On November 17, 2009, Al-Qaeda's media wing Al-Sahab released an Urdu-language audio interview with Ustadh Ahmad Farooq, described as "Al-Qaeda's [official] in charge of the Da'wah and Media Department for Pakistan."
Al-Qaeda has recently invested much energy in translating its releases into Urdu, and Al-Sahab has likewise released Urdu- and Pashtu-language material from the Pakistani Taliban[1]; this, however, appears to be the first time that a native Urdu-speaker, presumably a Pakistani, has been appointed to a senior position in Al-Qaeda itself.
The 46-minute recording is labeled "Part 1" of the interview; according to an English-language transcript that was released together with the audio, the interview dates from Sha'ban 1430 / July 2009.
The point of the interview is to allow Ahmad Farooq to present Al-Qaeda in a favorable light to a Pakistani audience. In particular, the interview format affords Farooq a platform to answer objections that have been raised about Al-Qaeda and to justify its actions – for instance, he answers the charge that Al-Qaeda is to blame for the fall of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan. It is fairly late in the game to try to "introduce" Al-Qaeda to a Pakistani audience, but the appointment of Farooq as an Urdu-language spokesman is clearly an attempt to change perceptions and win over more Pakistanis.
Following are excerpts from the interview taken from the Al-Sahab transcript. The English has been lightly edited for clarity, and expressions appearing in Arabic script have been transliterated or translated, as appropriate:
"Jihad and Al-Qaeda Have...
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