Senior Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan Commander: "This Summer Will Be... a Sword That Will Crack Your Skulls Open; Your Centers Will Be Blown Up and Your Limbs Will Be Scattered"
On June 6, 2007, Islamist websites posted a 20-minute video by Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan Commander Abu Yahya Al-Libi, in which he eulogized former Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah and declared that this summer would be a season of victory for the mujahideen. The following are excerpts:
Al-Libi states that the Islamic nation is sacrificing the finest of its sons and commanders in the defense of Islam, since it is a nation for which the defense of principles, truth, and justice are of supreme importance – even more important than the preservation of life. After giving a long list of jihad commanders who have been killed "but whose legacy lives on," he says: "Today, we take leave of one of these noble commanders, Mullah Dadullah, who has joined the ranks of the martyrs... after having spent his life on the battlefronts fighting the infidels and oppressors... Even though his loss is a great calamity [for us], we take comfort in his happy end [i.e. his martyrdom]...
"Mullah Dadullah lost his leg in battle, and thus [according to Islamic law], he was exempt [from further participation in jihad]... But his faith, that filled his spirit, and the delicious taste of jihad... to which he had grown accustomed... prevented him from doing so... His leg preceded him [to Paradise], and through his actions, he said: 'I hope to walk with this limp in Paradise...'
"True, Mullah Dadullah did not graduate from a military academy... but he is a graduate of the school whose path is war for the sake of Allah. One who fights for the sake of Allah is either killed or is victorious; [in both cases], he is richly rewarded...
"Oh worshippers of the cross, and your apostate lackeys, I hereby declare that this summer will be like a sword that will crack your skulls open; your centers will be blown up and your limbs will be scattered [in every direction]. The soldiers of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan have [already] made the necessary preparations... The martyrdom-seeking graduates of Mullah Dadullah's jihad academy are racing to be the first [to take part in] the season of victory and to take revenge on the [forces] of treason and apostasy.
"Oh Islamic nation and bearers of the banner of monotheism, such were your commanders – [men] of few words and many deeds, who defended the faith and [its] sanctities, and polished the mirror of Islam with their pure blood. Follow in their footsteps and carry out [the task] to which they were committed."
The video can be viewed at: http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=905863&ak=null.
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Below are images from the video:
Son of FIS Leader 'Ali Belhaj Joins Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
On June 5, 2007, Islamist websites posted a 22-minute video dated May 2007, from the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (formerly known as the GSPC). The first part, titled "The Shadows of the Swords," shows excerpts from a video from Ayman Al-Zawahiri speaking about jihad in North Africa, and then shows footage of attacks carried out in the Boumerdes region of Algeria.
The second part of the video, titled "Message from the Youth of the Al-Ghuraba Camp to the Islamic Nation," shows videotaped statements by young men who have joined the organization. Among these is 'Abd Al-Qahhar Belhaj, son of 'Ali Belhaj, No. 2 man in the banned Islamic Salvation Front (FIS). According to the film's captions, 'Abd Al-Qahhar Belhaj has taken the nom de guerre of Mu'awiya. In his statement, he said: "When we see Allah's religion being fought, His shari'a suspended, that which is sacred to Him violated, and those close to Him imprisoned, pursued, and fought by the sons of France, the servants of the apostates, we are ordered to hasten to the battlefields of jihad for the sake of Allah… How could it be otherwise, for we say that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is Allah's messenger, and we will strive to establish Allah's shari'a on His earth. Oh youth of Islam, rise up in answer to the divine call, fight your enemies, and show them your courage and your unyieldingness…"
Several of the youths shown in the video appear to be Moroccan. One, whose name is given as Abu 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Maghrebi, says: "I say to the Muslim youth – to all of them, and to those in North Africa [or "Morocco" – al-maghrib] in particular: pack your bags and come to the mountains of Algeria, and answer to the words of Allah: Go out to war, those fleet of foot and of heavy body, and sacrifice your goods and your lives for the sake of Allah…" Elsewhere in the video, he attacks Moroccan King Muhammad VI, saying that he is a "tyrant" who "clothes himself in Islamic dress," and criticizes the prison conditions in Sale, Morocco.
The video can be viewed via the following link: http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=903814&ak=null
