practical Steps to Liberate Palestine.’”
[2/9/09]			Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) Issues Message to the Austrian Government The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new communiqué from Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) in Gaza, in which the group urges the Austrian government to release Muhammad Shawqi Mahmoud from jail. In March 2008, Mahmoud was sentenced to four years in prison for belonging to a terrorist organization. Mahmoud, a central figure in the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF), was involved in producing a March 2007 GIMF video that threatened Austria and Germany if the countries did not withdraw their troops from Afghanistan. That same month, BBC reporter Alan Johnston was kidnapped in Gaza; the Army of Islam subsequently issued a videotaped claim of responsibility for the operation. During the February 2009 Canadian trial of Mahmoud’s GIMF co-conspirator, Said Namouh, prosecutors revealed that Mahmoud and Namouh “played a major role for the GIMF in the editing” of that Army of Islam video. However, in this statement, the Army of Islam claims that "Muhammad Shawqi Mahmoud has no ties to the Army or any part in capturing the British reporter Alan Johnston by any way, shape or form. He has no relation to or knowledge of this operation, and these accusations directed to him are nothing of the truth, and basically pure falsehood.” In April 2008, Al-Qaida’s Committee in the Islamic Maghreb attempted to secure the release of Mahmoud and his wife by offering to free Austrian hostages.
[12/19/08]			Fatah al-Islam Claims Death of Leader, Endorses Terror Financing Through Bank Robberies The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated two new communiqués from the Al-Qaida-linked Fatah al-Islam in Lebanon and Syria. On November 29, Fatah al-Islam issued a statement condemning “Syria’s entrance into the public arena against Fatah al-Islam… If this organization is wiped out, then no other force will remain in Lebanon besides the force of [Hizballah]. This stands in accord with the Iranian policy aimed at controlling the region.” On December 8, the group distributed a second statement claiming, among other things, that its commander Shaykh Shakir al-Absi has been missing and is presumed dead following a failed bid to join Al-Qaida in Iraq. According to the statement, al-Absi and a group of aides left their former base in Lebanon for Syria “in order to allow their wounds to heal, to reestablish the [communication] channels that were cut off during the war, and to rebuild the organization… [Al-Absi] started contacting the brothers from the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), through people who were well-known to the ISI, and was also trying to reach the brothers in Afghanistan—though not with much success.” Fatah al-Islam was also specifically insistent on the legitimacy of committing bank robberies as a financing tactic: “we say, relying on Allah, that stealing money from the infidels, from the usurious banks and the institutions which belong to the infidel regimes and states, is a legal thing which Allah has permitted us to do. This money is being seized from them and instead directed towards jihad and the mujahideen in order to fulfill their needs, to buy equipment etc.”
[5/31/08]			New Documents from Emerging Al-Qaida Faction in Gaza Strip The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a communiqué and audio recording from an emerging branch of the Al-Qaida-aligned Fatah al-Islam movement based in the Gaza Strip. On January 12, 2008, the group issued a statement naming its local commander in the Palestinian territories as "Abu Abdelrahman al-Ghazzawi", who it simply described as “a very kind brother, with much previous experience in jihad and deep-seeded roots in theology.” On February 12, 2008, Fatah al-Islam released the first known audio recording of Abu Abdelrahman al-Ghazzawi, in which he announced, “we shall commence our war from Palestine along with the Ansar and Muhajireen [emigrants and supporters] in order to unite our lines and to [honor] our slogans about battling the Jews who live near us—a jihad, in which there is no regard for clay and dirt… We declare to Shaykh Shaker [al-Absi] and Usama [Bin Laden] and Ayman [al-Zawahiri] and Abu Omar [al-Baghdadi]: ‘Go forth with the blessing of Allah, go forth with your Lord and fight, and we shall fight with you.’ O’ sons of Islam, sons of the Gaza Strip, you are our base of support and, on your behalf, we shall ask for help and assistance from Allah… No border or language shall separate us—we share the same Lord, the same religion, and the same enemy.”
[2/13/08]			Hezbollah Statement on the Death of Imad Mugniyeh  The NEFA Foundation has obtained a communiqué issued by Hezbollah, in which the terror group responds to the assassination of Imad Mugniyeh. Hezbollah blamed "'Israeli' criminal hands" for Mugniyeh's killing and asserted, "we pledge to continue the martyr's path until achieving complete victory." The statement added that Mugniyeh "had been a target for the Zionists for more than 20 years."
[12/07/07]			Q&A with a Hamas Spokesman Hamas' English-language website has posted a transcript of a Q&A session with Abu Obaida, the spokesman for Hamas' military wing, the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades. When asked why Hamas "stay[s] silent" and doesn't "punish" infidel regimes that support the Palestinian Authority over Hamas, Abu Obaida comments, "We are not in a war against non-Muslims or against Muslims who support parties that act against the resistance. However, we make it clear that we will defend our resistance project with all our strength. We will not allow any party to interfere or hinder our resistance action...We take actions, covert and visible." And, queried about Hamas' response to criticisms by Al-Qaida number two Ayman Al-Zawahiri, he responds, "We do not tell Al-Dhawahry [Al-Zawahiri] what to do in Afghanistan since we are not aware of his situation...His judgments and opinions are his; but they are not correct. More importantly, we are not awaiting approval or blessing from anyone except Allah."
[6/1/07]			Al-Qaida Threatens Lebanon Over Fatah al-Islam On May 25, 2007, copies of a new video recording were publicly distributed over password-protected Al-Qaida Internet websites after being authenticated by the pre-eminent Al-Fajr Media Center. The seven-minute recording contains a speech by a masked individual identifying himself only as the “military commander of Al-Qaida’s Committee in Al-Shams” (“Greater Syria”). This is the first known occasion that any individual or organization inside of Lebanon has explicitly identified themselves as part of the international Al-Qaida terrorist network. The speaker addresses a message directly to the Patriarch of the Christian Maronite church in Lebanon: "pull back your dogs from our people, and cease your artillery fire—or else, from today onwards, there will be no safe place for any crusader in Lebanon, and as you strike, we will strike... If you do not stop, we will tear your hearts out with explosives, and surround your every post with our bombs. We will target your entire economy, starting with tourism and ending with all the incoming resources you [received when you] launched this new crusader war... We have ignored you previously, but we give you this final warning that from now on, an ocean of blood will be spilled.”
[2/10/07]			Palestinian Militants Hail the "Islamic State of Iraq" (ISI) On February 2, the Salahudeen Brigades in Palestine--an Islamic militant faction associated with the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC)--released a new statement on behalf of commander "Abu Abir" (a.k.a. Mohammed Abdul Aal). In the communique, Abu Abir directly endorsed Al-Qaida's "Islamic State of Iraq" as "a symbol of dignity that every Arab Muslim is proud of." Moreover, according to Abu Abir: "...we are proud of what you are achieving in the righteous land of Iraq, which is both ours and yours... We have been fighting the same battle and it extends all the way from here—the Land of Ribat [Palestine]—to the Tigris and the Euphrates, and to all of the righteous rivers. The forces of oppression have together pounced upon us. The conspiracy [in Iraq] is the same conspiracy [in Palestine] and infidelity is infidelity, regardless of its various names and types. All of us are blessed with the honor of crushing the tyrants in this world under the hooves of the steeds of the mujahideen and the sandals of our warriors."
[7/31/06]			Sunnis Divided Over Hezbollah War in Lebanon After days of Israeli military attacks on targets in South Lebanon thought linked to the Shiite Hezbollah militia, sentiment among Sunni extremists remains divided over the proper response to events in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. While the Taliban and Al-Qaida's deputy commander Ayman al-Zawahiri have emphasized the importance of broadly confronting Israeli forces across sectarian and nationalist lines, other Sunni Muslims have reacted more cautiously--among them, the Al-Fatihin Army in Iraq, which bluntly warned in a new statement, "the war in Lebanon weakens the jihad in Iraq." Communiqué from the Taliban on the War in Lebanon Communiqué from the Al-Fatihin Army on Lebanon Video of Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri on Gaza and Lebanon Training video of Hezbollah fighters in South Lebanon
[4/11/06]			Al-Qaida Cell Claims Rocket Attack in Israel A previously unknown group calling itself "Al-Qaida's Committee in Palestine" has claimed responsibility for an alleged rocket attack on a "strategic target" in Israel. According to a statement from the group, "The operation was kept in secret until now in order to insure the safety of our mujahideen brothers. We proudly declare the initiation of our attacks and we inform the Zionist enemy to expect more innovative operations. Let the world realize that jihad in the cause of Allah will not be stopped by borders and walls. We inform our brothers that we keep our doors open to all brothers who want to declare jihad in the cause of Allah."
[10/8/05]			"Al-Qaida's Jihad in Palestine" Distributes Flyers An organization calling itself "Al-Qaida's Jihad in Palestine" has reportedly been distributing leaflets from the Salahudeen al-Ayyubi Mosque in the Gaza Strip on the occasion of Ramadan. One document--urging Muslims to "restore the era of the first Islamic empire"--described how "[t]he West appointed governments that are loyal to their interests, and attack those who stand up for Islam... The Westerners have forced us to taste shame and humiliation... We call upon all the factions to grasp our hands and join forces under one raised banner: the banner of Islam and al-Tawheed."
[8/16/05]			Palestinian Al-Qaida Swears Oath to Mullah Omar A previously unknown group calling itself the "Al-Qaida-Palestine Frontier Jihad Brigades"--responsible for at least one rocket attack on Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip--has issued a detailed political platform and has sworn a bayat (oath of allegiance) to Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. According to a statement issued by the group, "we also pledge our allegiance to the leader of the Islamic army and the global jihad Abu Abdullah Usama Bin Laden. Should he order us to join him, then we will and we will not abandon him until we reach the heart of America. Let him order us—the commanders and the soldiers—to do whatever he desires and we shall obey his orders." Aug. 9 political platform of the Frontier Jihad Brigades Aug. 15 oath of allegiance to Mullah Mohammed Omar
[8/6/05]			Al-Qaida Faction Claims Attack in Gaza Strip A previously unknown group calling itself the "Al-Qaida-Palestine Frontier Jihad Brigades" has released a video allegedly depicting an August 1 Sajil rocket attack on Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip. According to a statement read by a masked militant, "we confirm that this operation comes as a part of the global Islamic Jihad that has been initiated by our brothers from Al-Qaida’s Committee against the Jews and the crusaders... these brigades [have]... a faithful spirit pushing forward the mujahideen in Palestine to be decisive and unite behind faithful commanders who do not negotiate or surrender... It is a spirit that saves the mujahideen from falling for the tricks of some of our politicians… who seek status and prestige under the banner of kufr [disbelief], treason, and corruption." English translation of communiqué Video released by "Al-Qaida-Palestine"
[7/26/05]			"Tawheed wal-Jihad" Claims Recent Sinai Bombings In a new communiqué posted online and verified as authentic by sources close to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the "Egyptian Tawheed wal-Jihad Movement" has claimed responsibility for recent suicide bombing attacks in the Sinai resort towns of Taba and Sharm el-Sheikh. The statement justified the latest carnage in Sharm el-Sheikh as the "response to the orders of Allah and his Prophet to fight the infidels everywhere [and] to demonstrate our loyalty to the commanders of the mujahideen, Usama Bin Laden and Shaykh Ayman al-Zawahiri." Only hours after the latest bombings in Egypt, Zarqawi's Media Wing released a video showing Al-Qaida interrogators questioning former Egyptian Ambassador to Baghdad Ihab el-Sherif concerning the location of Jews in the Sinai Peninsula--to which an obviously distressed Sherif responded, "From Taba to Sharm al-Sheikh."
[12/24/04]			Hamas Releases Video of Tunnel Bombing in Gaza The Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas has released video of a December 12 tunnel bombing attack on an Israeli military outpost in the Gaza Strip. Five Israeli soldiers were killed and six wounded near Rafah when a booby-trapped tunnel blew up underneath the outpost. This attack marks the second major effort in the last six months by Hamas operatives to video-record the mining and detonation of makeshift tunnels under Israeli army outposts.
[9/11/04]			Hamas Video of RPG Attack on Israeli Tank in Gaza The Palestinian group Hamas has released new video of a Sept. 9 Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack on an Israeli tank in the Gaza Strip near the Al-Jabaliya Refugee Camp. The Israeli Army has just ended 3-day "large scale" incursion into the northern Gaza strip aimed at deterring Hamas rocket attacks. Eight Palestinians were reported killed.
[9/11/04]			Hamas Suicide Car Bomb Video Hamas releases a video showing a suicide car bomb attack on an Israeli military checkpoint in the Gaza Strip. Hamas identified the driver as 23-year old Tareq Hmeid.

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