 Saudi television aired on Wednesday confessions by purported former members of the Al-Qaeda network talking about their recruitment, training and fighting experience in Afghanistan and Iraq. | "We dunnit and we're sad. Can we have our guns back?" |
The statements by the three Saudi nationals were part of an interior ministry-sponsored media campaign called "Experiences in the name of Jihad" and were shown on state television and Saudi-owned news channel Al-Arabiya, which is based in Dubai. All the men sported thick long beards, a hallmark of strict and conservative Saudis. "The prince of the Uzbek mujaheedin (holy fighters) in Afghanistan came to Taef and I met with him and told him about my strong desire to go to Afghanistan or any other place to fight for God's cause," said Abdullah al-Khoja, a native of the western Saudi city of Taef. Another former Qaeda fighter spoke about his experience at a training camp called Al-Sideeq in Afghanistan. "We trained with light arms for two to three weeks and there were daily drills about the Christian and Jewish conspiracy against Muslims," said Ziad Ibrahim.| Can you picture reveille at Camp Shaheedawannabe? "Oh how I love to get up in the morning. Time to get up and kill some Jooos..." |
He said he was part of a group of about 30 led by two men named Mamduh al-Beiruti and Abdulrahman. |