The expansion and spread of propaganda by Jihadist Tactical Groups

In recent years, with the emergence and growth of numerous platforms and apps, the propaganda and activities of Jihadist groups have also grown. They have begun to exploit the potential of the web and social networks to expand their activities, their propaganda and the dissemination of their media products. Within the “jihadist galaxy”, since 2018, and exponentially since 2021, jihadist tactical groups operating in Syria but composed exclusively of foreign fighters have become increasingly important and widespread. These are listed below:

1) Malhama Tactical (composed of Chechen and Dagestani fighters);

2) Albanian Tactical (Albanian fighters);

3) Yurtugh Tactical (Uyghur fighters);

4) Muhojir Tactical (Uzbek fighters);

5) Musafeer Tactical (Kazakh and Tajik fighters);

6) Fursan Tactical (Turkish fighters);

7) Tactical Omair (German fighters);

8) Tacmed Sham (Russian fighters);

9) 1453 FSM Tactical (Turkish fighters);

10) Warriors Project (Russians).

Fig. 1 - Frame from a video of joint training activities between Muhojir Tactical, Yurtugh Tactical, Albanian Tactical and the jihadist Chechen group Ajnad al-Kavkaz.

It is important to note that all the tactical groups mentioned are often mistakenly referred to by the media and academia as “contractors”, as it is believed that they earn money by providing in-person and online training, or sometimes by modifying or manufacturing weapons. However, this is incorrect, as they are not paid for this. They are self-financed and are also highly ideological groups whose goal is to train and support other jihadist groups to which they belong and, in general, the various jihadist groups close to them, not limiting themselves to operating in Syria to achieve their goals (as confirmed to the author by interviews he conducted with their leaders and spokespersons, such as Yurtugh Tactical, Tactical Omair, Abu Jandal al-Rusi of the Warriors Project and Ayyub Hawk of Muhojir Tactical). Within the jihadist galaxy, tactical groups are viewed as valuable tools for other fighters and militants who are learning how to wage “modern warfare” and conduct military operations with the right training and could be key in establishing other groups in other areas. They should also be monitored to identify their possible future targets outside Syria, as they are all composed of non-local fighters.

This in-depth analysis will discuss, analyse and explain the propaganda of Jihadist training groups to understand its extent and the importance of monitoring it.