Threat Matrix- Daily Terror Thread (4):

MEMRI: The Alleged Al-Qa'ida Statement of Responsibility for the Madrid Bombings
MEMRI ^ | March 12, 2004 | Yigal Carmon

Posted on 03/12/2004 12:30:25 PM CST by yonif

On March 12, 2004, the pro-Saddam pro-bin Laden London daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi(1) published the alleged statement by the Abu Hafs Al-Masri Brigades of Al-Qa'ida, in which the brigades claimed to be responsible for the March 11, 2004 bombings in Madrid.

{{{It should be noted that the Abu Hafs Al-Masri Brigades claimed responsibility for the August 2003 blackout in the U.S. (which was a large-scale technical failure), calling it "Operation Quick Lightning in the Land of the Tyrant of This Generation."(2) }}}

The following is the translation of the statement, followed by commentary:

Text of the Statement

[The statement begins with the following three Qur'anic verses:]

"When you punish, punish them in the way they have punished you." (Qur'an 16:126)

"Kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from where they have driven you out; for internal strife [Fitna] is worse than killing." (Qur'an 2:191)

"Whoever attacks you, attack him in the same way that he attacked you, and trust Allah and know that Allah is with those who put their trust [in Him]." (Qur'an 2:194).

"The Trains of Death Operation

"In their last statement, of March 2, 2004 [on the bombings in Karbala and Baghdad] the Abu Hafs Al-Masri Brigades promised that they were preparing for their upcoming operations, and behold, they are fulfilling their promise.

"The Death Brigades penetrated into the European Crusader heartland, and struck a painful blow at one of the foundations of the Crusader coalition. This is part of a settling of old accounts with Crusader Spain, the ally of the U.S., in its war against Islam...

"Where is America, Aznar? Who will protect you? Who will protect Britain? Who will protect Japan, Italy, and other agents? By striking at the Italian forces in Nasiriyya [Iraq], we sent you and America's agents a warning, demanding that you quit the coalition against Islam, but you did not get the message...

"Now we say it clearly, hoping that you [Aznar] will understand it this time. We at the Abu Hafs Al-Masri Brigades are not sorry for the deaths of so-called civilians. Are they permitted to kill our children, our women, our elderly, and our youth in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, and Kashmir, and we are forbidden from killing them? Allah, may he be praised, said: 'Whoever attacks you, attack him in the same way that he attacked you' [Qur'an 2:194].

"Take your hands off us! Release our prisoners! Get out of our lands! Then we will leave you alone.

"The peoples of America's allies must pressure their government to withdraw immediately from their alliance with America [in its fight] against terror (Islam)... And if you renounce [fighting us], we too will stop fighting you.

"We say to you that the Death-Smoke Squad will reach you soon, and then you will see [i.e. count] your dead by the thousands, Allah willing, and this is a warning.

"In another operation, the Al-Quds Army Brigades struck the Jewish Masonic temple in Istanbul, and this was the main Masonic temple, and three of the greatest Masons were killed... Had it not been for the technical failure, all the Masons would have been killed. But for reasons of divine wisdom, only three were killed. Allah be praised.

"We announce to the Bilal [I]bn Rabah Squad(3) that headquarters has approved [its] proposal. When the emissary arrives, the work will begin. We announce to the Abu Ali Al-Harithi Squad(4) that headquarters has decided that Yemen will be the third swamp(5) [in which] America the Tyrant of This Generation [will sink], in order to discipline the [Yemeni] government which is collaborating [with the U.S.] and that has abandoned Islam and now ranks second to [Pakistani President Pervez] Musharraf. Therefore, all the squads must be placed on alert, so that the operation will begin at 4515 S.B... [sic]. Do not forget to strike to the death; do not forget Abu Ali Al-Harithi; do not forget Sheikh Abd Al-Qader Abd Al-'Aziz (Al-Sayyed, Imam Al-Sharif), the great sage who was arrested three months after the September [11] events, and was extradited by Yemen to Egypt.

"We say to those who killed the clerics of the Muslim Sunnis in Iraq to stop, or else... and we promise the Muslims in the world that the strike of the Winds of Black Death (the anticipated strike on America) is now in its last phase [of preparation]. [It is] 90% [complete], Allah willing... Soon (when it suits the Jihad warriors), the believers [i.e. Muslims] will rejoice at Allah's victory.

"A warning to the nations: Keep away from the civilian and military institutions of Crusader America and its allies. Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar. Islam is coming, reinforcing [the Muslims] and humiliating [the infidels].

"The Abu Hafs Al-Masri Brigades (Al-Qa'ida), Thursday, the 20th of Muharram, 1425, which is March 11, 2004.

Commentary

The text of this statement includes linguistic usages and concepts that are incompatible with or alien to authentic Al-Qa'ida writings by Osama bin Laden, Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri, and others. The following are some examples, in order of appearance:

* Following the Qur'an verses is the title "The Trains of Death Operation." This is uncommon in bin Laden's writing. Also, it is noteworthy that the phrase "Trains of Death" is not reiterated in the text as the name of the operation.

* "Settling old accounts," both as a linguistic form and as a concept, is alien to authentic Al-Qa'ida writings.

* The use of the concept of "agents" is taken from the vocabulary of nationalist ideology, while bin Laden and his followers relate to their enemies primarily as infidels.

* The phrase "but you did not get the message" is not one used by bin Laden, who does not cast his operations in the light of "messages," rather, as acts in and of themselves to further the goals of Al-Qa'ida for the sake of Allah. Thus, it follows that:

* The concept of conditionality, as in the statement "And if you renounce [fighting us], we too will stop fighting you" is not a bin Laden concept.

* The term "The Tyrant of the Generation" was used in the previous statement of alleged responsibility by the Abu Hafs Al-Masri Brigades, for the August 2003 U.S. blackout - which was caused by a large-scale technical failure.

* In authentic Al-Qa'ida writings, the September 11 attacks are not referred to as "events" but as "raids" (the early Islamic term ghazwah).

* The announcement of an operation to begin at "4515 S.B." or reference to an operation that is "90% completed" is alien to bin Laden's scholarly Islamist style.

Thus, this statement does not seem to be an authentic Al-Qa'ida document.(6)

* Yigal Carmon is President of MEMRI

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RUSSIA'S GROWING DOMINATION IN EASTERN EUROPE
MEANS POLAND HAS NO CHOICE BUT TO ORIENT
ITSELF FULLY TOWARDS THE WEST

Review of article by Andrzej Grajewski, Deputy Editor in Chief
Catholic Weekly "Gosc Niedzielny" in "Rzeczpospolita"
Polish News Bulletin; Warsaw, Poland, Mar 11, 2004

Two important processes will be completed this year that will ultimately
determine Poland's place in Europe, writes Andrzej Grajewski, deputy editor
in chief of the Catholic weekly Gosc Niedzielny, in a recent issue of
Rzeczpospolita.

The first process relates to the key terms of European integration and the
EU's institutional shape. The second one concerns Russia's attempts to
dominate the post-Soviet space in Eastern Europe, notably Belarus and
Ukraine.

Patriotically-oriented Russian politicians, writes Grajewski, accepted the
Soviet Union's collapse because they wanted to rebuild a strong Russian
statehood instead. A crumbling, costly empire was sacrificed to save its
healthy core ? Russia. At the same time, efforts were made to secure control
of areas that would determine the new Russia's geostrategic capacities. That
is why, among other things, Russia intervened militarily in the Dnestr
region, fought two Chechen wars, put in place a military presence on the
border with China and Afghanistan in Tajikistan, and helped install
pro-Moscow regimes in all former Soviet republics in Central Asia.

The integration of economic structures has been less successful. More
important, however, than the Commonwealth of Independent States' dubious
achievements was the way the political Russian elites thought about their
neighbours, a philosophy expressed in the term "Close Abroad." During the
Vladimir Putin presidency, the not too far abroad has become an even closer
one for Russia. In particular, this applies to Poland's eastern neighbours,
Belarus and Ukraine.

Ukraine's and Belarus's Orientation Undecided

Ever since the early 18th century when Peter the Great laid the groundwork
for an empire that would capture Poland's easternmost territories, conflict
between the two countries was inevitable. Poland came out the loser. Russia
opposed any form of Polish statehood, fearing the reborn state would raise
the issue of the captured territories.

The 1917 Bolshevik revolution in Russia added a socio-ideological dimension
to the civilisational-cultural conflict. The Polish-Russian war of 1920
failed to determine the question of domination in Belarus and south-eastern
Poland, and the dispute was only limited to the areas Soviet propaganda
referred to as Western Ukraine and Western Belarus.

For Soviet Russia, the invasion of September 17, 1939, was an act of
historical justice, a unification of lands belonging to Russia's natural
zone of influence in a single state organism. A border agreement made
between Soviet Russia and Poland's provisional government in August 1945
only legitimated a political reality that was also accepted by the western
powers.

The Soviet Union's collapse, writes Grajewski, again put the question of
Russian domination in Central and Eastern Europe on the agenda. While the
Baltic states adopted a clearly pro-western course, Ukraine's and Belarus's
choice has not been clearly defined. Ukraine's foreign policy has been a
constant zigzagging between initiatives towards European and Atlantic
integration and a continuing strong attraction of the powerful Russian
magnet. Moscow has also skilfully exploited pro-Russian sentiment in Ukraine
itself.

Belarus represents an even more complicated case. While president Alexander
Lukashenka is rightly cast in Poland as a villain, it should be noted that
he created a model of statehood that gives Belarussians a substitute of
sovereignty in what is probably the only form possible at the current stage
in the development of their national identity.

For many months now, Lukashenka has been a very uncomfortable partner for
the Kremlin in the talks on the new shape of the Union of Belarus and
Russia, trying to secure maximum sovereignty for his own regime. While
personal ambitions and egotism have certainly played a part here, one should
not rule out the possibility that Lukashenka is also motivated by political
realism and concern for Belarussian statehood that is so uncomfortable to so
many.

In Ukraine, and, particularly, Belarus, the West has done little to support
the forces opposing Russian domination. If the pending talks between Minsk
and Moscow on the introduction of a common currency end with Lukashenka
accepting Russia's terms, which include a single central bank in Moscow,
Belarus's sovereignty will be greatly reduced and Lukashenka's own rule will
face decline.

In Ukraine, if president Leonid Kuchma decides to violate the constitution
to prolong his rule, he will find himself in Russia's embrace, and dependent
on Kremlin's support.

Poland Set to Remain a Challenge for Russian Ambitions

Putin's Russia, writes Grajewski, will certainly remain oriented towards the
West. At the same time, it will do everything to dominate the post-Soviet
space of Belarus, Ukraine, and the Baltic states. It has sufficiently strong
assets to influence the course of events in that area. This means that
Poland is losing its eastern buffer and becoming a border state again. It is
not yet clear how the EU's eastern policy is going to look like.

It is in Poland's interest for its eastern border not to become a line of
new division in Central and Eastern Europe. But irrespective of how much
effort Poland puts into developing good relations with the area of eastern
European integration, i.e. Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, the situation there

will be determined by the course of events in Russia following Putin's
victory in the this month's presidential elections.

As the EU's easternmost outpost, Poland will always remain a challenge to
Russia's ambitions of domination in eastern Europe. For Belarus, Ukraine,
and the Kaliningrad enclave, Poland will serve as an alternative model of
civilisational and social development, weakening their ties with Russia.
This is why Poland poorly integrated with the European and Atlantic
structures is in Russia's interest.

Russia's interests in Poland are clearly defined today: security of all
kinds of communication and transport routes with the West, security of
commodity transmission lines, particularly natural gas pipelines, and the
securing of a monopoly on the markets for those commodities. The failure of
the Norwegian gas pipeline project, the illegal installation of a
high-capacity fibre-optic connection along the Polish stretch of the Yamal
gas pipeline, or the perturbations around the Odessa-Brody-Plock oil
pipeline project all show that the Russians know how to protect their
interests in Poland.

Tomorrow, perhaps, they will raise again the issue of creating a corridor
that would link Russia proper with the Kaliningrad enclave. Poland's western
partners will look at those postulates with understanding, especially that
they have long co-operated with Russia on various strategic projects.

At the beginning of the 21st century, Russia stands a chance to become a
global power again. Its immense natural resources and the professionalism of
its political leaders, most of whom are former members of the security
services, or siloviki, open up the prospect of rapid economic growth and
civilisational development.

For the first time in its history, Russia is building its statehood almost
solely on the basis of Russian population. For many Russians, the choice of
Orthodox Christianity as an unofficial state religion strengthens the
specificity of Russian identity. Thanks to Putin's efforts, this year will
probably see the historical unification of the Moscow patriarchate with the
Russian expatriate church, which is going to further strengthen the Russian
Orthodoxy's role in the world of eastern Christianity.

As a result, Russian nationalism will receive a boost from Orthodox
messianism.

Poland Torn Between East and West Would Be Worst Scenario

Western Europe, writes Grajewski, has been watching the recent developments
in Russia calmly. While the Polish press reacted to the results of the
autumn parliamentary elections, which saw the democratic forces
marginalised, with fear, the west's perception has been wholly different.
For western Europe, and France and Germany in particular, the election
results only confirmed Russia's specific line of development, always
different than the European model.

The most important thing, it has been stressed, is that Russia is now more
stable, more predictable, and thus a better business partner. Russia would
have to experience a catastrophe, something that fortunately seems unlikely,
for the West to change its good opinion about Putin's state.

If the EU splits into two areas of integration, Poland should be aware that
the member states favouring closer co-operation perceive Russia as one of
their main strategic allies. If they started passing Poland over in their
dealings with Russia, Poland would be marginalised and its peripheral
situation would only be exacerbated. The consequences would be so dire that
today's problems with Nice and the EU constitution would shrink in
comparison.

Poland's integration with the EU, says Grajewski, is not taking place in a
geopolitical vacuum. Going west, Poland should not be forgetting what is
going on in the east, and the processing occurring there should cause it to
integrate as quickly and as fully as possible with the European structures.
One should not fear a strong Russia. It clearly something that the modern
world needs. What one fears is a weak Poland, torn between the East and
West, a hybrid unable to make a consistent choice. (END)(ARTUIS)

CHILD TRAFFICKING IN MOLDOVA
An estimated 1.2 million children worldwide are victims of child
trafficking. One of them is Ioana, who was trafficked from Moldova
to Ukraine. Natalia Cojocaru, a Moldavian journalist for the
newspaper "Timpul" reports.

Chisinau, Moldova, ILO Line, March, 2004

CHISINAU, Moldova (ILO Online) - Last year, life for 15 year-old
Ioana had become unbearable. Though she was one of the best pupils in
her class, she had abandoned school and decided to leave her home and
her alcoholic parents, moving in with her grandparents.

One day, while at the market here in the Moldavian capital, she met a
woman from a neighbouring village who listened attentively to her
woes and proposed that she accompany her to Ukraine where she could
find a job.

Customs was no problem. Despite her young age, Ioana was able to
cross the border in the company of a stranger, identified only by a
birth certificate of a trafficker's (neighbor lady's) daughter.

>From September to April 2003, Ioana was forced to sell goods on a
market in Ukraine. As compensation, she received a pair of winter
clothes and food. Eventually, Ukrainian police who had been searching
for her at the request of her mother, found the girl and returned her
to her home. Paradoxically, Ioana reportedly told the police she
preferred life with the trafficker to her own home, believing life
was better on the run than among her alcoholic parents.

Though not entirely typical, Ioana's story is sadly common in this
impoverished nation and elsewhere throughout the region. Though the
precise number of children trafficked from Moldova and other
countries in the area is unknown and data are unavailable from local
authorities, the Temporary Centre for Minors in Moscow, Russia,
estimates that more than 50 per cent of the children begging on
Moscow streets are from Moldova. In 2001, the Russian Ministry of
Internal Affairs registered 500 minors trafficked from Moldova to
Russia for begging, of which some had been sexually abused.

The First Annual Report of the Counter-Trafficking Clearing Point 1/
reveals that the majority of victims trafficked for sexual
exploitation from Moldova to mainly Balkan countries are between 18
and 24 years of age. Other sources say younger children are
trafficked to Russia and Ukraine for economic exploitation. The lack
of visa requirements for CIS member states facilitates illegal
transportation of children within this region.

The International Organization for Migration and the NGO "La Strada"
report that 40 per cent of children trafficked to CIS, Bosnia-
Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia-Montenegro, Kosovo and
Albania come from abusive, single-parent families or have been in
boarding institutions. More than a half are orphans, or lost the
contact with their parents.

In either case, they are easy prey for traffickers. Minors are often
recruited from rural areas where about 60 per cent face a higher risk
of sinking into poverty because of the low productivity and incomes
in the agricultural sector affecting the overwhelming majority of
rural workers.

Moldova, Romania and Ukraine are reported as most significant sending
countries in terms of scale and Albania as a major source and transit
country for the trafficking of women and children from the Balkans to
Western Europe. To support the Government of Moldova fulfill its
commitments under relevant international labour standards governing
child labour 2/, the ILO included Moldova in the recently launched
sub-regional project called "Combating Trafficking of Children for
Labour and Sexual Exploitation in the Balkans, Ukraine and Republic
of Moldova".

This three-year project will be funded by the Governments of the
Unites States and Germany and implemented by the ILO International
Program on Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), a leader in
accomplishing of action programs against child Labour.

The project mainly aims at improving capacity of governments, workers
and employers' organizations, NGOs and others in civil society
concerned about child trafficking to effectively prevent and
eliminate child labour, giving priority to its worst forms; to
reinforce the existing mechanisms; and to provide for knowledge and
experience sharing on child labour and replication of best practices
interventions at national and at the sub-regional level.

In line with the provisions of the recently signed Memorandum of
Understanding for cooperation in the area of eliminating of child
labour, and being committed to ensure in-country "ownership" and
sustainability of the IPEC's interventions, the Government of Moldova
will create a National Steering Committee (NSC) to observe the
achievement by the Government and responsible agencies of the
objectives and targets set by the ILO programmes. Participation of
various governmental, social and non-governmental partners in the NSC
will contribute to the mainstreaming of the issues of working
children into all relevant national policies.

Afghanistan: The spring trap is sprung

By Syed Saleem Shahzad

Asia Times (Hong Kong)

March 11, 2004

KARACHI - In a clear indication that the spring offensive against suspected Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border will be launched soon, United States Secretary of State Colin Powell is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on March 17, a visit that comes on the heels of British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's own journey to Islamabad last week. After Powell's trip, US Chief of Central Command General John Abizaid will also make his way to Pakistan.

These visits are all in preparation for the upcoming "game", one that will have broad consequences for the region. At a time when rebellious feelings are quickly taking root in the Pakistani tribal regions of South and North Waziristan - tribal leaders have unanimously demanded the withdrawal of Pakistani forces from the tribal areas - plans for the new operation are nearing their final stages.

An operation outline

The scope of the upcoming operation is far broader in both Afghanistan and Pakistan than it has been in the past, and is likely to be launched in April, according to high-level sources that spoke to Asia Times Online. An important development has already taken place on the Afghan front: access to Tora Bora has been restricted by international and Afghan military forces. While this piece of information made news around the globe, what is little known is that there is a truce between local Afghan military bosses in Jalalabad and local warlords associated with Hezb-i-Islami, the Afghanistan rebel group led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar that is spearheading the Afghan resistance movement.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the border in Pakistan's Khyber agency and surrounding areas, it is alleged that Osama bin Laden built bunkers and tunnels, echoing the path he took in the Tora Bora mountains, from where he escaped advancing US-led troops in early 2002 after the fall of the Taliban. Sources maintain that if bin Laden is not arrested in Khyber agency, it is unlikely he will be located as it is the only static refuge besides Tora. At the same time, the region is where guerrilla fighters take refuge for longer periods to plan their next guerrilla attack. This information is very much known to US authorities, which is why Khyber agency is one of the next targets for the operation against al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

It is also believed that the spring operations will cover not only Afghan and the Pakistani tribal areas, but the city centers of both countries. The high-level sources say that the US is working to paralyze all possible support systems to the Taliban and al-Qaeda from cities in Pakistan.

In the next sweep, the US is expected to play an active role within Pakistan; however, the mission has been kept secret as this is a very sensitive issue in the country. The owners of major Pakistani press organizations have already been warned against coverage of events showing US involvement in Pakistan. And for foreign media correspondents, new proposals are under review to restrict their movements, as well as monitor their writing.

Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf, who faces significant domestic political pressure against US deployments in Pakistan, has repeatedly denied the presence of US troops.

Putting on the pressure

The US has already pressured Pakistan to take all the necessary steps to ensure the spring operation will be a success. In an extraordinary development highlighting the intricacies of the operation, the Corps Commander in Peshawar, Lieutenant-General Ali Jan Orakzai, has retired a month prematurely. Major General Safdar Hussain will take his place. Sources from Peshawar maintain that Orakzai will be installed as governor of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province in compensation for his premature retirement.

Orakzai has been in Washington's bad books since last year, when he visited the US and openly condemned the behavior of US authorities towards Pakistanis. Orakzai was an official guest, but was forced to go through a plethora of screenings and checks at the immigration counter on his arrival. As well as complaining about this particular incident, Orakzai spoke against what he felt was discriminatory behavior against Pakistanis at functions hosted by the Pakistani embassy in the US.

These changes in command come amid word that US authorities have made a special request: in the next phase of operations, all Pashtun officers should be separated from those officers actually involved in the spring offensive, whose names would be vetted by US authorities. (Pashtuns are generally sympathetic to the ethnic Pashtun Taliban.)

Orakzai is a Pashtun. Meanwhile, the new corps commander, Hussain, is from Punjab and enjoys good relations with US authorities. Previously posted in Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) , where he coordinated with US forces, Hussain is highly knowledgeable about the north western Pakistani region. Traditionally, the Pakistan army has been dominated by Punjabi and Pashtun officers, but for the past two years Pashtun officers have been greatly cut to size. In recent promotions, 18 brigadiers were elevated to the position of major-general, while only one Pashtun was given the same title.

Elsewhere, a list of Pakistan's most-wanted terrorists has been compiled by a newly formed group called the Special Investigation Cell. This group is headed by a Federal Investigation Agency director from the Pakistani side and by a Central Intelligence Agency official from the US side. As per the list, several top jihadis were recently picked up and interrogated. These events were not reported in the media.

This correspondent spoke with one of the men picked up, who once belonged to the banned Lashkar-i-Taiba and who is now an inactive office bearer. He was previously picked up by ISI and US Federal Bureau of Investigation officials and jointly and separately interrogated by these agencies, which wanted to know the whereabouts of Arab fighters hiding in the port city of Karachi.

The man was given clearance after several days of interrogation, but was picked up again for the same reason, and once again set free after he went through several stages of screenings and investigations. He has been told that since he is on the US's most-wanted list, he will be in contact with these agencies in the future.

Under the new operation, many big names associated with the Jamaat-i-Islami, the Jamiat-i-Ulema-i-Islam (Fazalur Rehman) , Jaish-i-Mohammed and the Lashkar-i-Taiba are expected to be interrogated. The names include Maulana Masood Azhar and Abdullah Shah Mazhar, two top-ranking jihadis.

At the same time, all those who previously fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan, since released from Afghan jails, will be required to report weekly to their local Afghan police stations and will occasionally be picked up by intelligence agencies for screening. Those Pakistanis released from Afghan jails will not be set free by Pakistani authorities and will be dealt with under a stringent legal clause.

From Kabul to Jalalabad and from Khyber agency to Karachi, an infrastructure is being put in place, all of which is being supervised by US authorities, to make the spring operations a success. The depth of these plans suggests that the battlefields will heat up in the near future, on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border. But whether these steps will actually help the US catch Osama remains the million-dollar question.

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