Posted on 09/08/2008 5:05:07 PM PDT by mojito
Al-Qaida marked the anniversary of the September 11 attacks Monday with an hour and a half video message summarizing the state of jihad, or holy war, around the world and slamming Iran for collaborating with the United States.
In the short excerpts aired on the Arab satellite news channel Al-Jazeera, al-Qaida Number 2, Ayman al-Zawahri accused Iran working with US forces.
"The guardian of Muslims in Teheran is cooperating with the Americans in occupying Iraq and Afghanistan and recognizes the two hireling governments there," he said.
Zawahri also criticized the Shi'ites for not "issuing any fatwa (edict) inside or outside Iraq calling for jihad and carrying arms against the Crusader occupier in Iraq." In militant postings, "crusaders" is shorthand for US troops in Iraq.
Zawahri has been increasingly singling out Iran and Shi'ites in his messages, most recently in April, describing the "Persians" as the enemy of Arabs and complicit in the occupation of Iraq.
The latest video featured clips of al-Qaida operations in the various fronts around the world, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, with prominent figures from the movement discoursing on their accomplishments over the year, Al-Jazeera said.
The pan-Arab network did not disclose how it obtained the recording. By late Monday, the video had not surfaced on militant Web sites commonly used as clearing houses for the terror networks' messages.
In contrast to reports that al-Qaida has been weakened in Iraq, the new September 11 message claimed that jihad was alive and well and, according to Al-Jazeera's Web site, showed an Iraqi scholar decrying the US-allied awakening councils that have turned against al-Qaida as "treacherous" and "doomed."
The tape also celebrated former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf's resignation, saying he had "swallowed the fruit of his betrayal," according to Al-Jazeera. The US-allied government in Kabul was also described as weaker.
Zawahri also ridiculed Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group for describing their 2006 summer war with Israel as a victory.
"What victory?" he said, according to Al-Jazeera. "Retreating 30 miles backwards?"
Al-Qaida leader, Abu Yahia al-Libi, the movement's commander in Afghanistan, also appeared praising the exploits of Islamist insurgents in Somalia, saying their numbers were growing.
Al-Qaida can't face defeat by US and Nato forces, so they're blaming the Iranian Shi'ites.
Now we are helping Iran? Boy, if this is true we sure know how to hide it well. Maybe Karl Rove is behind it.
Sniff, sniff...I smell something like psyops or disinformation directed at Zawahiri. Love to see his head explode.
Iran working for us? Say what? That guy on the opium pipe too much.
"What victory?" he said, according to Al-Jazeera. "Retreating 30 miles backwards?"
He got one thing right.
Interesting. Nary a peep from Adam Ga-da Ga-da Ga-da “That’s All Folks!” Gadahn! He’s pinin’ for the fiords. Pushing up daisies! Tango Uniform!
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