Islamic State post threatens to target 'the American depth'
After Counter-Terrorism Bureau warns of attacks against Jews and Israelis abroad, supporter of terror group gives further signal that Islamic State may act beyond Middle East.
By REUTERSAn Islamic State fighter carries the group’s flag in Raqqa, north-central Syria.(photo credit: REUTERS)
A supporter of Islamic State militants has warned of attacks on the United States and its allies if they continue to carry out military action against the group that has seized large parts of Iraq and Syria, the SITE monitoring service said.The message on a well-known militant Islamist online forum is one of the few responses from supporters of Islamic State to Washington's announcement last week that it was prepared to extend airstrikes against the group into Syria.The posting on the Minbar Jihadi Media website condemned "intervention in the affairs of other peoples" and said it would trigger an equal response, SITE said late on Monday."It will lead to an equal reaction of the same strength in targeting the American depth and also the nations allied to it and in all aspects," the message said in a translation from Arabic, according to SITE, which tracks militant forums."I direct a sternly worded warning to each of those nations involved with America, or that are allied with it in their war against the Islamic Caliphate, that their local and international interests will be legitimate targets," the posting by a supporter referred to as "Amir al-Thul" said.The posting used religious language and said the author was speaking from a "blessed pulpit" but it was not clear what influence he had on the actions of Islamic State.The message called on the public in the United States and its allies to oppose government actions against the group.The threat to expand its terror activities beyond the Middle East, came a day after Israel's Counter-Terrorism Bureau warned ahead of the High Holy Days that the Islamic State may attempt to target Israelis and Jews in western Europe and Africa.“During this period, the potential threat has grown,” the bureau warned, referring to the months since the deadly May 4 shooting attack at the Jewish Museum in Brussels in which a French Islamist gunman killed four people, two of them Israelis.The gunman had returned from Syria, where he fought alongside radical rebel groups.
“There are concerns about additional attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets around the world, with an emphasis on Western Europe, by global jihadi elements (including Islamic State), particularly by veterans of Syria and Iraq who return to their countries,” the bureau stated. The recent fighting in Gaza had also led to a rise in anti-Israel sentiment, it said.Yaakov Lappin contributed to this report.
