| According to what our brethren in the Taleban have told us, they now are undertaking direct contacts with Golboddin Hekmatyar [former Afghan prime minister and leader of Islamic Party]. After contacts with Al-Qa'idah, led by Usamah Bin-Ladin, were cut off from the rest of the world, following the campaign waged by the US and international forces in Afghanistan by land, sea, and air, many questions have arisen concerning the fate of the members of this organization both inside and outside Afghanistan. Under conditions involving a severe military and media blockade, one of the most important Al-Qa'idah organization field commanders who commands the combat fronts inside Afghanistan is making a [media] appearance. In this interview with the field commander, Abu-al-Layth al-Libi, he answers many of these questions concerning the Al-Qa'idah organization, its situation, the situation of its leadership, the general situation inside Afghanistan, its future plans for dealing with the new situation, and the new alliances between the Taleban and the Afghan opposition parties. He also tells about the events of the Shahi Kot battle, the biggest battle encountered by US forces in Afghan territory. [El-Youm question] News about the Al-Qa'idah organization has been cut off. What is the situation with regard to the organization's leadership and the general situation inside Afghanistan after the entry of US and international forces there? What are your future plans for dealing with the new situation? [al-Libi] In this interview, I would like to mention several points that I consider to be pivotal and that are of concern to all the mujahideen who are outside Afghan territory or far away from it. The first of these points is the following: I would like to reassure those who passionately support the jihad [holy war] and the loved ones of the mujahideen everywhere that all of the leaders of the jihad, whom you know, are alive and well and that their situation is one that pleases and satisfies Allah. All of them are making preparations, arranging matters and getting ready. We ask Allah - may He be praised and exalted - to bless them with long lives, show them the correct path, and set their thoughts in the right direction, and to subordinate us as soldiers to their command and put us under their banner. I would also like to reassure everyone that the Commander of the Faithful [Taleban leader] Mola Mohammad Omar is still alive and well. As of now he has, more or less, regained his control over the multitudes that had scattered, and now he is gathering their ranks once more. Praise be to Allah, things are going very well. We ask Allah - may He be praised and exalted - to bless his time [on earth] and have him act in order with what pleases and satisfies Him. Also, as I have said to you, with regard to the other leaders, whom you know, such as our great brother Shaykh Usamah Bin-Ladin, we ask Allah - may He be praised and exalted -that He give him strength and preserve his life, [and we ask the same for] Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri and Shaykh Sulayman Abu-Ghayth. All of them are all right, and they have been blessed. We ask Allah - may He be praised and exalted - to guide them along the right path [and we ask the same for] the other leaders and all of those whom you know who are mujahideen, those who are in hiding, and those who have served and fought in the jihad. All of them are alive and well. This is the first point I would like to mention and make people aware of, and I would like to reassure our mujahideen brethren and their loved ones everywhere concerning this. The second point is the following: It deals with what we have seen regarding changes concerning the people of Afghanistan. Many of those who experienced the first phase - that is, the initial phase of the fall of the Taleban - saw many changes occur in the people and the population. People were very afraid and very worried about the forces of the alliance when they made a forceful and violent entry [into Afghanistan]. Many of our brethren left, thinking that things would never again be as they were. But, praise be to Allah, due to the efforts undertaken by our brethren and, praise be to Allah, due to the sacrifices made for the sake of Allah - may He be praised and exalted - and, in particular, because of the firmness of the mujahideen as well as their patience and the strength of their will - all of this, praise be to Allah - may He be praised and exalted - in addition to the souls and nature of the people, has made them believe and be certain that the mujahideen have the capability of once again seizing the reins of initiative. Allow me to mention, in particular, the battle that took place at Shahi Kot [eastern Afghanistan, in March this year]. According to what we have been told by our Taleban brethren, this battle has turned the situation upside down, has given courage to the mujahideen who were afraid, and has reassured people who were terrified of the Americans. The [credit and] praise for this is due to Allah alone - may He be praised. We mujahideen, in general, are striving to enter the next phase, which, in army and military science, is known as the phase of guerrilla warfare. And we are attempting to develop the fronts where the fighting took place involving [whole] fronts and all along the frontlines. We are trying to transform it into an expanded war involving ambushes, assassinations, and other ways of hitting the enemy from unexpected quarters. Praise be to Allah, we have been successful in this endeavour, and this is due to Allah alone - may He be praised and exalted. It has also been due to the coherence and close unity of our mujahideen, as well as because they have reinforced each other, and this goes for all of our Arab mujahideen as well as for the Afghan mujahideen. They have been closely united. We have succeeded in creating bases in the enemy's rear and inside his fragile strongholds, which have been destroyed. Praise be to Allah, we have been successful and have achieved [a lot], both during the phase of destruction, that is, the destruction of their bases and war materiel as well as the phase of assassinations. Praise be to Allah, all of these matters are matters in which we have been successful and our efforts have been blessed. Our brethren inside Afghanistan have contacted me and informed me of several operations that have been carried out [including one] in which a helicopter was shot down, the Americans came in, and they fought against them. And you will [soon] be hearing about a new epic battle. We ask that Allah - may He be praised and exalted - answer the prayers of the mujahideen. Let me say to our brethren that these operations of ours, which we have carried out, were successful due to the efforts and unity of Muslims everywhere. The jihad today is a jihad that is worldwide and international. And those who oppose us are calling it a crusade. They, with their power, their might, and their stooges are calling it a crusade battle. We, with our weakness, poverty, and powerlessness, are calling it an Islamic battle, on all fronts and on all levels, and involving all classes and types of Muslims, without exception. We also ask Allah - may He be praised and exalted - to bless our efforts and that they be beneficial and be guided along the right path. And we ask Allah to grant us success in our actions. For He is the One in Charge and is the Master of Everything. Mola Omar and the Taleban [El-Youm] How are things with regard to the Taleban and their leader Mola Mohammad Omar? [al-Libi] The commander of the faithful [Omar] has restored, of course, after the dispersal of the Taleban and after they scattered in all directions - particularly after they were badly hurt. They were also badly hit by the Pakistani government and by promises made by Pakistani intelligence, and they were fragmented and suffered a great blow. But, praise be to Allah, the commander of the faithful has appointed several of our trusted people who have set affairs straight for us to face the next phase. They are keeping us up to date about the most important matters, concerning which they have made decisions or decided to incorporate in their policies; and they are all good decisions and policies and for the benefit of the jihad. This was something that was ignored or shoved over to the margin during the former days of Taleban rule. They said that they had learnt a lesson from neglecting many of the mujahideen and important people, people whom you are well aware of, such as Shaykh Jalaloddin Haqqani [former Taleban minister and commander] and other leaders who were prominent in the former arena of the jihad, during the time when the various factions [were fighting with each other]. Today, praise be to Allah, we like what we see, their actions are good ones, and every day their situation is slowly getting better. We ask Allah - may He be praised and exalted - to guide their steps in the right direction. The Taleban organized the latest operations in Kandahar and in some of the provinces. We ask Allah - may He be praised and exalted - to bless their efforts. The commander of the faithful has issued threats to several people - among them Dhu-al-Agha [possibly reference to Kandahar governor Gol Agha Sherzai], saying that, if he tries to impose a policy of tyrannizing the mujahideen and causing harm to the families of the mujahideen, he will be killed. As a result, Dhu-al-Agha fled the area entirely. We still do not know where he went. Some people say that he went to the United Arab Emirates, and others say that he went to Saudi Arabia. Allah alone knows where he went. As for the situation inside Afghanistan, everyone is mourning the passing of the rule by the Taleban. Why is this? There are several reasons. One reason is the abuses that are taking place now in the north. They are not so much violations against people's property as they are violations against their honour. False news used to be broadcast saying that they had detained a large number of people from Hekmatyar's organization because of a dispute that arose among these leaders, but this news was not true. It is true that a large number of people were followers of Golboddin Hekmatyar. But then they went to [transitional government leader Hamed] Karzai and complained that the Northern Alliance of [Defence Minister Mohammad Qasem] Fahim and his henchmen had started committing abuses against the Pashtuns. Then, in Kabul, Fahim was attacked, but they covered up the matter. For this reason, Fahim was the target of an assassination attempt in Jalalabad. No doubt you have heard about it. In general, the situation is improving every day as far as the Taleban are concerned. Perhaps you have heard this news. All of the analysts, except those at CNN and the [other] media that engage in distortions, are pointing out the fact that the situation in Afghanistan is at a critical stage and is steadily becoming even more critical. Praise be to Allah, as far as the Taleban are concerned, their situation is good and they are preparing themselves well. I am able to tell our brethren the good news that we have direct contacts with the commander of the faithful Mola Mohammad Omar, we make requests of him, and he makes requests of us. The situation is very good at present. New alliances [El-Youm] Could a new alliance emerge between the former Afghan prime minister and the leader of the Hezb-e Eslami [Islamic Party], Golboddin Hekmatyar, who was opposed to the foreign presence in Afghanistan, and the Taleban movement? [al-Libi] First of all, let me point out to you that we have talked to our brethren in the Taleban government concerning the mujahideen leaders, including Golboddin Hekmatyar. We said that the man has shown his good intentions and that he demonstrated a new attitude during the last days of rule by the Taleban government. We talked in particular about Golboddin Hekmatyar. They said: "We have learnt from our past policies, and [learned that] we should take the [other] leaders into account. We should attempt to harmonize our policies with those of the [various] parties, provided that they are, above all, in conformity with Islamic law." Our brethren in the Taleban have told us that they are having meetings and contacts. They said that they now have direct contacts with Golboddin Hekmatyar. Of course, objectively speaking, Hekmatyar is not an insignificant or unimportant man, in view of his past, his actions, and his history. A lot of people are still his followers. After all, his party was the number-one party in Afghanistan. So his group is very significant if it deals fairly with the Afghan cause and has good coordination with the Taleban. But the Taleban have said that they cannot work with him if, for example, he is not in favour of the legitimate government, that is, the Taleban government. And, if he tries to undertake policies that are unlawful and unacceptable, then he will end up as before. I would like to say that Hekmatyar has specialists whom the Afghan arena is now in need of. As we know, the Taleban's expertise and specializations in the realm of military science do not match, or let us say, are not equal to what Hekmatyar possesses in this field. The Shahi Kot battle [El-Youm] The Western and US media basically have talked about the events of the battle at Shahi Kot, which has been considered the biggest battle engaged in by US forces in the territory of Afghanistan? Could you tell us what actually happened there? [al-Libi] Concerning the Shahi Kot operation, I hope we have written in detail all the facts about it and about everything we saw, and we will publish this quite soon. But, in general, let me say the following: Recently I met with Sayfur Rahman Mansur [Afghan Al-Qa'idah commander]. Of course, the nature of the front is such that it is scattered all over innumerable areas. By virtue of the fact that Sayfur Rahman has been in the rear lines and in contact with all of the areas, and since he went out to contact one of the satellite or radio stations, I asked him what the casualty figure was that has come to him through his channel of communications. He told me definitely that the number of US soldiers killed was between 400 and 600. Of course, we only fought the Americans. Nobody else was with them. The reason for this is that, before the confrontation with the Americans, we had seized more than nine large vehicles and trucks from forces from the Northern Alliance, Afghans, and others and we had also seized the [people in the vehicles]. Sayfur Rahman then, in accordance with his own individual judgment, pardoned them. We ask Allah - may He be praised and exalted - that he accept this individual judgment reached by Sayfur Rahman. Since that day we have not seen any of the Afghan turncoats [fighting against us]. What I have seen with my own eyes is that those Americans whom we have fought against and killed have definitely numbered from 150 to 200. This is a more or less exact figure. Trusted sources have informed us that General Fahim, at his private meetings, has said that the number of American dead at Shahi Kot was as high as 800. Allah alone knows the truth of the matter. This is what I have personally found out. Conflicting goals [El-Youm] What is your view regarding the conflicting and contradictory policies of the various parties inside Afghanistan, the nations of the area, and the foreign forces? [al-Libi] This is a matter that could be discussed for a very long time. First of all, as you know, there are nations that have been anxious to hit and destroy the Taleban government, such as Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. When these nations strove to make war on Afghanistan and the Taleban, they had different aims in mind. Then came the Russians, the Americans and the Europeans. No two of these powers can agree on the purpose. Even the Americans and the British do not have a common purpose or a common goal. Right now this is showing up in their dispute concerning having the largest possible number of officials and commanders. Each is trying to get people to join its side and each one is paying out money and bribes in order to get this or that [group] to join it. The conflicting policies have caused very severe internecine fighting and conflict -particularly between General Fahim and the Pashtun commanders. The internecine fighting is very severe, and you have heard about the conflicts and the dead, which have numbered in the hundreds. We ask Allah to save them from killing each other. We ask Allah - may He be praised and exalted - to do this because of the unlawful policies and horrible things that are being done to people and women. You should know that Kabul has come to have houses of fornication, dens of iniquity and shops that sell pornographic videos. The shops have become more than shops that sell bread. This evil that is being caused by the infidels is, as far as the mujahideen and Taleban are concerned, hopefully a very positive development because it will remind people that the Taleban brought the most just government - a government that instituted fairness, justice, security and safety for the people. There is a great deal of internecine fighting going on, and, if it were not for the fact that secrets were involved, I would tell you about a lot of the cases. Many of those who are under Karzai, Fahim and others right now are attempting to negotiate with the mujahideen concerning efforts to penetrate their ranks. And in the very near future - if Allah wills it -you will be hearing news indicating that the ranks of the enemy - the ranks of the turncoats and infidels - have become fragmented and have collapsed - by the grace of Allah - may He be praised and exalted. |