PURPORTED AL QAEDA LETTER CALLS TRUCE IN SPAIN! (BLACKMAIL ALERT!)

Yahoooo via Reuters ^ | 3/17/04

[areafiftyone]

CAIRO (Reuters) - A group claiming to have links with al Qaeda said Wednesday it was calling a truce in its Spanish operations to see if the new government would withdraw its troops from Iraq (news - web sites), a pan-Arab newspaper said.

In a statement sent Wednesday to the Arabic language daily al-Hayat, the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, which claimed responsibility for the Madrid bombings that killed 201 people, also urged its European units to stop all operations.

"Because of this decision, the leadership has decided to stop all operations within the Spanish territories... until we know the intentions of the new government that has promised to withdraw Spanish troops from Iraq," the statement said.

"And we repeat this to all the brigades present in European lands: Stop all operations."

In a shock election result just days after the Madrid attacks, Spain elected the Socialist party, which has since said it will probably withdraw its troops from Iraq.

The Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades have previously claimed responsibility for bombings in Turkey and Iraq.

"The Spanish people... chose peace by choosing the party that was against the alliance with America," the statement said. The newspaper planned to publish it Thursday.

Outgoing Spanish Prime Minister Josa Maria Aznar was a staunch ally of the United States in the Iraq war, although a majority of the Spanish people were opposed to sending Spanish troops there.

"Praise be to God who gave us this victory in the conquest of Madrid... where one of the pillars of the axis of Crusader evil was destroyed," the statement said, affirming its earlier claim for the Madrid attacks.

A U.S. official in Washington has previously said the group's link with al Qaeda is unclear.

[Peach]

Big time. I hope the Spanish people have the grace to be ashamed. All of them. But I probably have enough shame for the majority of them all on my own.

[AntiGuv]

Here is the percent of the vote that the leading party recieved in other selected European nations during their most recent election:

Greece: 45%
Spain: 43%
Ireland: 42%
Austria: 42%
Britain: 41%
Portugal: 40%
Finland: 40%
Sweden: 40%
Germany: 38%
France: 34%
Denmark: 31%
Netherlands: 29%
Italy: 29%
Switzerland: 27%
Norway: 24%
Belgium: 15%

Like I said to the other dude, this is about as close to a landslide as it gets in a parliamentary system.

[areafiftyone]

Would you believe on the dark side they are saying that Karl Rove wrote this letter!! How brain dead are they? Are they in that much denial about Al Qaeda even after the bombing?

[Outlaw76]

"Those little Spanish girls better get fitted for their burquas."

I was in Spain for around a month back in the '80s. I could not bear to think of those lovely women with their spirits broken and their beauty hidden under those monstrous sheets. Visiting Spain was the highlight of my time in Europe. I felt a great deal of pain when I heard of the bombings ~ and incredible shame for them when I heard of the election.

[Getsmart64]

I'm not so sure a terrorist org like AQ would try and blackmail using death as an option, would be a rally'ing point for the masses. I'm thinking more of a criminal element. In this particular instance, if it were a criminal element that had pulled off the bomb blast in Spain, and the French knew something like that might happen, all he!! would break loose in Western European unity. But like I said earlier, just some random thoughts running thru an idle mind.

Definetly agree on your assessment of the new generation tho.

[mewzilla]

Welcome to the Axis of Weasels. There will be no end to this. The demands will never stop. And Spain has only itself to blame.

[TXBSAFH]

I thought of something interesting, just bear me out. That the two major reasons for the weakness and frankly total lack of balls on the part of Europe is one they had the best parts of two sucessive generations blown to heck in the past hundred years. And secondly that they are made up of a majority of type B personalities, while the US has type A personalities in great supply. Type A's are the hard charges and doers, while type B's wait to build a consincious and/or to be told. Type A' and also Type B's thend to produce children that are of their type. Think of the courage and drive it took for our ancesters to leave Europe with only the hope of better. The weaker one stayed in Europe, and what strong ones remained wher cut down. This sponded current day France, Germany, and Spain. Just a Though.

[TXBSAFH]

Sorry meant to spell check it, hit the wrong button.

[Koan]

The Spaniards should begin to feel like a yo-yo very soon, with the terrorists holding the string!

[livius]

It was highly unlikely that the Socialists would have won without their buddies, AQ. I still think ETA was involved, and in fact ETA today also called for "dialogue" with Zapatero. All of the terrorists won, with one single blow.

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

You are correct. Mene mene tekel upharsin Spain.

[marshmallow]

And we repeat this to all the brigades present in European lands: Stop all operations." In a shock election result just days after the Madrid attacks, Spain elected the Socialist party, which has since said it will probably withdraw its troops from Iraq

In other words, "mission accomplished."

[Finalapproach29er]

Americans will be speaking Spanish by mid-century.
What does that make us?

[areafiftyone]

Not a bad thought. It could be true. Just like in France. The population that remembered us liberating them in World War II are a dying breed.

[Rutles4Ever]

I hate to speculate on something like that. I don't know if they would be stupid enough to deliberately target the pope -- but they are definitely framing this war in religious terms. The pope, fortunately, has both Divine and earthly protection. However, the will of God is not ours to reason -- so prayers are necessary.

[prairiebreeze]

This is fully predictable whether it's from AQ or not, or even if it's genuine or not. Plenty of terrorist off-shoots, leftist loonies (many of them only a short step from being something close to a terrorist, and just your average every-day nut case, who would send something like this out.

Spain has no idea the can or worms they have opened and deposited on their country.

Prairie

[LibWhacker]

I think this is a hoax . . .

I agree with you 100% on this point. Islam never calls for a truce when it's winning. Its final goal is not to get Spain out of Iraq but to reestablish the Spanish Caliphate and, indeed, establish a worldwide Caliphate. More demands will be made of Spain in short order.

[b4its2late]

So it's clear that the guy who AQ wanted, wants Kerry.

So, in addition to dead democrats voting multiple times (often and early) in this election, we'll have Al Queda democrats voting?

[prairiebreeze]

It would deflate the arguments by Cheney, today, though, if they stuck with the cease-fire.

That sort of discipline would be hard for the terrorists to maitain however. Once any uprising or dissent toward them or the appeasing government was seen, the terrorists would have to put forth a "reminder" to the people to try to keep them under control. They can't keep up the illusion of benevolent slave-masters forever. Somebody would eventually force their hand and they would be outted as just slave-masters.

Prairie

[Toespi]

So basically, Spain is going to give aid and comfort to the enemy who killed over 200 of their countrymen and I believe that somewhere in Bush's doctrine that any country doing so, or aligns themselves with terrorists is to be considered a terrorist nation. Looks like Spain is going to fall on their sword for Al Qaeda.