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Iraq

More al-Qaeda bios released

2006-06-01

A new video recording is now available for download from the NEFA Foundation website documenting the phenomenon of foreign fighters in Iraq and their precise role within the ongoing insurgency. (http://www.nefafoundation.org, look for download link at mid-right: "The Role of Foreign Fighters in the Iraqi Jihad") Additionally, a torrent of reports has continued to flood radical Internet chatrooms concerning the identities and biographies of fallen Al-Qaida combatants in Iraq, most of them foreign nationals. Among those chronicled in these latest reports: - Abu Dujanah al-Qahtani (Saudi Arabia): A former Saudi National Guard soldier who participated in various assaults in far western Iraq organized by senior Afghan-trained Al-Qaida commanders. - Abu Hummam al-Urdani (Jordan): A black belt Tae Kwon Do instructor who "assumed responsibility for training at the desert-based Rawa military camp" in 2003. The now-defunct Rawa camp is widely hailed in mujahideen circles as Al-Qaida's first training camp for foreign fighters in Iraq. Al-Urdani later joined Al-Qaida's notorious Omar Corps, dedicated to murdering Shiite militiamen and their families. - Abu Radwan al-Urdani (Jordan): Better known as Raed al-Banna, a law student from Salt, Jordan who spent time working in the United States, including during the period of September 11, 2001 "when the men of Islam finally struck and wrought destruction in the heartland of America in broad daylight." According to the mujahideen, the weight of 9/11 "moved Abu Radwan and so he embraced blessed Allah once again." Abu Radwan, a.k.a. Raed al-Banna, later volunteered as an Al-Qaida suicide bomber in Iraq targeting Shiites in the town of Hilla. The devastating attack that he carried out "claimed the lives of 150 cursed enemies, and wounded more than 300--we ask Allah that they do not recover from their injuries." - Abu Usama al-Ansari (Iraq): A former illegal arms smuggler during the regime of Saddam Hussein who reformed himself and became a mujahid after the U.S. invasion in 2003. According to the mujahideen, Abu Usama "was inspired by the Shaykh and mujahid, Abu Anas al-Shami [a.k.a. Omar Yousef Jumah]... who spent a period of time residing at Abu Usama's house, urging people to join the fight. Abu Usama used to teach his brothers many of the lessons and sayings of Abu Anas." - Abu Asil al-Jazairi (Algeria): A former senior official in the comparatively moderate Muslim Brotherhood movement who was "eventually guided toward the righteous path" and used his "administrative and organizational experience" to help Al-Qaida instead. According to the mujahideen, Abu Asil "was assigned the responsibility of overseeing the borders [of Iraq]. In other words, he was responsible for all the Arab brothers that came to fight in the jihad... He loved to quote from Shaykh Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's statements... and did this so frequently that he practically knew all of his speeches verbatim by heart." - Abu Ibrahim al-Tunisi (Tunisia): A veteran Tunisian mujahideen commander who "spent most of his life fighting on the frontlines and practicing jihad in Afghanistan, Europe [presumably Bosnia-Herzegovina], and Iraq. He was responsible for Shaykh Usama Bin Laden's guesthouses in Afghanistan... [and later] arrived in Rawa [Iraq], the city of martyrs, where he spent some time and assumed the role of commander of [Al-Qaida's] security branch."

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Iraq

Al-Qaeda's Omar Corps formed to fight Badr Corps

2006-05-10

In April 2006, credible representatives of mujahideen fighting in Iraq released a new audiotape recorded by an individual identifying himself as “Abu Anas al-Maqdisi” (likely of Palestinian origin). According to the tape, “this production took place somewhere inside Iraq after overcoming tight security measures We were able to meet with dear brother Abu Ali al-Sharqi and brother Abu Abdullah al-Shamali who agreed to give us this rare opportunity to talk to them, because they are very busy in conducting and overseeing the different military operations executed against the enemies of Allah.” Abu Ali al-Sharqi is further identified as the commander of a fighting unit based in the Iraqi city of Al-Qaim and, furthermore, a co-founder of Al-Qaida’s notorious Omar Corps which, according to the tape, “was responsible for destroying the [Shiite] Badr Corps in Baghdad and assassinating its leaders.” Some highlights from the interview: - "The death [of Saudi Al-Qaida leader Abdallah al-Rashood] is a major loss for us. I remember that that day was when the American forces initiated a massive attack in the Karabilah area... In the morning after the attack, we were informed that Abdallah al-Rashood, Abu al-Ghadiyah al-Suri [from Syria], and Abu al-Laith were killed in the bombing. When we reached the area, we saw Abdallah al-Rashood smiling with his index finger pointing and the scent of musk in the air..." - "We get nervous when we use modern advanced weapons and we feel much more confident using old shotguns and RPG launchers... Every time we were faced with hard times in one city, we were counting successes in other places. When we had hard times in Al-Qaim, then in Baghdad or Samarra things would be working to our benefit, praise be to Allah for his blessing. Your al-Tawheed brothers are spread out everywhere, and we should not forget to mention our Ansar brothers [native Iraqi recruits] who assisted us and have led some of the major operations... Those who failed to adopt this path are the biggest losers. Before I joined the path of jihad, I used to care about driving the nicest cars and wearing the most beautiful clothing—but now, you see your fighting brothers caring less about such things. They care about having their weapons ready, praying, serving each other (both locals and foreigners), and purchasing big trucks (common among the martyr brothers). Our most precious possession is our weapon. Our intention is to obey Allah and attack the enemies of Allah. Our wish is to die in the cause of Allah when the time comes without any hesitation.”

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Iraq-Jordan

New Al-Qaeda group claims responsibility for killing Shiite

2005-07-08

A new group announced this week purportedly by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to target a Shiite militia, claimed responsibility for its first operation on Thursday, the killings of a Shiite in south Baghdad. "Your brothers in the Omar Corps, which belongs to the al-Qaeda in Iraq, on Wednesday assassinated a leading member in the corps of treason, the Badr Corps in Doura," a statement posted on an al-Qaeda-linked website said. Police confirmed that a member of the Badr Brigade, led by the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, was killed on Wednesday in the Doura district in southern Baghdad. In an audiotape found on Wednesday on the same Web site, a speaker claiming to be al-Zarqawi announced formation of the Omar Corps to "eradicate" the Badr Brigade. Al-Zarqawi's group has been targeting Shiites, who dominate Iraq's government, in a bid to trigger civil war.

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Iraq-Jordan

Zarqawi forms unit to go after the Badr Brigade

2005-07-06

The reputed leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq says the country's fledgling army is as great an enemy as the Americans. He also brushed aside calls for him to abandon the insurgency in favour of peace talks with the Iraqi government and the Americans. In an audiotape found on the internet, a man claiming to be Abu Musab al-Zarqawi also announced the formation of a new terror command to fight Iraq's biggest Shi'ite militia. His comments appeared aimed at discouraging armed Iraqi groups from entering talks with the Iraqi government. He challenged critics who maintain that fighting US troops is legitimate but who oppose attacks on Iraqi forces. US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other officials have said US representatives have participated in meetings with Sunni insurgents in an effort to help the Iraqi government draw the militants into the political process. "Some say that the resistance is divided into two groups - an honourable resistance that fights the nonbeliever-occupier and a dishonourable resistance that fights Iraqis," the speaker said. "We announce that the Iraqi army is an army of apostates and mercenaries that has allied itself with the crusaders and came to destroy Islam and fight Muslims. We will fight it." The speaker tacitly acknowledged pressure to abandon the struggle against the Americans and their Iraqi allies, saying he was "saddened and burdened" by people "advising me not to persist in fighting in Iraq". "How long will the people of knowledge stay away from the battlefield of jihad, issuing verdicts and giving advice that are far from the reality that the nation is living?" he asked. In an impassioned defence of the insurgency, the speaker said al-Qaeda was willing to fight to the end "so that the women are freed from the prisons of the Crusaders and the spiteful Shi'ites". "Some want us to end our jihad in Iraq," he said. "God has ordered us to fight the non-believers ... we think that the nation is committing a sin by failing to support the mujahideen." He said the Americans began speaking of negotiations to end the conflict after al-Qaeda had "humiliated" US forces on the battlefield. "Didn't they (the Americans) plan to turn against Syria and its people after invading Iraq under the pretext that it is giving refuge to Baathists and is not stopping the infiltration of fighters," he said. It may not have been in at the start, but V3.0 is still in Beta "God thwarted their plans through the strikes of the honest mujahideen. They're still keen on carrying out their plan and moving in that direction to enable Israel to control the area from the Euphrates to the Nile." It was impossible to determine whether the speaker was Zarqawi, although the voice sounded like ones on tapes US officials have acknowledged were made by the Jordanian-born terror mastermind. It could also not be determined when the speech was delivered, although the speaker refers to codenames for US military operations launched in recent weeks. The speaker said al-Qaeda in Iraq would soon unveil a new unit, the Omar Corps, to "eradicate" the Badr Brigade, a militia of the country's biggest Shi'ite party, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. Oh, please, be my guest. I'll make popcorn .

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