MENA WATCH REPORT : Al-Qaeda Supporters, Affiliated Media Groups Intensify Content Production To Celebrate 20th Anniversary Of 9/11 Attacks Despite Telegram Purge Campaign

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Al-Qaeda-affiliated media groups and supporters shared posts on Telegram to mark the 20th anniversary of what they dubbed the “Manhattan Assault.”

Content posted over the past few weeks has linked the attacks to the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, suggesting that Afghanistan’s newly appointed government, which is expected to be sworn in on September 11, ends the era of American dominance in the fight against Islamic Jihad, represented by Al-Qaeda.

A review of content posted so far indicates that the coming days will witness the release of more content focusing on glorifying the 9/11 attacks while emphasizing that avenging the victims by going into Afghanistan was the wrong road for the U.S. to follow and vowing that jihad against the U.S. and its “Crusader” allies will not stop.

On Telegram, Warith Al-Qassam, a key Al-Qaeda supporter who often disseminates content released by Al-Qaeda’s official media groups and other affiliates, was among the earliest to share content celebrating the 20th anniversary of 911. His posts were coupled with the hashtags “Manhattan assault,” and “The 20th Anniversary.”

On his Telegram bot, Al-Qassam started a countdown post on August 6, 2021, writing: “36 days, 12 hours and eight minutes are left before celebrating the 20th anniversary of the greatest assault in the contemporary history of Muslims.”

Over the next few days he shared frequent countdown posts, which he always concluded with a quote by slain Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, which said: “They [Americans] will not enjoy safety before we [Muslims] live as a reality in Palestine.”