Thursday, September 20, 2007
Bin Laden threatens Iraq's Shiites in new video
(AFP) - Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden branded Iraq's Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki a "traitorous apostate" in new video that threatens the Shiite Muslim majority in the violence-ravaged country. The 81-minute documentary-style video was made public on Thursday by the US-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors Islamist websites.
In it, bin Laden talks of a succession of US-backed government in Iraq since Saddam Hussein was overthrown in 2003 and taunts them for failing to end the US-led occupation of the country. His remarks were made in a documentary style video with English subtitles called "The Power of Truth" in which bin Laden appears in still photographs and video footage.
"We've seen (Iyad) Allawi's government come and go, yet the occupier did not leave; and the (Ibrahim) Jaafari government as well, yet the occupier did not leave. "And there is the traitorous apostate Maliki government taking the same line as the Jaafari government because it is just another face of it." The Al-Qaeda leader, a radical Sunni Muslim, makes a reference to Iraq's majority Shiite Muslims, to which he is virulently opposed, and threatens them with violence.
"It is not possible for such a large number of southerners to participate with American and its allies in violating Fallujah, Ramadi, Baquba, Mosul, Samarra, Qaim and other cities and villages and then in exchange have their region enjoy safety from harm and reaction." Those cities have predominantly Sunni Arab populations.
In it, bin Laden talks of a succession of US-backed government in Iraq since Saddam Hussein was overthrown in 2003 and taunts them for failing to end the US-led occupation of the country. His remarks were made in a documentary style video with English subtitles called "The Power of Truth" in which bin Laden appears in still photographs and video footage.
"We've seen (Iyad) Allawi's government come and go, yet the occupier did not leave; and the (Ibrahim) Jaafari government as well, yet the occupier did not leave. "And there is the traitorous apostate Maliki government taking the same line as the Jaafari government because it is just another face of it." The Al-Qaeda leader, a radical Sunni Muslim, makes a reference to Iraq's majority Shiite Muslims, to which he is virulently opposed, and threatens them with violence.
"It is not possible for such a large number of southerners to participate with American and its allies in violating Fallujah, Ramadi, Baquba, Mosul, Samarra, Qaim and other cities and villages and then in exchange have their region enjoy safety from harm and reaction." Those cities have predominantly Sunni Arab populations.
Labels: Al Qaeda, Nouri Al-Maliki, Osama bin Laden, video
Monday, September 10, 2007
Bin Laden threatens Iraq escalation
Insurgency
(Al Jazeera) - Osama bin Laden has used his first videotape message in nearly three years to threaten to escalate the violence in Iraq and attack the US government. The video, which was released just days before the sixth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks, urges Americans to turn to Islam if they want the Iraq war to end.
Bin Laden derides George Bush, saying events in Iraq have spun "out of control" and the US president "is like the one who ploughs and sows the sea: he harvests nothing but failure". The tape, released on Friday, ends with bin Laden telling US citizens that they should "embrace Islam" if they want the war in Iraq to end. According to a transcript released by a US-based website which monitors radical websites, bin Laden suggests that there are two ways the Iraq war could be ended.
Extracts from bin Laden's video address"The first is from our side, and it is to continue to escalate the killing and fighting against you," he said. The second is for the US to abandon its democratic system of government. He said that US Democrats had failed to stop the Iraq war because of the power of US corporations. "The mistakes of Brezhnev are being repeated by Bush," Bin Laden said on the tape, in a reference to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan which began in 1979.
Commenting on the video from Sydney, Australia, where he is attending the Apec forum summit, Bush said the tape was "a reminder about the dangerous world in which we live, and it is a reminder that we must pull together to protect our people against these extremists who murder the innocent in order to achieve their political objective. "If al-Qaeda bothers to mention Iraq, it's because they want to achieve their objectives in Iraq, which is to drive attacks and develop a safe haven."
Bin Laden derides George Bush, saying events in Iraq have spun "out of control" and the US president "is like the one who ploughs and sows the sea: he harvests nothing but failure". The tape, released on Friday, ends with bin Laden telling US citizens that they should "embrace Islam" if they want the war in Iraq to end. According to a transcript released by a US-based website which monitors radical websites, bin Laden suggests that there are two ways the Iraq war could be ended.
Extracts from bin Laden's video address"The first is from our side, and it is to continue to escalate the killing and fighting against you," he said. The second is for the US to abandon its democratic system of government. He said that US Democrats had failed to stop the Iraq war because of the power of US corporations. "The mistakes of Brezhnev are being repeated by Bush," Bin Laden said on the tape, in a reference to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan which began in 1979.
Commenting on the video from Sydney, Australia, where he is attending the Apec forum summit, Bush said the tape was "a reminder about the dangerous world in which we live, and it is a reminder that we must pull together to protect our people against these extremists who murder the innocent in order to achieve their political objective. "If al-Qaeda bothers to mention Iraq, it's because they want to achieve their objectives in Iraq, which is to drive attacks and develop a safe haven."
In the video, bin Laden is shown with his beard much shorter and darker than in his last appearance, when it was streaked with grey. A banner on the screen reads in English: "A message from Sheikh Osama bin Laden to the American people." A US intelligence official told AFP news agency that the tape was probably produced as recently as early August because of a reference to the 62nd anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6.
"I think people are pretty confident it is his voice," the intelligence official said on condition of anonymity said. References in the video to Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, and Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, are also believed to suggest that the video is only a few weeks old.
"I think people are pretty confident it is his voice," the intelligence official said on condition of anonymity said. References in the video to Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, and Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, are also believed to suggest that the video is only a few weeks old.
Adel Darwish, political editor of Middle East magazine, told Al Jazeera that he had "doubts" about the authenticity of the tape. "Any kid these days with an electronic kit can alter images and edit the way that he or she likes," he said on Friday. "There is no close-up of bin Laden, the beard is thick and black and then there are large segments where the image is a still."
Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, said bin Laden had released the video to tell the Americans that he was still alive and still leading. "[The tape] underlines the strength of words in this new asymmetrical warfare in the 21st century between the US and al-Qaeda," he said. Bin Laden was last seen in a video statement shortly before the US presidential election in 2004. Since then, he has issued a number of audio messages, the last in July 2006 when he vowed al-Qaeda would fight the US across the world.
Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, said bin Laden had released the video to tell the Americans that he was still alive and still leading. "[The tape] underlines the strength of words in this new asymmetrical warfare in the 21st century between the US and al-Qaeda," he said. Bin Laden was last seen in a video statement shortly before the US presidential election in 2004. Since then, he has issued a number of audio messages, the last in July 2006 when he vowed al-Qaeda would fight the US across the world.
Labels: Osama bin Laden, video tape
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Captured senior Al Qaeda in Iraq leader calls Islamic State of Iraq a front
Insurgency
(CNN) - The U.S. military on Wednesday announced the arrest of a senior leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, an insurgent who, the military said, is casting himself as a "conduit" between the top leaders of al Qaeda and al Qaeda in Iraq. Khalid al-Mashadani, an Iraqi also known as Abu Shahed, was seized on July 4 in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and is in coalition custody, the military said.
"He served as the al Qaeda media emir for Baghdad and then was appointed the media emir for all of Iraq," said Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner, Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesman, who briefed reporters. He is believed to be the most senior Iraqi in al Qaeda in Iraq. During interrogations, al-Mashadani shed light on the workings of al Qaeda in Iraq and its connection with al Qaeda outside of Iraq, Bergner said.
He said al-Mashadani is a close associate of al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri and served as an "intermediary" between al-Masri, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, the second-in-command of al Qaeda. "In fact, communication between senior al Qaeda leadership and al-Masri frequently went through al-Mashadani," Bergner said.
Bergner said al-Mashadani co-founded an organization "in cyberspace" called the Islamic State of Iraq, which he referred to as a "marketing" effort to create a Taliban-like state in Iraq. U.S. counterterrorism officials also told CNN that al-Mashadani was a top lieutenant to al-Masri and regarded as a "jack of all trades," involved in recruitment and in organizing and planning attacks, with particular interest in propaganda activities.
One of those officials said the announcement of his arrest was delayed because officials wanted to "maximize their ability to get information" from him before others he was associated with knew about his detention. Al-Mashadani also shed light on the Islamic State of Iraq, the so-called umbrella group of Iraqi insurgents that includes al Qaeda in Iraq.
That group has claimed responsibility for many terrorist attacks. But Bergner said that al-Mashadani passed on the information that the creation of the group was a ruse to cast itself as home-grown, when in fact it is led by foreigners. It went so far as to create a fictional political head of Islamic State of Iraq, Omar al-Baghdadi and an actor was used to portray him.
Bergner said Islamic State of Iraq is "a front organization" for al Qaeda in Iraq and a "pseudonym" for it as well.
"It is really being controlled, directed and guided by al Qaeda in Iraq leadership." Bergner also said al-Mashadani was a leader in the Ansar al Sunna terrorist group before joining al Qaeda in Iraq two-and-a-half-years ago.
What the U.S. military has learned from al-Mashadani and other operatives they've seized is that "there is a flow of strategic direction, of prioritization of messaging and other guidance that comes from al Qaeda senior leadership to the al Qaeda in Iraq leadership," Bergner said. Bergner emphasizes that that there is a "clear connection between al Qaeda in Iraq and al Qaeda senior leadership outside Iraq."
The arrest of al-Mashadani was announced amid controversy over President Bush's contention that al Qaeda and al Qaeda in Iraq are one and the same. The evidence has been not been significant about the extent of the relationship. But a new U.S. government intelligence analysis released Tuesday said al Qaeda's terrorist activities in Iraq not only serve to bolster the group and recruit more members, but may also be the nexus for another planned attack on U.S. soil.
The declassified portion of the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) warns of "a persistent and evolving terrorist threat over the next three years" from Islamic terrorist groups, namely al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is increasing its efforts to get operatives into the United States for an attack and has nearly all the capabilities it needs to carry out such a mission, according to the report, which represents the combined analyses of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies.
"He served as the al Qaeda media emir for Baghdad and then was appointed the media emir for all of Iraq," said Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner, Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesman, who briefed reporters. He is believed to be the most senior Iraqi in al Qaeda in Iraq. During interrogations, al-Mashadani shed light on the workings of al Qaeda in Iraq and its connection with al Qaeda outside of Iraq, Bergner said.
He said al-Mashadani is a close associate of al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri and served as an "intermediary" between al-Masri, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, the second-in-command of al Qaeda. "In fact, communication between senior al Qaeda leadership and al-Masri frequently went through al-Mashadani," Bergner said.
Bergner said al-Mashadani co-founded an organization "in cyberspace" called the Islamic State of Iraq, which he referred to as a "marketing" effort to create a Taliban-like state in Iraq. U.S. counterterrorism officials also told CNN that al-Mashadani was a top lieutenant to al-Masri and regarded as a "jack of all trades," involved in recruitment and in organizing and planning attacks, with particular interest in propaganda activities.
One of those officials said the announcement of his arrest was delayed because officials wanted to "maximize their ability to get information" from him before others he was associated with knew about his detention. Al-Mashadani also shed light on the Islamic State of Iraq, the so-called umbrella group of Iraqi insurgents that includes al Qaeda in Iraq.
That group has claimed responsibility for many terrorist attacks. But Bergner said that al-Mashadani passed on the information that the creation of the group was a ruse to cast itself as home-grown, when in fact it is led by foreigners. It went so far as to create a fictional political head of Islamic State of Iraq, Omar al-Baghdadi and an actor was used to portray him.
Bergner said Islamic State of Iraq is "a front organization" for al Qaeda in Iraq and a "pseudonym" for it as well.
"It is really being controlled, directed and guided by al Qaeda in Iraq leadership." Bergner also said al-Mashadani was a leader in the Ansar al Sunna terrorist group before joining al Qaeda in Iraq two-and-a-half-years ago.
What the U.S. military has learned from al-Mashadani and other operatives they've seized is that "there is a flow of strategic direction, of prioritization of messaging and other guidance that comes from al Qaeda senior leadership to the al Qaeda in Iraq leadership," Bergner said. Bergner emphasizes that that there is a "clear connection between al Qaeda in Iraq and al Qaeda senior leadership outside Iraq."
The arrest of al-Mashadani was announced amid controversy over President Bush's contention that al Qaeda and al Qaeda in Iraq are one and the same. The evidence has been not been significant about the extent of the relationship. But a new U.S. government intelligence analysis released Tuesday said al Qaeda's terrorist activities in Iraq not only serve to bolster the group and recruit more members, but may also be the nexus for another planned attack on U.S. soil.
The declassified portion of the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) warns of "a persistent and evolving terrorist threat over the next three years" from Islamic terrorist groups, namely al Qaeda. Al Qaeda is increasing its efforts to get operatives into the United States for an attack and has nearly all the capabilities it needs to carry out such a mission, according to the report, which represents the combined analyses of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies.
Labels: Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, Abu Shahed, Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda in Iraq, al-Masri, al-Zawahiri, Ansar Al Sunna, Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner, Islamic State of Iraq, Khalid al-Mashadani, Mosul, Osama bin Laden
