Posted on 10/17/2004 10:48:24 PM PDT by Libloather
Zarqawi Movement Vows al-Qaida Allegiance
Sun Oct 17,10:02 PM ET
By RAWYA RAGEH, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The most feared militant group in Iraq, the movement of terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, declared its allegiance to Osama bin Laden on Sunday, saying it had agreed with al-Qaida over strategy and the need for unity against "the enemies of Islam."
The declaration, which appeared on a Web site often used as a clearinghouse for statements by militant groups, began with a Quranic verse encouraging Muslim unity and said al-Zarqawi considered bin Laden "the best leader for Islam's armies against all infidels and apostates."
The statement, whose authenticity could not be independently confirmed, said the two had been in communication eight months ago and "viewpoints were exchanged" before the dialogue was interrupted.
"God soon blessed us with a resumption in communication, and the dignified brothers in al-Qaida understood the strategy of Tawhid and Jihad," the statement said.
The Jordanian-born al-Zarqawi is suspected of about a dozen high-profile attacks in Iraq, including last year's bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad, and the beheading of numerous foreign hostages.
His relationship to bin Laden and the al-Qaida leadership has long been the subject of considerable speculation. Although many experts believe al-Zarqawi had longtime ties to al-Qaida, others suspected that al-Zarqawi considered himself a rival to bin Laden for the mantle of chief defender of the Muslim faith.
The Bush administration said it was still trying to confirm the report.
"But we've always said there were ties between Zarqawi and al-Qaida, which underscores once again why Iraq is the central front in the war on terror," White House spokesman Trent Duffy said in Washington. "It's also proof positive of why the president's firm resolve to fight terrorists overseas so we don't face them in America's neighborhoods is the only clear way to prevail."
The statement affirmed the "allegiance of Tawhid and Jihad's leadership and soldiers to the chief of all fighters, Osama bin Laden." It said the announcement had been timed for the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan when "Muslims need more than ever to stick together in the face of the religion's enemies."
"It's good tidings for our nation ... to spite the infidels and frighten the enemies of Islam."
The statement also endorsed bin Laden's goal to "expel the infidels from the Arabian peninsula" — a reference to American influence in the al-Qaida leader's native Saudi Arabia, birthplace of the Islamic faith.
Al-Zarqawi's declaration appeared two days after the U.S. government formally declared Tawhid and Jihad a terrorist organization. The listing imposes several restrictions on the group, including a ban on travel to the United States and a freeze on the group's assets in U.S. banks.
The United States, Britain and Iraq are asking the U.N. Sanctions Committee to list the al-Zarqawi group as well, which would impose identical sanctions worldwide.
Al-Zarqawi also was indicted Sunday in his native Jordan along with 12 other alleged Muslim militants on charges of plotting a chemical attack that could have killed thousands of people.
Al-Zarqawi and three of the others will be tried in absentia on charges including conspiring to commit terrorism, possessing and manufacturing explosives and affiliation with a banned group, according to the 24-page indictment made available Sunday to The Associated Press.
U.S. and Iraqi officials believe al-Zarqawi's movement is centered in the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, where U.S. troops clashed Sunday with militants. However, Tawhid and Jihad banners have been seen recently in Samarra, Ramadi and even on the streets of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
In Cairo, Mohammed Salah, an expert on Islamic militancy, said the claim that bin Laden and al-Zarqawi were in regular contact was "more or less a media stunt to frustrate" their common opponent, the United States.
It appeared the announcement also was aimed at enabling al-Zarqawi, who has a background as a common criminal, to profit from bin Laden's stature among radical Muslims.
Bin Laden, believed to be hiding in Afghanistan or in the border areas of Pakistan, has faded somewhat from public view and recent declarations by al-Qaida's leadership have been made by his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri.
On the other hand, al-Zarqawi's group has become highly visible, posting videos on the Web showing the beheading of foreign hostages and bloody attacks against American troops in Iraq.
"By virtue of his location, al-Zarqawi has more access to the Americans, which will make it easier for al-Qaida to carry out operations without logistical complications or time delays," Salah said. "Bin Laden is on the run and hiding. He's become a symbol, as opposed to al-Zarqawi's actual presence on the ground that has made him a definite planner and executor."
The indictment in Jordan alleged that al-Zarqawi sent more than $118,000 to buy two vehicles that would be driven into Jordan's General Intelligence Department by suicide bombers armed with explosives and chemicals.
The indictment said the defendants had collected geographical data indicating thousands of people would be killed in the chemical blast.
Nine other men who are in custody in Jordan face the same charges, while a 13th suspect faces lesser charges of helping two of the fugitives. If convicted in the military court, 12 of the men face the death penalty.
U.S. officials said they intercepted a letter in January from al-Zarqawi to the al-Qaida leadership in which the Jordanian terrorist complained that his fighters were under strong pressure from U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq.
Al-Zarqawi claimed in the letter, which was released by the Americans, that he was responsible for about 25 attacks in Iraq. Since then the number of attacks claimed by or attributed to al-Zarqawi has risen sharply.
WASHINGTON - Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry accused President Bush on Sunday of planning a surprise second-term attempt to privatize Social Security, and forecast a "disaster for America's middle class." Republican party chairman Ed Gillespie called the charge "just flat inaccurate."
The clash erupted as Kerry and his running mate both appealed to Florida voters to cast their ballots as early as Monday under the state's early voting program. "There's no reason to wait until November the 2nd," vice presidential candidate John Edwards said in the state that settled the last race for the White House.
Little more than two weeks before Election Day, the latest polls made the campaign a close one, seemingly tilting Bush's way despite debates that bolstered his Democratic rival's standing.
"God, there's so many polls," lamented the president's brother, Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida. "I mean, it's like you could just be obsessed with focusing on that rather than the reason to support somebody," he said on ABC's "This Week."
After a campaign that has exposed deep differences between the two candidates over the war on terrorism, Iraq, the economy and more, Kerry and Bush hoped not. And the issue of Social Security gave the two sides fresh fodder for disagreement.
"I'll tell you what. I will never privatize Social Security. I'll never cut the benefits and I won't raise the retirement age," Kerry told an audience in Pembroke Pines, Fla.
The Massachusetts senator seized on a New York Times Magazine story to attack Bush. The article quoted the president telling supporters that "privatizing Social Security" would be high on his second-term agenda.
Bush took time off from campaigning during the day, leaving it to his surrogates to counterattack.
"John Kerry's misleading senior scare tactics are just another example of a candidate who will say anything to get elected," said spokesman Steve Schmidt. "No matter how false his accusations or how contradictory they are with his record of repeatedly voting for higher taxes on Social Security."
Bush spent the day at the White House, emerging to attend church services and go for a bike ride.
He is scheduled to make what aides billed as a major speech on terrorism Monday in New Jersey, where millions live within sight of the terrorist-scarred lower Manhattan skyline.
With the White House as his campaign backdrop, the president-candidate also was signing a $33 billion measure for homeland security.
Increasingly, Republicans and Democrats alike were focusing on voter mobilization efforts in a dozen or so states that remain competitive.
Not surprisingly, Florida got special emphasis as Democrats sought to avenge the bitterly disputed recount that propelled Bush to the presidency in 2000. "You've got to start voting tomorrow," Kerry told his audience in Pembroke Pines, underscoring the appeal Edwards had made in a Daytona Beach church a few hours earlier.
Gov. Bush said the White House was considering a policy change that could affect the state and possibly appeal to voters of Haitian descent. The administration is considering a temporary halt in the deportation of Haitians fleeing their country because of recent severe hurricane damage, he said. Kerry called for the step to be taken last week.
Kerry talked about Social Security first from the pulpit of the Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio.
He called privatization Bush's "January surprise," and said it may be good for "the wealthiest people and the well connected in America, but it's a disaster for America's middle class."
Citing estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, Kerry said Bush's plan would mean "benefit cuts for seniors of between 25 percent and 45 percent. That's up to $500 less for food, for clothing, for the occasional gift for a grandchild." He vowed anew not to cut benefits or raise the retirement age if elected.
Bush has long advocated overhauling Social Security to allow younger workers the choice of putting a portion of their payroll taxes into private accounts.
Aides have said current Social Security beneficiaries and those approaching the age of eligibility would not be required to accept any changes in the current system.
But implicit in any such modification is the need either to replace or offset the money that will begin flowing to private accounts rather than traditional Social Security. Estimates run into the trillions of dollars over several years.
Purely in political terms, Republican survey data long ago discovered that voters recoil at the use of the word "privatize" in connection with either Social Security or Medicare.
Gillespie said the account of Bush's remarks was a "secondhand report and it is just flat inaccurate." Appearing on CNN's "Late Edition," he also said it was based on "hearsay." Gillespie said he often attends events such as the one cited, but added he couldn't be certain whether he had been at the one featured in the story.
As is their custom, the nation's newspapers began choosing sides in the presidential race on their editorial pages. The Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Miami Herald and The Kansas City Star urged readers to pick Kerry. The Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press, The Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram and The Canton (Ohio) Repository called for Bush's re-election.
The Tampa Tribune in Florida, which has backed every Republican candidate except Barry Goldwater in the past half-century, said it would not issue an endorsement.
Associated Press writers Nedra Pickler in Columbus, Ohio, Mary Dalrymple in Pembroke Pines, Fla., Deb Riechmann in Washington and Liz Sidoti in Daytona Beach, Fla., contributed to this report.
Also reported earlier, at:
Web Site: Zarqawi Pledges Allegiance to Bin Laden
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1247989/posts
and by (gasp) Reuters.
We're still awaiting updates on Sunday's Z-man
capture report. Saturday's was denied.
Anyway, when you add this pledge to the reports of
bin Laden at the Al Rashid hotel in 1998, the
Al Quaeda/Irag connection is stronger than ever.
If bin Laden is still alive, where is he? He loves the limelight and has not been in it for some time, personally I think he's dead and where he should be, in hell.
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