Taliban Spokesman Outlines Global Basis of Jihad, Says: 'The War and Jihad by Our Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan is Directed Against All Infidels of the World, Wherever They Are'

Ehsanullah Ehsan, the spokesman of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, or the Movement of Pakistani Taliban), recently wrote an article in which he outlined the grounds for the Taliban's jihad against the Pakistani government. The article, titled "Islamic or Secular System in Pakistan?" appeared in the first issue of Khilafat (Caliphate), a quarterly magazine published by the TTP.

Khilafat, which was released on jihadi internet forums for the first time in June 2011, is a new Urdu-language publication launched by the TTP under the leadership of Umar Khalid Khorasani, the Taliban commander for Mohmand Agency, one of the seven Pakistani tribal districts known for hosting the Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.

In the article, Ehsanullah Ehsan stressed that although the Taliban's jihad is against those infidels and apostates who live in its proximity, the ambit of the mission of jihad is global. He stated: "The war and jihad by our Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan is directed against all infidels of the world wherever they are... And after Allah the Almighty thrusts defeat on infidels nearby, then we - Allah willing - will wage jihad against the infidels residing in the far corner of the world." ...