Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Islamic State of Iraq leader claims manufacture of group's own rockets
Insurgency
(SITE) - Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the Emir of the Believers in the Islamic State of Iraq, speaks in the regard of the four years which have passed since the beginning of the U.S.-led War in Iraq, in an audio speech issued to jihadist forums today, Monday, April 16, 2007, by al-Furqan Foundation for Media Production, the official distributor and producer of multimedia for the Islamic State. This speech, the fourth from Baghdadi, is also his longest at 41:52 minutes, and is titled: “Years of Achievements in the Country of the Unifiers”. Akin to a statement from Islamic State on April 11 that remarked on the occasion of the four year anniversary of the “occupation”, Baghdadi discusses the benefits received by the Sunni Muslims in particular from the jihad in Iraq and portrays the group as the harbinger of victory and cause of the enemy’s defeat.
Baghdadi notes that Iraq has become a breeding ground for terrorists, agreeing with a title, “University of Terrorism”, and claims that its Mujahideen graduates are experts in the fields of electronics, explosives, and weaponry. Sunni families and tribes, he claims, have taken it upon themselves to rid their houses of kin who work for the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and women have volunteered for suicide operations. As he brags about the Islamic State’s abilities in shooting down enemy aircraft, he also announces that a particular rocket, the “Quds-1”, has entered into military production: “Quds-1 has entered the production phase, and has high specifications in terms of height, weight, range, and accuracy, such that it can compete favorably with the world's weapons systems with the same design goals.”
In addition, to military acumen, Baghdadi also claims that the Mujahideen are placed a foothold in the political realm, commanding attention and respect due to their actions in the jihad over the past four years. He states: “When the Mujahideen speak - people listen to them; when they threaten - they strike fear; and when they make peace - people obey them.”
Regarding ramifications of the War in Iraq on the United States, especially after the alleged victory of the insurgency, Baghdadi believes that it has been catastrophic on both its economy and government. The war, he states, has emptied the American budget at the expense of social security, health, and education spending, and soon the warhawks responsible, such as Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenet, and John Bolton, will sit in the “defendant’s bench”. He adds: “If our war is a war of morale, our benefit is that the so-called American juggernaut succumbs to Mujahideen strikes day and night. The American Marines and their technical abilities fell from grace in the hearts of the entire world.” Baghdadi also reiterates a constant in jihadist rhetoric that morale has deteriorated among the U.S. Army and soldiers are committing suicide in growing numbers, at the same time that the American public’s faith in their government has reached its nadir.
Near the conclusion of the speech, the call for unity amongst the insurgency is delivered to the major groups, including the Islamic Army in Iraq, which has recently come under fire from the jihadist community for its criticism of Baghdadi and Islamic State component group, al-Qaeda in Iraq. To the Islamic Army, Baghdadi emphasizes that the relationship between the groups is stronger than their differences, and urges to settle the conflict between them. He also entreats other groups, such as Ansar al-Sunnah, Mujahideen Army [Jeish al-Mujahideen] and Twentieth Revolution Brigades, to join under the banner of the Islamic State.
Baghdadi notes that Iraq has become a breeding ground for terrorists, agreeing with a title, “University of Terrorism”, and claims that its Mujahideen graduates are experts in the fields of electronics, explosives, and weaponry. Sunni families and tribes, he claims, have taken it upon themselves to rid their houses of kin who work for the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and women have volunteered for suicide operations. As he brags about the Islamic State’s abilities in shooting down enemy aircraft, he also announces that a particular rocket, the “Quds-1”, has entered into military production: “Quds-1 has entered the production phase, and has high specifications in terms of height, weight, range, and accuracy, such that it can compete favorably with the world's weapons systems with the same design goals.”
In addition, to military acumen, Baghdadi also claims that the Mujahideen are placed a foothold in the political realm, commanding attention and respect due to their actions in the jihad over the past four years. He states: “When the Mujahideen speak - people listen to them; when they threaten - they strike fear; and when they make peace - people obey them.”
Regarding ramifications of the War in Iraq on the United States, especially after the alleged victory of the insurgency, Baghdadi believes that it has been catastrophic on both its economy and government. The war, he states, has emptied the American budget at the expense of social security, health, and education spending, and soon the warhawks responsible, such as Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenet, and John Bolton, will sit in the “defendant’s bench”. He adds: “If our war is a war of morale, our benefit is that the so-called American juggernaut succumbs to Mujahideen strikes day and night. The American Marines and their technical abilities fell from grace in the hearts of the entire world.” Baghdadi also reiterates a constant in jihadist rhetoric that morale has deteriorated among the U.S. Army and soldiers are committing suicide in growing numbers, at the same time that the American public’s faith in their government has reached its nadir.
Near the conclusion of the speech, the call for unity amongst the insurgency is delivered to the major groups, including the Islamic Army in Iraq, which has recently come under fire from the jihadist community for its criticism of Baghdadi and Islamic State component group, al-Qaeda in Iraq. To the Islamic Army, Baghdadi emphasizes that the relationship between the groups is stronger than their differences, and urges to settle the conflict between them. He also entreats other groups, such as Ansar al-Sunnah, Mujahideen Army [Jeish al-Mujahideen] and Twentieth Revolution Brigades, to join under the banner of the Islamic State.
Labels: Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, al-Quds-1, Islamic State of Iraq, Jerusalem-1, rockets
