Thursday, July 05, 2007
Al Qaeda deputy leader calls on Muslims to rally behind the group
Terrorism
(SITE) - Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the second individual in command of al-Qaeda, presents a speech titled, “The Advice of One Concerned”, in a one-hour and thirty-five minute video produced by the multimedia wing of as-Sahab and issued to jihadist forums on Wednesday, July 4, 2007. Zawahiri is dressed in white, three images on a screen to his back, and English-subtitles are provided for the spoken Arabic.
Touching upon a variety of issues pertinent to the jihadi arena and Muslims, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Palestine, Zawahiri repeats his call for unification of Mujahideen and total support among Muslim populations for jihad, but his observations go into considerable depth by utilizing footage from a variety of speakers to dovetail his arguments. For example, in discussing Saudi Arabia and the malignancy of the Saudi Royal Family in regard to that country, Iraq, and the entire region, Zawahiri uses excerpts from Bob Woodward’s book, Plan of Attack, to portray the Kingdom’s culpability in the War in Iraq, its agenda, and collaboration with the West at the expense of Muslims.
Zawahiri also encourages greater support for the Islamic State of Iraq despite it lacking “necessary qualifications”, courts Kurds to join jihad, and lauds Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the deceased Emir of al-Qaeda in Iraq, formerly Tawhid Wal Jihad, for his opening of a path for greater unity in the ranks of Mujahideen by being among the first to pledge to Usama bin Laden and join al-Qaeda.
He adds that other groups have also joined the organization, though they prefered that this news not yet be announced, but the declarations will come soon. Iraq is also the launchpad from which Zawahiri launches his diatribe against Saudi Arabia, using aforementioned evidence to warn that Iraq will fall if the Saudis gain significant influence in its politics. Concerning al-Qaeda, Zawahiri points to a second half of a long-term plan, consisting of using Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia as camps for jihadi preparation and training.
Labels: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda in Iraq, as-Sahab, Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Islamic State of Iraq, Kurds, Tawhid Wal Jihad
