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Thirtieth Issue of Sawt al-Jihad Magazine - Pages 22-33

Corrected version: major correction to subject, summary, introduction to reflect contents of pages 22-33; no changes to actual translation.

Originally published on 2/8/2007 by Jihadist Websites -- OSC Summary in Arabic

Terrorism : Thirtieth Issue of Sawt al-Jihad Magazine - Pages 22-33

On 8 February, a jihadist website posted a message issued by the Al-Qa'ida Organization in the Arabian Peninsula in which the group announced the release of the 30th issue of its online magazine Sawt al-Jihad and provided links to the publication in both PDF and Word formats. Pages 22-33 contained articles on Iranian-US relations, a warning to Saudi cleric Salman al-Awda, and a discussion of Al-Qa'ida's strategy to use oil as a weapon against industrialized Western countries, like the United States. OSC previously published the table of contents from the 30th issue of the magazine as GMP20070208281001 . OSC plans to translate the entire magazine by mid-March.

This report contains a translation of the following four articles:
"Declaring War on Iran," by Abu-Ali al-Shimali "First a Whisper, but Now a Shout in Salman al-Awdah's Ear," by Abu-Hamzah al-Najdi "The Anticipated Revolution," by Abu-Amir al-Najdi

"Bin Ladin and Oil Weapon," by Adib al-Bassam A translation of pages 22-33 follows:

"Declaring War on Iran," by Abu-Ali al-Shimali

"An observer of current events can see that the Americans are preparing to destroy Iran's regional role and what has been described as the Iranian nuclear file. The temporary marriage between the United States and Iran is apparently ending despite the repeated acts of treason that the Persian state of the Magi carried out in the past few years. Indeed Rafsanjani, one of its leaders, stated that without the Iranian role, Kabul and Baghdad would not have fallen. In this way the Iranians were following the example of their filthy, treasonous Rawafid [rejectionists] ancestors including Ibn-al-Alqami [a Shia minister who was accused of betraying the caliph during Hulugu's attack on Baghdad in 1258] and Nasir al-Tusi.

"Now the tables are being turned against them, for indeed the reward should be like the deed. The period of cooperation and sharing of resources and influence between the two sides has ended. The United States has decided that the time has come for it to monopolize resources and influence both in the Gulf and in Iraq.

"Meanwhile both sides have suffered more strikes than they had expected at the hands of God's mujahidin in the Islamic state of Iraq, may God give it victory, and the other resistance factions. The United States has sunk into the quagmire and now wants to pull Iran down with it to illustrate the adage 'on my head and my enemies' heads.'

"The facts on the ground forebode an imminent danger and a destructive earthquake that will strike the Gulf region in particular and the so-called Middle East region in general. They include the current increase of US forces, the arrival of several aircraft carriers in the Gulf waterway, the recent collision between a nuclear submarine and a Japanese ship in the Arabian Sea, the measures announced by the obeyed fool Bush in pursuing and eliminating Iranian operatives in Iraq, and the recent Iranian arms deals that included the purchase of Chinese fighter aircraft that can rival the F-16s and highly accurate Russian missiles.

"All these facts prove the belief of several analysts that the United States will soon launch a new war. Most probably matters will get out of hand and the Americans will not be able to control them. This will complicate things, but we expect, God willing, that following a period of great hardship and tribulation, a great breakthrough will occur and victory will come to the Muslim nation.

"Every Muslim must be alert to what will occur in the near future and be wary of the role that the Gulf's Rawafid [Shiites] will play in the coming stage. I expect that it will be similar to the role that Iraq's Rawafid played after the US occupation began. Any tension in the Gulf region is bound to entrench the presence of US military forces in the Arabian Peninsula's eastern part following a green light from the peninsula's treasonous tyrants who have brought calamities on the Muslims' heads and who continue to do so. In this way the Gulf countries will find themselves a party to this war, which will scorch everything.

"We pray to God to make the conspirators' schemes rebound on them, destroy the iniquitous by the hand of the iniquitous, and allow the Muslims to emerge from the entire conflict safe and victorious. God is capable of this.

"First a Whisper, but Now a Shout in Salman al-Awdah's Ear," by Abu-Hamzah al-Najdi

"May God be praised. He has guided us to Islam and blessed us with the Koran and the straight path that it has shown to us. May God be praised, who sends sedition as a test to separate the good from the bad and the truthful man from the liar. May God be praised, who has planted our feet firmly on His straight path and caused the false people to go astray. Now to our subject:

"Do you not remember, O Salman al-Awdah the words that our martyred Shaykh Yusuf al-A'iri whispered in your ear: 'This is not how we do justice, your eminence?'

"Today we shout in your ear because you have transgressed the boundaries set by God and slandered the very origins of your religion by your unjust and bold edict [fatwa]:

"The Muslims have heard this fatwa that calls for supporting the so-called Hizballah. The fatwa is bereft of any Sharia proof or religious justification. If it is supposedly based on the Islamic religion, then this is calumny and unfair slander against Islam. If it is based on the Christian or Jewish faiths, it is also a falsehood because the Jews and Christians advocate combat against everything that is called Muslim. How could you take their side?

"Unfortunately some people have said: This is his fatwa. Of course we disagree with him.

"As easy as that? It is as if the disagreement is about an obscure point of jurisprudence. They do not understand that this fatwa is slander against religion. These people remind one of the grandee's remark to his wife in the Koran: Repent of your sin because you have erred. [Allusion to grandee's wife attempted seduction of Yusuf in the Koran]

"Is not the grandee's confining himself to further proof similar to these persons who have confined themselves to saying: We disagree with Al-Awdah's view?

"Do they not realize that this fatwa is more iniquitous than the grandee's and his wife's transgressions? The greatest calamity was his remark: We should put our disagreements with Al-Rawafid aside at this time.

"In other words, we must set aside our Sharia for a while. Is not the chief aspect of religion that which appears in times of war? Is not the chief role of religion to differentiate between the good and the bad, set the faithful apart from the hypocrites, and illustrate the meaning of allegiance and disavowal? Should everyone who is an enemy of the Jews and Christians automatically become the ruler of the Muslims?

"If this is so, then it becomes clear that we should befriend the Venezuelan president and back him in his hostility to the United States. If this is so, then it is permissible to call down blessings on Hitler because he considered the Jews enemies and burned them. Does everyone who shows enmity to the infidels become our master and a Muslim in our eyes?

"Is there a difference between Al-Rawafid, the Jews, and the Christians? Are not Al-Rawafid more infidel and more hostile to the Muslims than the Jews and Christians? Are not Al-Rawafid idolaters who are beyond the pale of Islam? How could we support Al-Rawafid when they prostrate themselves before idols and ask for succor from those who lie in their graves? How could we befriend them when they curse [the first two Muslim caliphs] Abu-Bakr and Umar and the prophet's companions? How could we befriend them when they slander the wives of the prophet, may God's prayers and peace be upon him? How could we support them when they have consistently been more instrumental than any other group in shedding the Muslim people's blood and declaring this action to be permitted? We have seen what they have done to the Muslims in Iraq and Iran.

"God Almighty said: 'How can there be such a league, seeing that if they get an advantage over you, they respect not in you the ties either of kinship or of covenant? With fair words from their mouths they entice you, but their hearts are averse from you; and most of them are rebellious and wicked' [Koranic verse].

"Ibn-Taymiyah said: 'As for associating another deity with God, this means that one attributes to God an equal partner in worshiping, loving, and fearing Him, in making supplications to Him, and in asking for His aid. This is the idolatry for which God does not forgive a person until he renounces it and repents.'

"God said: 'Tell those who have disbelieved to abandon their disbelief and God will forgive them their past transgression' [Koranic verse].

"This is the reason for which the messenger of God, may God's prayers and peace be upon him, fought the idolaters of Arabia. It is because they associated other deities with God.

"Yet there are men who take for worship others besides God as equal to Him. They love them as they should love God. But those of Faith are overflowing in their love for God' [Koranic verse].

"They claimed: 'We only serve them in order that they may bring us nearer to God.'

"They also said: 'Has he made the gods all into one God? Truly this is a wonderful thing.'

"God Almighty said: 'Throw, throw into Hell every stubborn unbeliever' [Koranic verse].

"And: 'Who sets up another god beside God, throw him into a pit of extreme torment' [Koranic verse].

"And after all this, can we come and say that they are Muslims and we should support them?

"Did not God, the Exalted and Mighty, say: 'And this is an announcement from God and His Messenger to the people assembled on the day of the great pilgrimage that God and His Messenger dissolve treaty obligations with the Pagans. If then, ye repent, it were best for you; but if ye turn away, know ye that ye cannot frustrate God. And proclaim a grievous penalty to those who reject Faith' [Koranic verse].

"Should we turn away from this proof today? Are not Al-Rawafid idolaters? What happened to the belief in one God? Should we abandon this belief? What happened to our rejection of the idol?

"Did not God Almighty state: 'Whoever rejects the idol and believes in God hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that does not break' [Koranic verse].

"Or should we leave this proof alone now? Perhaps you might say: Let us for the sake of argument say that they are idolaters. At least let us support them against the Jews who have been occupying Muslim lands for decades.

"Our answer is: Have you not heard the authentic Hadith transmitted by Ishaq Bin-Rahawiyah, citing Al-Fadl Bin-Musa, citing Amru Bin-Alqamah, citing Sa'id Bin-al-Mundhir, citing Abu-Hamid al-Sa'idi, about the prophet, may God's prayers and peace be with him? Ishaq narrated: 'The prophet looked behind him at a crucial moment of the Battle of Uhud and found a fine-looking battalion of men coming to join his forces. He asked: Who are these men? The answer was: They are Abdallah Bin-Abu-Ibn-Sallul and his Jewish slaves and they are called the Band of Abdallah Bin-Salam. The prophet then asked: Have they converted to Islam? They said: No, they still adhere to their own religion. The prophet said: Let them go back. I do not use the assistance of idolaters against idolaters.'

"Are we now attributing a higher place to logic than scriptural proof? Your position is that we should examine incidents and events through the lens of mind and logic? What can we do for you if your mind works this way? Are we obligated to accept your reckless fatwa so that you will not slander us because we disagree with you? Will you not repent to God and abandon the procession of disbelief and hypocrisy? Will you not abandon these seditious temptations and stop tempting the people to turn away from their religion?

"The Almighty said: 'Those draw the believers, men and women, into temptation and do not turn in repentance will have the penalty of Hell and dwell in the everlasting fire." [Koranic verse]

"Is it not unfair and a lie to the people of religious scholarship to count you among their number? Is it not a lie and a calumny against the truth to address you as shaykh?

"Oh Muslims, protect yourselves and your kinfolk from the fire and hold fast to the commandments given to you by the best of humans, Muhammad Bin-Abdallah, may God's prayers and peace be upon him. Hold fast to God's holy book and the Prophet's Sunnah for they have in them the way to salvation and success. Without them there is only loss and perdition.

"The prophet, may God's prayers and peace be upon him, said: 'I have left with you a manifest truth that is bright by day and night. Anyone who strays from it after my time will suffer perdition.'

"He also said: 'I have left with you that which if you cling fast to it, you will never go astray. It is God's book and my Sunnah.'

"Hold fast to God's words, may He be praised, and the Sunnah of His prophet for they have in them guidance and the path to happiness.

"I conclude with the declaration that God knows best, more so than any human. May God's prayers and peace be with our prophet, Muhammad. May God, the Lord of all creation, be praised.

"The Awaited Revolution," poem by Abu-Amir al-Najdi

"Revolution is at hand. Brothers arise.

"Throw off your long stupor.

"You will not regain your rights but with a revolution

"that will lift the black darkness,

"A revolution by which we will please the Lord of Heaven

"And Restore dignity after a long humiliation.

"A revolution that will excise from our homelands every tyrant who deceived the nation.

"Break the idols that nested and multiplied in your hearts,

"Smash them and fill your hearts with the guidance of God's

"Book or the prophet's Sunnah.

"They give victory to him who seeks the heights

"and are the food of the spirit for the revolutionaries.

"By this I mean a revolution of the sword, not a revolution of a quill dipped in ink.

"I seek not eloquent speeches; Internet postings will never do the job.

"Our right will not be regained with the pen but with rivers running red with blood.

"This is what I want our revolution to be; I will not accept any other course but this.

"History teaches us that he who attacks with the sword is repulsed only by the sword.

"Who he stubbornly refuses to rule justly will see this religion's enemies attack.

"It is only through the dignity of religion that the state will succeed.

"This era's tyrants have surpassed the tyrants of old by their evildoing, injustice, and apostasy.

"They rose to a pinnacle of badness. Is there anything after the pinnacle except a great fall?

"Arise, you have shown enough submission and humiliation.

"If we are true to God, victory will be ours, and this is a sure promise.

"Let your first principle be to smash the snake's head when the time of earnest action comes.

"Cut off the head of this mindless faction that took away from us our best brothers.

"A dishonorable debauchee has brought on his head all forms of curses.

"Do not think his troops will protect him. Fear them not for they are slaves.

"Begin with him and confront him with his evil deeds to give him what he deserves.

"Remove the crown that is not rightfully his and smite the back of his neck with your shoes.

"Let one of those he oppressed stand in judgment over him, for only such a one will judge rightly.

"Rule with justice but enforce the punishment of death when necessary.

"We can only mete out the death penalty to them but the real torment will be in the afterlife for those who oppressed the people.

"After you pass judgment on the scoundrel, do not stop but seek out the rest of his faction.

"Hasten to capture them for their habit is to flee in times of hardship.

"Sit in judgment over them as you did the scoundrel, but do not be unjust.

"Revolutions begin like this, by cutting off the heads of sedition.

"But when the edifices of disbelief have been demolished, the true followers of the creed, the creed of monotheism, will return.

"Welcome to this creed. My nation drinks after its long thirst.

"Drink from the fount of the pure creed that is no longer polluted by the fatwas of old.

"Come in haste, O revolution of dignity, for we have waited long.

"I have prepared myself to meet it. Brothers, you too make preparations.

"Bin Ladin and the Oil Weapon," by Adib al-Bassam

"The process began with the French oil tanker, passed through the Al-Khubar incidents and the Iraqi oil operations, and finally the Buqayq refinery. There will be much more, God willing.

"It is neither strange nor new to carry out attacks on oil targets in the region. Shaykh USA's call to carry out such attacks is old. However, the magnitude of the target and the overwhelming shock made many people lose their memory. So they claimed that Bin Ladin had just begun to target oil installations and that this was a new transformation in Al-Qa'ida's policy. May God be praised. They are deaf, mute, and blind and without the ability to think.

"Our rule: If you are working, then you are the victor. Your very survival is a defeat for your enemy. This is the motto of gang warfare. The Buqayq oil refinery operation and the level it attained in prior gathering of information, preparation, and execution made it a success by any standard, except perhaps by the standards of the Salluli [Saudi] Government, which takes a great religious scholar like Sulayman al-Ulwan and turns him into a chained criminal but classifies Turki al-Hamad as an intellectual and appoints him to the highest posts when he declares: 'God and Satan are two sides of the same coin.'

"I declare that the Buqayq operation was successful for several reasons:

"1. It chose a suitably large target. The Buqayq refinery is the world's largest oil refining complex. Most exported oil passes through it. When operating at full capacity it can handle 9 million barrels per day. The capacity of the pipelines carrying oil from Buqayq to the Yanbu port was enlarged in response to US needs after the Iraqi oil exports stopped in 1991.

"2. Very accurate information was gathered before the attack was carried out. The operation was executed with precision. Successful execution depends on accurate information.

"3. The operation represented a daring penetration of a location defended by tight security.

"Muhammad al-Miri, a security man who was wounded during the attack, said: 'We failed to resist and repulse the attackers who stormed the location.' He mentioned that the operation occurred just as he was about to finish his shift. Sergeant Rashid Bin-Hamad al-Miri, his wounded colleague, asserted that the 'attackers carried out their operation at a time when the sentries were not paying full attention.' This was the result of a precisely planned operation. The attack was sudden.

"Muhammad al-Miri added: 'We tried to use our weapons but we failed because the weapons store was locked.'

"These statements by eyewitness security members prove the lie that the Interior Ministry claimed that the security men were totally prepared and had foiled the attack.

"The attack penetrated deep into the refinery, contrary to the Interior Ministry's claim. The mujahidin suffered no casualties but successfully withdrew. The martyrdom of two of the attackers was a basic part of the plan.

"Do we not have the right after all this to declare that the operation was successful from all angles, that is, with regard to information gathering, preparation, and execution? The apostate Interior Ministry's reaction was natural and expected. It did not abandon its usual custom of issuing misleading, ambiguous statements. The magnitude of its lies and contradictory statements is obvious even to a blind person, let alone to perceptive people. It downplayed the operation and described it as a failure. Why did it delay sending photographers to take pictures of the site of the attack to show the people the operation's failure that it alleged? A picture is worth a thousand words, after all.

"We declare that it is natural for the apostate [Interior] Ministry's statement to contradict the facts because it is impossible for an official to make up this type of statement: 'At 1500 on Friday two vehicles succeeded in penetrating the security cordons and stormed Buqayq's petroleum industrial facilities. When some security personnel suspected the vehicles, there was an exchange of gunfire between the two sides. The security forces were surprised by the appearance of a third support vehicle that they had not expected, which contributed to the success of the operation. The security forces could not stop this vehicle or identify its occupants because there were not enough security men. They did not have enough weapons, and the key to the weapons store was lost. None of the attackers were killed. They succeeded in detonating the first two vehicles according to plan. Two security men were killed and two wounded. The operation caused great damage. Fighters were busy putting out the fires in the pipelines. Production was negatively affected. The following are images of the damage. They are coming to you continuously from the site of the incident.'

"Then while this statement by the apostate [Interior] Ministry is read out, real pictures of the bombing site would be shown. All television channels would be allowed to take photographs instead of letting the Al-Mustaqillah News Channel monopolize the filming, although it is not independent in any sense.

"The Interior Ministry could not have made a statement of this sort because it is known for lying and misleading. Indeed it would be expected to conduct a major media campaign to downplay the operation and magnify the security forces' strength and ability to foil such operations.

"The Interior Ministry also lied about its raid on the Al-Yarmuk guest house and magnified its accomplishments. It is true that some of those who had participated in the Buqayq operation were inside the guest house. It is true that the mujahidin were affected by this raid and lost some of their best men. The raid, however, does not in its entirety deserve the halo with which the Interior Ministry surrounded it through its media. This is so because the mujahidin had succeeded in carrying out their operation successfully and there is no shame that they died afterward. Martyrdom, after all, is their path. Every mujahid knows that this will be his end. Indeed most mujahidin vie with each other to die exactly as the Interior Ministry's men try hard to stay alive. Every mujahid considers being killed at his enemies' hand a dignified victory.

"Hence any reasonable observer who compares the Buqayq operation with the guest house raid will realize that the Buqayq operation was a successful, powerful, and cruel blow while the guest house operation was ordinary and not as decisive as the apostate [Interior] Ministry claimed. How many times have we heard statements from the apostate [Interior] Ministry that it had destroyed the organization's leaders and settled the matter decisively? The truth is that the hole is widening and the Interior Ministry will not be able to patch it up no matter how many resources it mobilizes, how many security men it recruits, and how much help it gets from foreign powers. Each time it claims that the issue is over or is about to be settled decisively. The hole is much bigger than those whose names are put on a wanted list. Considering that those who have carried out operations, been killed in clashes with the police, or been captured number in the thousands, why do the wanted lists only have dozens of names?

"Just as we believe that a war is going on in the streets and city squares, we also maintain that a media war is going on. The weapon here is the spoken word and the battlefield is the people's minds. For this reason I counsel myself and my brothers not to pay attention to what the other side says or believe its allegations.

"Brothers, go forth with God's blessing. Continue the march and carry on attacking oil targets. Do not become weary. Concentrate on the oil exports and do everything that serves our purpose. Do not be deceived by the tyrant's pronouncements through the words of his eminence the mufti of Al Sallul's state. If you cannot reclaim stolen wealth, then there is no harm in destroying it. This oil is devoted to serve a war against Islam and the Muslim people. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan depends largely on oil. The party that stands to lose most from attacks on the oil industry is the United States, the bearer of the Crusader banner, and the industrial countries in general.

"Faysal Bin-Abd-al-Aziz halted the oil exports once. Does not the motive that allowed him to do so also allow the mujahidin to attack the oil industry so that the oil exports will stop or at least be reduced and the oil price raised, which would at any rate benefit the country and the people?

"Another proof of the rule 'averting harm comes before bringing benefit' is that the ulema issue religious edicts [fatwas] on the basis of this rule frequently. They rule against the sale of weapons in times of internal conflict although the original rule is that there is no dispute over selling weapons. They justify the ban on such sales because they might lead to the death of people who should not be killed. Additionally the apostate government punishes anyone who possesses an unlicensed firearm or trades in weapons with jail sentences of up to 10 years. It also confiscates the culprit's assets.

"I am not merely saying that the oil that is exported to the United States might perhaps be used to kill Muslims. Indeed it is the lifeline of the wars that the United States wages against the Muslim countries. Fuel, explosives, many tools, clothing, and some foodstuffs largely depend on petroleum in their production. What do the religious scholars have to say about this? Where are they when someone opens the air space, territorial waters, and indeed territory to back the Americans in their war against the Muslims in Afghanistan and Iraq? Why in this case is the bringing of benefit given preference over averting harm? Why the selfishness? Should the Muslims die so that you may live? Should they starve so that you may satisfy your appetites and enjoy luxuries?

"And after all this you come and claim that the Muslim people's wounds concern you? This is not how things are done. You cannot reap grapes from a thorn bush. When the ulema are disunited, mangy goats will lead them.

"Just as weapon sales are prohibited during internal fighting, oil sales to the United States must be declared a prohibited act. The sale of oil must be prevented by any means, even if it means destroying it. If one has to choose between several kinds of evil, he must choose the least harmful. No zealous Muslim should denounce the attacks on oil installations. We must all cooperate to prevent petroleum exports to the United States with all our strength, that is, if we really want to help the Muslims who are persecuted everywhere and if we want to halt the US aggression against the world.

"The ulema issued fatwas justifying the blockade on Iraq, preventing the sale of its oil abroad, which is the people's right, and even preventing food and medicine from reaching Iraqi women and children as a way of punishing Saddam Husayn. The same reasons should make it justifiable for the mujahidin to strike oil installations as a punishment to the Americans and to limit their acts of aggression. Stopping or at least reducing oil supplies to the United States will help end the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. It will also reduce the unlimited US support for the Jews.

"Perhaps I should expand my discussion to cast light on the importance of this type of blessed operations and its effect on the industrial countries, chiefly the United States. I say: Energy security is the subject that occupies the whole world today. The importance of oil was the chief subject of discussion during the industrial countries' meeting in Moscow. Indeed it is the chief subject of discussion at most international forums. All statements by politicians and economists point to the importance of oil and its serious implications for the great powers' economies. In his annual State of the Union speech Bush made remarks from which one could understand that oil is the industrial countries' point of weakness and a specter that threatens their economies. He tried to downplay the importance of the Middle East's oil and spoke about the ability to do without it soon.

"Commenting on this speech, Arab American Institute President James Zogby said that "the United States will not be able to do without Middle East oil no matter how hard it tries." He explained that the US President's words were for political consumption and that even if the Democratic Party took power, it would say the same thing. Many experts agree with James Zogby' view.

"Bush's speech demonstrated that attacking oil installations is the biggest threat to the United States. For this reason Bush tried to reassure himself and to delude the American public into believing that it is possible to do without Middle East oil.

"This is an old worry. Former US President Richard Nixon made demands similar to Bush's and promised to end foreign oil imports by the end of 1980. Carter repeated the same words and pledged to end dependence on foreign oil by the end of 1990. In reality US oil imports have risen and the country's dependence on them has increased. Fully 60 percent of domestic energy consumption comes from imported oil.

"Bush spoke about energy strategy in the United States and various sources of alternative energy like coal, wind power, solar power, and nuclear power to show that terrorist operations would not pose a threat to the US economy in the foreseeable future. I believe that Shaykh Usama Bin Ladin's recent speech and his former statement that urged attacks on oil installations played a significant role in the writing of Bush's latest speech. According to experts, the alternative sources of energy that Bush mentioned are not realistic. Bush's proposal is totally illogical. The United States needs more than 21 million barrels per day, that is, a quarter of the world's energy consumption. It imports 21 million barrels per day and has been forced to reduce its oil reserves to 29 billion barrels. The situation is becoming progressively worse. The proposed solutions for the problem of US energy needs are very modest.

"Nuclear power might offer a partial solution but the United States has not built a single nuclear power plant in the past 30 years and confined itself to the 35 reactors that it already has. It renovated them to extend their life span to 60 years and remains attentive to safety requirements and wishes to avoid an accident similar to the 1986 Chernobyl incident. It is as if it says to itself 'around us but not on top of our heads.' Bush at any rate promised that a new nuclear power plant would be built in the next few decades but this is of little use.

"Other solutions like ethanol, solar and wind power, renewable sources of energy, and vehicles that work on electric power and hydrogen all still need quantities of oil. They also require large areas and assistance from the traditional sources of energy, which means that they are costly and will not be competitive against traditional sources of energy for decades to come. Furthermore the future of energy is not decided by Bush but by the global markets and the availability of oil and natural gas.

"US energy needs grow proportionately to the growth of its economy. For example vehicles will soon consume more than 9 million barrels per day. In 2030 there will be more than 320 million vehicles using oil-based fuel in the United States.

"British Petroleum Chairman John Brown asserts that global energy consumption will increase because of the rise in population and the improvement of living standards. He said that the role of petroleum will remain important regardless of the current calls to reduce dependence on it. He declared that natural gas is the best fuel for the production of electric power but noted that there is no alternative to gasoline for cars and that hydrogen-powered cars cannot be competitive.

"The current compulsive use of energy and the culture of US addiction to oil will require several decades to change. Hence the United States will still need the Middle East in the foreseeable future. Its oil will remain an easy target for all the enemies of the United States and its point of weakness for long decades.

"Nevertheless, we should not forget that the United States has spent a lot of resources on alternative energy technology and will now allocate more resources and adopt a more serious attitude to the problem. This is an indication that America might in the long term do without the Middle East oil or reduce its dependence on it, confining itself to oil from Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, and some new producers. It will double its reliance on alternative energy sources. Therefore it is necessary to strike oil installations in all the regions from which the United States imports petroleum. The objective is to block or at least reduce its imports by all possible means.

"The targets of attacks on oil installations should include oil wells, pipelines, loading docks, and tankers. The attacks should include every method that will reduce the US ability to obtain oil, force it to adopt decisions that it has been avoiding for some time, confuse and suffocate its economy, and threaten its economic and political future.

"A look at what is happening in Iraq will illustrate to us the impact that attacks have on the oil industry. In one year 186 attacks caused losses amounting to $6 billion. Let us also look at what has been happening in Nigeria, where the giant British-Dutch petroleum firm Royal Dutch Shell halted its loading operations at Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta region in southern Nigeria after the loading dock was bombed. It also closed down the oil fields which this port served.

"Shaykh Usama's instructions are clear and open about targeting oil installations. The mujahidin should carry out these instructions well by gathering information, selecting the right targets, and collecting all the documentary information about the operation after it is carried out. This information should include all the operation's planning, equipping, and execution stages.

"In conclusion I would like to assert that the parties that will be the biggest losers will be the industrial countries, chiefly the United States, the bearer of the cross banner. The producing countries will not suffer much but will benefit from the higher prices, which will spur an economic leap forward as happened in the Gulf countries in 1973 after the oil embargo began. The effect of this embargo was made clear by US Defense Secretary Schlesinger's statement that military force will be used to prevent any future threat of an oil embargo that would threaten the US economy."