Taleban call for holy war

BBC ^ | February 8, 2003 | Rahimullah Yusufzai

[Indy Pendance]

The former Taleban regime of Afghanistan has issued a rare statement urging Afghans to take part in a jihad (holy war) against US-led coalition forces based in the country.

It said the Taleban considered the possible US attack on Iraq as a continuation of the crusades against Muslims and an onslaught on Islam.

The message was faxed from an unknown location in Pakistan and signed by Mohammad Mukhtar Mujahid, styling himself as a spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the name used by the Taleban while they were in power.

A senior Taleban leader, requesting anonymity, later confirmed that the communique was drafted on the directive of their supreme leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar.

Karzai 'puppet'

Addressed to the "Muslim and Mujahid nation of Afghanistan," the communique accused the US of committing aggression against their homeland and turning it into a colony.

It maintained that Afghanistan was insecure and unstable even after 13 months of foreign occupation.

Arguing that Afghan religious scholars had endorsed jihad against the US and the "puppet" government of Hamid Karzai, the Taleban communique said all the Afghans should wage the holy war under Mullah Omar's leadership.

It said Omar had appointed two Taleban leaders - Mullah Biradar and Mullah Obaidullah (a former defence minister) - as commanders of the new jihad.

Warning

Mullah Omar, who is wanted by the US, went into hiding after the Taleban were ousted in December, 2001.

According to the communique, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan warned all Afghans loyal to the US and the Karzai Government to dissociate themselves from their work or face consequences.

It gave a similar warning to political and media organisations and non-governmental organisations.

The countries that had sent their troops to Afghanistan in support of the US were also threatened with reprisals and reminded of the fate of the British and Soviet forces in Afghanistan.

The statement appealed to the Islamic countries to forge unity in their ranks to rid Muslims from the "yoke of the Western imperialism" and to win the rights of the peoples of Palestine, Kashmir, Chechnya and Afghanistan..

[SuziQ]

BRING IT, Tallibunnies!!

[Cindy]

LINKS OF INTEREST:

***ALBAWABA.com: "NASRALLAH CALLS ARABS TO DEFEND IRAQ" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The leader of Lebanon's Hizbullah movement warned the international community Friday against cooperating with America in a war that would be a disaster for Iraq and urged Arabs to take up arms and fight at Iraq's side. Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah...")(020703)

WHITEHOUSE.gov: "SECRETARY OF STATE ADDRESSES THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL" (Text, Video - February 5, 2003)

"TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER THE HON. JOHN HOWARD MP MINISTERIAL STATEMENT TO PARLIAMENT ON IRAQ" (February 4, 2003)

***INSIGHT On The News online: "AL-QAEDA OPERATIVES STILL ACTIVE IN IRAQ" by Kenneth R. Timmerman (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "An Islamic group with ties to al-Qaeda continues to operate in northern Iraq where it receives aid from Saddam Hussein's intelligence services, Iraqi opposition officials in Washington and London told Insight in recent interviews. The group, called Ansar al-Islam, is led by an Iraqi Kurd named Nejmeddin Faraj Ahmad (also known as Mullah Krekar) who trained with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in the 1980s.") (020403)

***ISLAM-ONLINE.net: "MULLAH OMAR URGES JIHAD AGAINST U.S. WAR ON IRAQ" by Hasbanullah Mutawakel, IOL Correspondent (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Peshawar, December 18 (IslamOnline) - Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar exhorted Muslims on Tuesday, December 17, to prepare for Jihad against the United States if it unleashes a military offensive against Iraq. In a statement published in the Pakistani Mashraq newspaper, Mullah Omar stressed it was time for the Islamic nation to stand in the face of world atheism and to attack American interests worldwide.") (121802)

***An Informative Discussion on FREEREPUBLIC.com regarding a FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com article by Jonathan Schanzer, THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: "ANSAR AL-ISLAM: IRAQ'S AL-QAEDA CONNECTION" (January 17, 2003)

FOX NEWS.com (AP): "ANOTHER EMPTY CHEMICAL WARHEAD FOUND IN IRAQ" (February 4, 2003)

THE NEW YORKER - FACT: A Reporter At Large: "THE UNKNOWN" by Jeffrey Goldberg (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Intelligence officials told me that the agency also takes seriously reports that an Iraqi known as Abu Wa'el, whose real name is Saadoun Mahmoud Abdulatif al-Ani, is the liaison of Saddam's intelligence service to a radical Muslim group called Ansar al-Islam, which controls a small enclave in northern Iraq; the group is believed by American and Kurdish intelligence officials to be affiliated with Al Qaeda. I learned of another possible connection early last year, while I was interviewing Al Qaeda operatives in a Kurdish prison in Sulaimaniya. There, a man whom Kurdish intelligence officials identified as a captured Iraqi agent told me that in 1992 he served as a bodyguard to Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden's deputy, when Zawahiri secretly visited Baghdad.") (February 3, 2003)

***CNS NEWS.com: "BLAIR WARNS HUSSEIN, AL QAEDA 'WILL COME TOGETHER IN DEADLY FORM'" by David Thibault (013103)

***An Interesting Discussion on FREEREPUBLIC.com regarding a NY DAILY NEWS.com article by James Gordon Meek: "REPORT: IRAQI SPIES IN U.S." (NYDAILYNEWS.com ARTICLE SNIPPET: "WASHINGTON - Iraq sent spies from Canada to New York and Washington this month to snoop and stir up anti-war demonstrations, according to a government report obtained by the Daily News.") (January 30, 2002)

An Interesting Discussion on FREEREPUBLIC.com regarding an AP article by Bourzou Daragahi published in WASHINGTON TIMES.com: "IRAQI DISSIDENT BACK ON SADDAM'S TURF" (February 1, 2003)

HAMBURG NEWS.com

***WorldNetDaily.com: "IRAQ THREATENS SUICIDE ATTACKS ON U.S. German Report Says Saddam Has Mobile Bio-Weapons Labs" (February 3, 2003)

[Indy Pendance]

Thanks, you always have these links ready. I've used them many times.

[HAL9000]

Are you saying, Jihads are so yesterday?

I'm saying the Afghans traditionally wait until the spring thaw to start their annual civil war offensives, and the Taliban won't start one this year due to logistical problems.

[HAL9000]

For instance - here are some old, pre-9/11 posts about the start of the Afghan war season -

3/30/2001 - Anti-Taliban Forces on the Offensive

4/15/2001 - Afghanistan: Opposition ready to launch offensive against Taliban

4/28/2001 - Afghanistan: Heavy fighting as Afghan war season starts

[blam]

"re post No.24: I searched and couldn't find a Mohammad Mukhtar Mujahid. A lot of hits on this:"

Thanks but, I wasn't planning on tracking him down myself.

[Cindy]

FBI.gov: "MOST WANTED TERRORISTS" (CLICK HERE NOW to view the WANTED Posters.)

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN? (Click Here to view this FBI poster.)

[Cindy]

re post No. 46 -- No problem. Just FYI.

[JohnathanRGalt]

It said the Taleban considered the possible US attack on Iraq as a continuation of the crusades against Muslims and an onslaught on Islam.

I am hoping this is ringing hollow...build more schools quick...send more aide

Yes, it is ringing hollow. Even to Muslims.

al Qaida affiliated web sites *NOT* welcome in Hawaii

I just received the following from Abdul-Rashid Abdullah. I'll let the man speak for himself:

Aloha

I tried calling you but I reached your fax line. Perhaps you were out? At any rate, your posting was called to my attention. I was unaware that one of my clients who has a dedicated server with me was hosting such sites on it. I have immediately shutdown the server and informed my client that he will have to look for services elsewhere. If you investigate about me further, you will see that I am consistent on these kinds of issues. I am for freedom of speech, but I do believe the ideas of some these groups is a direct threat to the security of the entire world.

I am sad that you did not communicate with me directly to inform me of this issue. I would have dealt with it immediately. Perhaps you are so used to other Muslims who would vehemently defend such a thing. Well, I do not and I would hope that you remove your posting from your site. I run a legitimate business and I do not appreciate the Muslim community of Hawaii being given a bad image. You will find in our community several Muslim-Jewish dialogues which I have participated in. I am American of Italian descent so I do not share the same view on Palestine and many other issues that much of my fellow Arab Muslims share.

I hope that you give me a call to discuss this matter further and to join in working on combatting terrorist sites. I usually hear about these things weeks after the fact, but a friend of mine alerted me to this immediately and I was very disappointed.

Awaiting your call in Paradise...

Mahalo,

Abdul-Rashid Abdullah

I get confronted with so much hatred and hostility on a daily basis that it's almost shocking to be confronted instead with decent behavior. All blessings to Abdul-Rashid Abdullah. Kol Hachavod!

[Cindy]

re post No.49.

Thank you Mr. Galt for sharing this. That's really quite interesting.

[Cathryn Mataga]

Afghanistan is a huge mess right now. And the media isn't reporting it at all. Some of this is just that much of the country is run by guys with machine guns and a some poppy fields. So, they may go more to the high bidder -- than to Al Queda. But, still, the government there is not stable at all, and it's not clear to me if the central government of Afghanistan has much power outside a few blocks of Kabul.

With Iraq this is may be a 2 front war, at least. Afghanistan and Iraq, assuming there's some ongoing violence in Iraq.

[Diogenesis]

This is a result of the Red Cross freeing the Taliban.

Now the Armies of Good must fight them again. Thank you not Red Crescent/Cross.

---

[DoctorMichael]

The former Taleban regime of Afghanistan has issued a rare statement urging Afghans to take part in a jihad (holy war) against US-led coalition forces based in the country..........faxed from unknown location........

Yea sure, whatever.

[doug from upland]

They sure like to flap their gums, don't they? We are indeed in a holy war and may have to kill millions and millions of Islamists before it is over -- from Iraq to the Phillipines and all the other places around the world where these cockroaches hide and plan to kill innocent people.

We are fortunate to have a real leader instead of the guy who spent his time getting BJs from interns in PJs. This president has an historic opportunity to make changes in a area containing incredible natural resources along with incredible evil.

[mhking]

[Indy Pendance]

Thanks!

[Dog Gone]

Oh, this really is a funny story. What exactly is the Taliban government now? A handful of guys with rifles sitting around a campfire deep in the Afghan wilderness?

Talk about a government in exile!

This story will get much wider readership outside of Afghanistan than inside, and it's a joke to think the people of Afghanistan are going to turn against the western forces there, anyway.

I'm sorry we didn't capture Omar when he was cornered in Kandahar, but we couldn't really prosecute him, anyway. The guy has an insanity defense, and sending this fax only reinforces that.

[yonif]

This does nothing but support our right to be in Afghanistan currently and defeat the terrorist scum. Furthermore, It's not surprising none of the Muslim leaders in the United States have come out against this statement.

[Cindy]

re post no. 54: "This president has an historic opportunity to make changes in a area containing incredible natural resources along with incredible evil."

Yes. I'm looking forward to seeing the president stamp out evil --- here and over there.

[dfwgator]

Another day, another Jihad. *yawn*