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Al-Kataib Media Foundation

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Al Kataib Media Foundation
مؤسسة الكتائب الاعلامية
FormationJuly 27, 2010; 14 years ago (2010-07-27)
HeadquartersJilib, Somalia
Official language
Somali
Arabic
English
Swahili
LeaderAbdullahi Osman Mohamed[1][2][3]
SubsidiariesRadio al-Andalus
Shahada News Agency

Al-Kataib Media Foundation (Arabic: الكتائب, romanized: al-kātaib, lit. 'The Battalion') is the official media wing of the insurgent group Al-Shabaab which is based in Somalia. It produces media featuring original sermons and speeches by senior Al-Shabaab commanders and leaders as well as footage of operations and attacks carried out by Al-Shabaab. Al-Kataib's first production under the name is believed to have been in 2010.[4][5]

History

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For years, starting in 2006, al-Shabaab linked forums and websites began proliferating across the internet. Early Somali language forums and news sites sympathetic to Al-Shabaab such as Muntada al-Qimmah began to publish Al-Shabaab media releases online. The first use of the name was in early 2008, when the official website of al-Shabaab called “Kataaib” was founded and existed until 2009.[6][7][8] Prior to the founding of Al-Kataib, the official title for the media wing of Al-Shabaab was referred to as "The Media Department of Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen.” Al-Kataib was officially founded on July 27, 2010, and began producing videos under the name shortly after.[9]

Its first English language production was released in July 2010 titled "Mogadishu: The Crusaders Graveyard". It shows Al-Shabaab fighters in combat against Ugandan and Burundian AMISOM soldiers. It is narrated in English by a British foreign fighter named "Abu Umar" who is believed to be a senior media officer in Al-Kataib.[10]

Following the Battle of Dayniile, Al-Kataib would release a documentary-style film on November 12, 2011, titled "Battle of Daynille: The Burundian Bloodbath" In the film, al-Shabaab's British English-speaking narrator walks around the area and shows the dead bodies of Burundian soldiers.[11]

On June 15, 2014, al-Shabaab gunmen carried out a series of attacks in and around the town of Mpeketoni in Kenya's Lamu county, targeting police stations, hotels, and government offices and killing at least 60 people. Following the attacks, Al-Kataib released a propaganda film in three separate languages, Arabic, Swahili, and English in early March 2015.[12] The film depicts the militants lining up suspected government employees as well as Christians and shooting them. The film undermined the Kenyan government claim that local political foes were behind the attack, despite contrary witness testimonies.[13]

In 2015, Al-Kataib released a film called "Retributive Justice - The Westgate Siege" which describes the 2013 Westgate Mall Attack in Nairobi. At the end of the film, the narrator calls for attacks on major malls across Europe and North America, particularly the Mall of America.[14][15][16]

References

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  1. ^ "State Department Designates Two Senior Al-Shabaab Leaders as Terrorists". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  2. ^ "Abdullahi Osman Mohamed". Counter Extremism Project. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  3. ^ "US offers $5 million for Al-Shabaab bomb expert and media wing head". Garowe Online. 2020-06-30. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  4. ^ "Al-Shabaab: Information Operations Strategy Overview | Small Wars Journal". smallwarsjournal.com. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  5. ^ Menkhaus, Ken (2014). "Al-Shabaab and Social Media: A Double-Edged Sword". The Brown Journal of World Affairs. 20 (2): 309–327. ISSN 1080-0786. JSTOR 24590990.
  6. ^ "Internation Institute for Counter-Terrorism's Jihadi Websites Monitoring Group Periodical Review June 2010 – No. 2" (PDF). International Institute for Counter-Terrorism. 2: 19.
  7. ^ Maher, Shiraz (2011-05-07). "Jihadis React to Bin Laden's Death". Foreign Affairs. ISSN 0015-7120. Archived from the original on 2018-11-25. Retrieved 2024-06-10. As late as Thursday, the al Qimmah forum (which is linked to the al Shabaab movement in Somalia) and several others carried a video statement from a man calling himself Commander Waliu al Rahman, which claimed that bin Laden was alive.
  8. ^ Ali, Abdisaid (29 April 2008). "The Al-Shabaab Al-Mujahidiin – A Profile of the First Somali Terrorist Organisation" (PDF). Institut für Strategie- Politik- Sicherheits-und Wirtschaftsberatung, Berlin.
  9. ^ "Anzalone: From 'Martyrdom' Videos to Jihadi Journalism in Somalia". Informed Comment. 2010-08-25. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  10. ^ "Somali Jihadis Launch 'News Channel' As Officials Warn of Growing Al Qaeda Links". ABC News. May 17, 2010. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  11. ^ Hummel, Kristina (2020-03-24). "Addressing the Enemy: Al-Shabaab's PSYOPS Media Warfare". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  12. ^ Ochami, David. "Al-Shabaab releases chilling video about Mpeketoni attack". The Standard. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  13. ^ Hummel, Kristina (2020-03-24). "Addressing the Enemy: Al-Shabaab's PSYOPS Media Warfare". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  14. ^ "In Wake of Al-Shabaab Threats Against Mall of America, Klobuchar Calls for Immediate Action to Prevent Department of Homeland Security Shutdown". U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  15. ^ Swaine, Jon (2015-02-22). "Terror threats issued against British, American and Canadian shopping malls". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  16. ^ "Mall of America Heightens Security After al-Shabab Threat". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
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