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Iraq
Al-Qaida group in Iraq confirms death of spokesman
2007-05-03
BAGHDAD: The Islamic State of Iraq on Thursday confirmed in an Internet statement that its official spokesman has been killed but denied the killing of its leader, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi.
Nope. Nope. Never happened."
No comment from Abdul as to whether he thought his martyrdom was a good idea.
"We bring the good news today to you of the martyrdom of" Muharib Abdul-Latif al-Jubouri, said the statement posted on an Islamic Web site commonly used by the insurgents. It described the group's spokesman as the "one who fought injustice" and said that al-Jabouri was killed in an eight hour battle in bombing by U.S. forces. Four other "brother" insurgents were killed with him, it said.
I'd classify that as good news
The statement described the battle as having taken place Monday night. "On midnight Monday, God's enemies tried an airdrop operation on the house where sheik al-Jubouri was staying," it said. "But he and those with him waged battle with the aircraft, vehicles and the crusade soldiers. The battle lasted more than eight hours."
"The sky grew dark as their planes blotted out the sun. The earth itself shook as hundreds of tanks and thousands of soldiers marched on his position. But our brave warrior sheik with only a handful of pure minded men held their ground..."
"Curses!" cursed the infidel commander, General Drinkwine, flying safely high over the battlefield in his helicopter. "Foiled again!"
Abdul's heart was heavy. He'd held off the crusaders for hours, shooting down planes, destroying tanks and dispatching crusaders with pure-hearted zeal. But now he heard the omnious roar of B-52s and from the dying breath of an old patriot crusader the fateful words, 'Arc Light!' And he knew he was doomed ...
After failing in their "airdrop" operation, the U.S. troops "resorted instead to air bombing which killed sheikh ... al-Jubouri and those who were with him," the statement said.
"Hey, what's that whistling soun...KABOOM!"
The statement added that al-Jubouri has been "fighting injustice" since mid-1980s — insurgent shorthand for Islamic Jihad or Holy War fighters. It said he led an Islamic militant group called "al-Ghurabaa Company," which is Arabic for the Strangers Company, and met later with the leaders of the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq.

The Shura Council subsequently announced their allegiance to the umbrella group and al-Qaida affiliate Islamic State of Iraq, which chose al-Jubouri to be its official spokesman. The statement sought to assure followers that the group's leader al-Baghdadi was alive and well. It gave no proof of this, nor offered insight into his whereabouts. "Let the nation be assured that our caretaker and guardian Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, God protect him, is safe amid the people of the Islamic State of Iraq and that what media reported about him being killed has no basis of truth," it said.
"Who you gonna believe, us or those lying infidels?"
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Iraq
The Islamic State of Iraq Announces the Joining of Two Muhahideen Groups to its Ranks
2006-12-02
Two Mujahideen groups in Iraq, the Tawhid Knights Brigade [Saraya Fursan al-Tawhid] and Creed of Abraham Brigade [Saraya Millat al-Ibrahim], were announced on Wednesday, November 29, 2006, to having joined the ranks of the Islamic State of Iraq. According to the statement, they pledged loyalty to the Emir of the Believers, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi. The group states: "These brigades had hurt Allah's enemies and executed heroic battles that hurt the Crusaders and their helpers. They offered unto Allah some of the best men, may Allah accept them".

The Islamic State of Iraq and its Ministry of Information was established to protect the Sunni Iraqi people and defend Islam, by the Pact of the Scented People. It is composed of a variety of insurgency groups, including the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq, Conquering Army [Jeish al-Fatiheen], Army Squad of the Prophet Muhammad [Jund al-Sahaba], Brigades of al-Tawhid Wal Sunnah, and Sunni tribes. It has a presence in the governorates of Baghdad, Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, Ninawa, and parts of Babel and Wasit, and is head by the Emir of the Believers, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the Wasington-based SITE Institute reported.
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Iraq
Al-Qaeda ups anti-Iranian rhetoric
2006-11-24
Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah has been branded a "worshipper of idols, an agent of the anti-Christ," and "charlatan" by Iraqi al-Qaeda leader Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Muhajir in a statement made earlier this month, the full text of which has now become available. The message, which also contained threats to blow up the White House, forms another escalation in al-Qaeda's increasingly hostile anti-Iranian rhetoric, that has also targeted Hizbullah .

Discussing the actions of US President Bush, Muhajir said in the statement, released by al-Qaeda's al-Furqan Foundation, translated into English by the Al-Boraq Workshop, and reproduced on the Jihad Unspun website :
"He (Bush) turned to the Sham (Syria and Lebanon ) and terrorized its tyrant (Basher Assad), who is a Rafidi (Shiite) and a Nusayri (one of Shiite's factions). The blockade continued until he (Assad) had to open his country to hundreds and thousands of Persians to acquire citizenship in it, (so the they can) support the charlatan agent of the anti-Christ, Nasr Allat (a common nickname for Hizbullah's Nasrallah, and meaning a supporter and worshipper of Idols) who is called Nasrallah..."
"Hence, the Old Persian Empire has become complete, extending from the countries behind the river, Iran and Iraq… to the Sham (Syria and Lebanon)," Muhajir said.

The al-Qaeda leader said the United States had become an agent for Iran. "I wonder whether the wise of Romans (Americans) realize that they have become slaves and mercenaries for Persia, and that they are fighting Persia's battles for free," he said.

On November 17, Sunni al-Qaeda followers in Lebanon released a statement on the internet calling on Lebanese Sunnis to prepare for an imminent confrontation. According to the SITE Institute , a website which monitors Islamist web activity, the statement also said:"Let the Rafidi (Shiites) know that we are ready to fight them with Allah's help and let it be a war. We are more eager for it than they."

Meanwhile, al-Qaeda in Iraq has declared the establishment of a Caliphate (Islamic State), in anticipation of the withdrawal of US troops from the region. "In a long waited step, for which sacrifices were granted and martyrs bloods were shed to achieve its path; the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq has announced the establishment of the 'Islamic State of Iraq,' the state of Islam that will rule the law of Allah on people and lands, that will protect the core (center) of Islam and acts as a solid shield for the Sunni people on the land of Iraq," al-Qaeda said in a statement, published on the newly created Caliphate Voice Channel website .

The al-Qaeda site also accused Shiites of working with the United States to kill former Iraqi al-Qaeda leader Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi. "O monotheist Muslims… O Mujahideen across the world; today we announce the end of a stage of Jihad and the start of a new one, in which we lay the first cornerstone of the Islamic Caliphate project and revive the glory of religion," Muhajir declared.
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Iraq
Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq Declares the Establishment of the Islamic State in Iraq
2006-10-17
An 8:32 minute video was issued by the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq today, Sunday, October 15, 2006, declaring the establishment of an Islamic state in Iraq. Depicted is the official spokesman Mr. Methane of the Islamic State of Iraq and from its “Ministry of Information,” dressed in green white, seated in front of a flag bearing the banner, “No God but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger”. A white circle obstructs viewing his face. A message introducing the video explains that the “state of the truth,” the state of Islam, has been created to protect the Sunni people, and will judge according to the Islamic Shari’a (law), using such as an aegis for the people, and to defend the religion. It also calls upon Muslims to provide financial support, men, and prayers.

In the video, the spokesman indicates that the state was established by the fart smellers Pact of the Scented People, due to the conditions the Sunni Muslims in Iraq were experiencing, such as crime and aggression. He states: “Your brothers announce the establishment of the Islamic State in Baghdad, Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, Ninawa, and in parts of the governorates of Babel and Wasit, in order to protect our religion and our people”. Further, the Mujahid delivers a special call to the tribal heads in Iraq, and to all Sunni Muslims in that country, to pledge loyalty to the “Emir of the Believers,” Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, by their adherence and obedience.

The Pact finds legitimacy in its action to establish the state by observing the Kurds creating their own country in the north of Iraq, and the Shi’ite taking the part of the center and south; and claiming that the Mujahideen in iraq are “invulnerable and tougher than the government of Palestine,” the State of Iraq was formed. To the enemy Western forces and “malicious” Shi’ites, the State of Iraq promises to face them with unlimited response and will not relinquish Baghdad unless it is over their ruins and skulls. A special appeal is also sent to the Islamic scholars, urging for support and to inspire the Muslim people to defend them.

The statement is issued in the name of the Pact of the Scented People [Khalf al-Mutayibeen], which was established by the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq on Thursday, October 12, 2006, and includes representatives from the Council, the Conquering Army [Jeish al-Fatiheen], Army Squad of the Prophet Muhamma d[Jund al-Sahaba], Brigades of al-Tawhid Wal Sunnah, and Sunni tribes. The individual speaking in the State of Iraq establishment video is dressed in the same manner as those members of the Pact.

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Iraq
Mujahideen Shura sez Iraqi police and army are legitimate targets
2006-04-22
A statement titled: “The Sword and Slaughter to He Who Joins the Police and the Army,” was issued today, April 20, 2006, by the Shari’a Commission of the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq. As this title states, the group threatens all Muslims who join the ranks of the Iraqi security forces to serve the “devils,” considering them as “converters” who support the government. The Council reiterates its position concerning the soon-to-be-formed Iraqi government, claiming that its officials have deified themselves.

The statement also reads that the Iraqi people are divided into three groups: the mujahideen, a group that “worships the devils” and deploy in their support, and a third group who “holds the stick from the middle and is waiting to see who is going to win and they will follow them”.

The Mujahideen Shura Council is composed of eight insurgency groups in Iraq: al-Qaeda in Iraq, Victorious Army Group, the Army of al-Sunnah Wal Jama’a, Jama’a al-Murabiteen, Ansar al-Tawhid Brigades, Islamic Jihad Brigades, the Strangers Brigades, and the Horrors Brigades, collaborating to meet the “unbelievers gathering with different sides” and defend Islam.
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Terror Networks
Al-Qaeda abandoning Iraq to target the West?
2006-03-15
ABU MUSAB AL-ZARQAWI has suddenly disappeared. As briskly as he has emerged, the Jordanian high school dropout who became the undisputed leader of the Iraqi insurgency has descended into obscurity. Where is the man who singlehandedly created from scratch a formidable guerrilla army in occupied Iraq and whom Osama bin Laden called the Emir of Al Qaeda in Iraq?

A year after it assumed the name Al Qaeda in the Land of the Two Rivers (Iraq), Zarqawi's group took a back seat. In an Internet message posted Jan. 15, Abu Maysara al-Iraqi, the group's spokesman, announced the establishment of the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq, an alliance of six Salafi jihadi groups created to lead the ''fight to face the infidels and their followers of the converters," unify the mujahideen as per Sharia [Islamic law], and ''clear the mist off people's eyes."

A few days after the council was established, Al Qaeda in Iraq ceased to post communiques. Abu Maysarah temporarily signed the new council's communiques, but then he, too, stopped. The baffled jihadi community initially believed that Zarqawi headed the new council. But on Jan. 20, the council posted a communique crowning its emir: Abdullah Rashid al-Baghdadi.

Why, then, did Zarqawi's group surrender its position and succumb to the integration? The answers may be found in a letter from Ayman al-Zawahri, Al Qaeda's second in command, to Zarqawi, from July 2005.

After congratulating Zarqawi for his jihad in Iraq, Zawahri described Al Qaeda's plans: ''The jihad in Iraq requires several incremental goals. The first stage: Expel the Americans from Iraq. The second stage: Establish an Islamic authority or emirate . . . a caliphate -- over as much territory as you can to spread its power in Iraq, i.e., in Sunni areas. The third: Extend the jihad wave. . ."

The first stage is a result of the US invasion of Iraq. The second stage, it appears, is beginning. The establishment of the council may well be its opening bell. Zawahri also describes how and by whom the plan will unfold: ''Americans will exit soon, Allah willing, and the establishment of a governing authority . . . does not depend on force alone. Indeed, it's imperative that, in addition to force, there be an appeasement of Muslims and a sharing with them in governance and in the Shura [consulting] council and in promulgating what is allowed and what is not allowed . . . This must be achieved through the people of the Shura and who possess authority to determine issues and make them binding, and who are endowed with the qualifications for working in Sharia."

Therefore, to advance the plan, Iraqis must be in leadership positions; so must be their emir.

''And it does not appear that the mujahideen, much less Al Qaeda in the Land of the Two Rivers, will lay claim to governance without the Iraqi people. Not to mention that that would be in contravention of the Shura methodology . . ."

Thus Zawahri explained why Zarqawi must give up his position. He then addressed the timing of the changes: ''Things may develop faster than we imagine . . . we must be ready to start now, before events overtake us, and before we are surprised by the conspiracies of the Americans and the United Nations and their plans to fill the void behind them. We must take the initiative. . . . This is the most vital part. This authority, or the Sharia emirate that is necessary, requires fieldwork starting now, alongside combat and war."

Following these instructions, Zarqawi abdicated his position. He had not intended to remain in Iraq forever anyway; he used Iraq only as a springboard for his long-term goal -- establishment of a global caliphate.

Zarqawi said in a January 2005 audio message: ''The caliphate is the entrustment [of Allah] on Earth, the guidance of people to the path of Allah, and the implementation of His world in life. . . . This group has no other choice but to be patient and endure [the hardship of] the path it has followed, and consider with Allah, the leaders and members it has lost, and must follow their path; for Allah has chosen this Ummah [Muslim nation], therefore it must not be impatient, as victory is inevitable."

Toward that goal, attacks by Zarqawi's group have expanded beyond Iraq's borders. His group participated in the rocket attack on US Navy ships at the Jordanian port of Aqaba on Aug. 19, 2005, the rocket attack on the Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona on Dec. 27, 2005, and the suicide attack on Western hotels in Amman on Nov. 9, 2005. Thus, Zarqawi and his Al Qaeda in Iraq are not gone; they have simply moved to the next stage of their jihad against the West.
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