As-Sahab Media (
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
: السحاب, "The Cloud") is the official media wing of
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
’s core leadership based in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It produces media featuring original sermons and speeches by senior Al-Qaeda commanders as well as footage of international operations carried out by Al-Qaeda. In addition to being released in Arabic, some published videos come with English subtitles.
As-Sahab produces "documentary-quality" videos and its first production under the name is believed to have been in 2001 with the involvement of
Adam Yahiye Gadahn
Adam Yahiye Gadahn ( ar, آدم يحيى غدن, ''Ādam Yaḥyā Ghadan''; September 1, 1978 – January 19, 2015) was an American senior operative, cultural interpreter, spokesman and media advisor for the Islamist group al-Qaeda, as wel ...
.
Regional Subchannels
As-Sahab's subchannels are divided into their respective geographical regions and prominent Al-Qaeda groups of the regions, these channels feature region specific footage and feature speeches from their own individual leaders.
Az-Zallaqa Media,
Nusrat al-Islam
Nusrat al-Islam, officially known as Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin' (, JNIM; , GSIM English language, English: ''Support Group for Islam and Muslims'') is a militant Jihadism, jihadist organisation in the Maghreb and West Africa formed b ...
in West Africa
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus DIN 31635, translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label=Berber languages, Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, ...
Media,
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb ( ar-at, تنظيم القاعدة في بلاد المغرب الإسلامي, Tanẓīm al-Qā'idah fī Bilād al-Maghrib al-Islāmī), or AQIM, is an Islamist militant organization (of al-Qaeda) that aims to ...
Al-Malahem Media (),
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ( ar-at, تنظيم القاعدة في جزيرة العرب, Tanẓīm al-Qā‘idah fī Jazīrat al-‘Arab, lit=Organization of the Base in the Arabian Peninsula or , ''Tanẓīm Qā‘idat al-Jihād fī Jaz ...
Al-Kataib Media (),
Al-Shabaab in East Africa
Production
The organization uses modern technology to produce its videos. The release of the "5 Years After Tribute
September_11_attacks">Manhattan_Raid.html" ;"title="September_11_attacks.html" ;"title="/nowiki>September 11 attacks">Manhattan Raid">September_11_attacks.html" ;"title="/nowiki>September 11 attacks">Manhattan Raid/nowiki>" video demonstrated a new standard comparing favorably with the production quality obtained by major television networks. Video and audio are (depending on the source material, some of which is dated) usually crisp, and subtitles are by and large free of grammatical and spelling errors and sometimes even explain Islam-specific concepts.
In 2005 a CBC program was released, called, ''Media Jihad - As-Sahab Foundation'', which traces the origins of As-Sahab.
Method of delivery
Previously, Al-Qaeda was known to deliver its videos and audio via a dead drop
A dead drop or dead letter box is a method of espionage tradecraft used to pass items or information between two individuals (e.g., a case officer and an agent, or two agents) using a secret location. By avoiding direct meetings, individuals ca ...
method using couriers carrying disks or drives. However, the method of delivery was changed in January 2006 after an airstrike on an Al-Qaeda meeting near Damadola Damadola is a village in the Bajaur Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in Pakistan, about from the Afghanistan border, it is located at 34° 48' 20N 71° 28' 0E at an altitude of 1082 metres (3553 feet). The village gained internatio ...
, Pakistan. As-Sahab now releases its media on the web.
Filmography
*''Knowledge Is for Acting Upon: The Manhattan Raid'' (2006); a 97 minute video describing the motivations of the September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001 were carried out by 19 hijackers of the militant Islamist terrorist organization al-Qaeda. In the 1990s, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden declared a holy war against the United States, and is ...
*''America Burns'' (2021); a 14 minute video about American decline
American decline is the idea that the United States of America is diminishing in power geopolitically, militarily, financially, economically, demographically, socially, morally, spiritually, culturally, in matters of healthcare, and/or on envi ...
[Video From Al-Qaeda's Al-Sahab Media Wing Asserts U.S. Is Headed For Civil War As A Result Of COVID-19, Collapsing Economy, January 6 Riot, Black Lives Matter Protests And Civil Unrest; Encourages Trump Supporters To Read Al-Qaeda's 'Inspire' Magazine, Suggests Biden May Be Assassinated: 'The Drumbeats Of Impending Civil War Can Clearly Be Heard'](_blank)
''MEMRI
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI; officially the "Middle East Media and Research Institute") is a nonprofit press monitoring and analysis organization co-founded by former Israeli military intelligence officer Yigal Carmon and ...
''.
See also
*Videos of Osama bin Laden
There were several video and audio recordings released by Osama bin Laden between 2001 and 2011.
Most of the tapes were released directly (by mail or messenger) to Arabic language satellite television networks, primarily al Jazeera.
Audio or ...
* Videos of Ayman al-Zawahiri
References
External links
*
As-Sahab Foundation for Islamic Media Publication
at IMDb
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
Islamic discussion on As-Sahab Media
As-Sahab videos
Knowledge Is For Acting Upon: The Manhattan Raid Part 1
Knowledge Is For Acting Upon: The Manhattan Raid Part 2
America Burns
{{Authority control
Al-Qaeda propaganda
2001 establishments in Afghanistan
2001 establishments in Pakistan
Pakistani companies established in 2001
Mass media companies of Afghanistan
Mass media companies of Pakistan
Afghan websites
Pakistani websites
Publishing companies of Pakistan
Arabic-language websites
English-language websites