Al Qaeda in Iraq followers told to kill 'at least one American'

Damocles

Damocles

Accedo!
Staff member
(CNN) -- The leader of al Qaeda in Iraq urged his followers to kill at least one American in the next two weeks using a sniper rifle, explosive or "whatever the battle may require," according to an audiotape that aired Thursday on Al-Jazeera.

The Arabic news network identified the man on the tape as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, however CNN was unable to independently verify his identity.

Al-Muhajer took command of the terror network's partner group in Iraq after an American airstrike killed its former leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, in June, U.S. officials say.

Al-Muhajer, which means "the immigrant," is the pseudonym adopted by Abu Ayyub al-Masri, an Egyptian militant believed to be an expert at making car bombs, U.S. officials say.

"I invite you not to drop your weapons, and don't let your souls or your enemies rest until each one of you kills at least one American within a period that does not exceed 15 days with a sniper's gunshot or incendiary devices or Molotov cocktail or a suicide car bomb -- whatever the battle may require," the speaker says on the tape.

More at Link
 
so I guess we can get a good count on the number of Al Qaeda in Iraq by simply counting the Americans killed in the next 15 days.

That should be instructive.
 
Of course they are told to kill Americans, they as we consider themselves at war.
However would this be an issue if we had not invaded Iraq ?
 
uscitizen said:
Of course they are told to kill Americans, they as we consider themselves at war.
However would this be an issue if we had not invaded Iraq ?
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I don't know, what it an issue before then? Did they kill Americans before we invaded Iraq? Did OBL and al Qaeda ever say that they were at war with America before March of 2003?

Yeah, I'd say it would be an issue if we hadn't invaded Iraq.
 
But tha AQ in Iraq would have been few and far between if we had not invaded Iraq. the invasion iof Iraq has been a huge recruitment tool. Ie If someone invaded us I figure even the armchair war hawks and tree hugging liberals would join up to oppose the invaders.
 
uscitizen said:
But tha AQ in Iraq would have been few and far between if we had not invaded Iraq. the invasion iof Iraq has been a huge recruitment tool. Ie If someone invaded us I figure even the armchair war hawks and tree hugging liberals would join up to oppose the invaders.
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The person saying it would have been somewhere else. This is inane. They have made statements much like it before the invasion, they will make more like it after the invasion. This Iraq is the cause of al Qaeda rhetoric is disingenuous.
 
Avoiding the issue of the Iraq invasion boosting the member count and the validity of the AQ to the Islamic people Damo ?
 
uscitizen said:
Avoiding the issue of the Iraq invasion boosting the member count and the validity of the AQ to the Islamic people Damo ?
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I think any action would do that anywhere. That we, as a group, were not at war with them didn't change that they were at war with us. If we had only been in Afghanistan al Qaeda would be doing the same thing there...

No action, IMO, would be wrong, any action, IMO, would create the same reaction from al Qaeda. And any success at all by them would be taken as "validity" by those who were likely to join such a group...
 
Damocles said:
The person saying it would have been somewhere else. This is inane. They have made statements much like it before the invasion, they will make more like it after the invasion. This Iraq is the cause of al Qaeda rhetoric is disingenuous.
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the INVASION of Iraq gave them the pulpit imo.... yes, they were saying things like this all along, but we never heard about it...and many muslims never heard about their jihad calls either or ignored them....including the news media.
 
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Care4all said:
the INVASION of Iraq gave them the pulpit imo.... yes, they were saying things like this all along, but we never heard about it...and many muslims never heard about their jihad calls either or ignored them....including the news media.
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I think, over time, just as they did to the Soviets, action in Afghanistan would have given them that same pulpit. The Arab Street stood and cheered when the Towers fell, we watched them... Saying that they wouldn't have taken any success by al Qaeda "in Afghanistan" (play on the al Qaeda in Iraq theme) to heart and incentive to join is IMO a mistake that focuses only on Iraq and pretends that these people showed no enmity before Iraq.
 
I will side with Damo on this issue. Iraq has been a debacle, no doubt. Underestimations were made after the initial onslaught and the exit strategy, if we ever had one, was no where near accurate. But to say that Al Queda wouldn't be where they are today if we hadn't invaded Iraq is not reasonable. It appears to be the battle cry for the far left to "get at" the Bush administration. Most of the reasonable people (both parties) that I talk politics with see it as such. This administration has done enough wrong for folks to "get at" them about. To grasp at straws about the Iraq invasion boosting the terrorists will hurt the far left specifically and the Democratic party in general, IMO. It's one that most folks can see through.
 
Damocles said:
I think, over time, just as they did to the Soviets, action in Afghanistan would have given them that same pulpit. The Arab Street stood and cheered when the Towers fell, we watched them... Saying that they wouldn't have taken any success by al Qaeda "in Afghanistan" (play on the al Qaeda in Iraq theme) to heart and incentive to join is IMO a mistake that focuses only on Iraq and pretends that these people showed no enmity before Iraq.
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What EXACTLY does the Arab Street mean Damo? Who is the Arab Street? The palestinians is the Arab Street? the way you worded it, is as though all the arabs out there CELEBRATED the falling of the twin towers, is that what you really mean to imply?

And what about America? Phelps was at the twin towers MOCKING the dead coming out of it and saying this was God's work to punish us for homosexual behavior and crud like that, as they were still burning with signs that were outright cruel to the victim's families....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrations_of_the_September_11,_2001_attacks

Care
 
The Arab Street stood and cheered when the Towers fell, we watched them...

This is really a mischaracterization.

Don't you remember that something like 100,000 people at an Iranian soccer game (or something, I can't remember exactly) observed a moment of silence for the american victims?

Fox News showed a handful of palestinians celebrating. But, that was not the broad reaction of the arab street.
 
Care4all said:
What EXACTLY does the Arab Street mean Damo? Who is the Arab Street? The palestinians is the Arab Street? the way you worded it, is as though all the arabs out there CELEBRATED the falling of the twin towers, is that what you really mean to imply?

And what about America? Phelps was at the twin towers MOCKING the dead coming out of it and saying this was God's work to punish us for homosexual behavior and crud like that, as they were still burning with signs that were outright cruel to the victim's families....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrations_of_the_September_11,_2001_attacks

Care
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Phelps didn't draw crowds of people in the street, and it wasn't just Palestinians who celbrated. This is selective memory for sure. As reports of the fall of the Towers were broadcast many Arab nations had impromptu celebrations happen. The official position of the government notwithstanding...

The Arab Street is exactly that and spoken of often in an intelligence as well as a news capacity, pretending this is the first time you have heard it is disingenuous and I do not believe it for a second. Also pretending that you think it was only Palestinians who celebrated the fall is just as disingenuous.

Attempting to equate Phelps with crowds of celbrants is ridiculous. Also Phelps didn't even hit the news until much later by protesting funerals... Find me one link of Phelps in September of 2001.
 
You know if I wanted to be a real stickler. I would point out that citing the moment of silence of the Iranians doesn't refute the idea that the Arab street celebrated because Iranians aren't Arabs.
 
IHateGovernment said:
You know if I wanted to be a real stickler. I would point out that citing the moment of silence of the Iranians doesn't refute the idea that the Arab street celebrated because Iranians aren't Arabs.
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Not only that, but the Iranian government can order a "moment of silence" without it being the will of the "street"...

But he is right, Aryans are not Arabs.
 
Cypress said:
The Arab Street stood and cheered when the Towers fell, we watched them...

This is really a mischaracterization.

Don't you remember that something like 100,000 people at an Iranian soccer game (or something, I can't remember exactly) observed a moment of silence for the american victims?

Fox News showed a handful of palestinians celebrating. But, that was not the broad reaction of the arab street.
Click to expand...

Its revisionist history to deny we didn't have the world behind us after 9/11 - and that bush squandered it.

No doubt, some arabs took a perverse pleasure in the destruction wrought on america. Judging from the comments by some on this board about nuking all arabs, and intiating wars on islam, some americans too would celebrate if bush nuked iran.

Here was the broad reaction for the muslim street, though:

Expression of Grief and Sympathy in the Muslim world:

- The terrorist act was strongly condemned by every single Palestinian organization including Fatah, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Hamas, Workers Unions and Committees, Human Right organizations (AlHaq, Law, Palestine Center for Human Rights), student associations, municipalities, mosques and churches, etc.

- The US Consul General in Jerusalem reported that he has received a huge stack of faxes from Palestinians and Palestinian organizations expressing condolences, grief and solidarity. He himself was pained to see that the media chose to focus on the sensational images of a few Palestinians rejoicing.

- The Palestine Legislative Council condemned the terrorist attack on the United States and sent an urgent letter of condolences to Mr. J Dennis Hasterd, Speaker of the House of Representatives.

- Palestinians in East Jerusalem held a candle-light vigils on 12 and 14 September to express their grief and solidarity with the American families struck by this tragedy. Mr. Abdel Qader Al-Husseini, son of the late Palestinian leader Faisal Al-Husseini led one of the vigils.

- Jerusalem University students, along with the President of the University and the Deans of the various Faculties, began a blood donation drive in East Jerusalem. Students and professors went to hospitals in order to donate blood for the American victims who need it.

- The 1 million Palestinian students in the Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, stood five minutes in silence to express their solidarity with the hundreds of American children who have been struck by this strategy, which resembles in its shocking effects their daily sufferings. (see image to the right)

-In Iran, Tehran's main soccer stadium observed an unprecedented minute's silence in sympathy with the victims.

-Iran's Ayatollah Imami Kashani spoke of a catastrophic act of terrorism which could only be condemned by all Muslims, adding the whole world should mobilise against terrorism.


http://groups.colgate.edu/aarislam/...ef and sympathy in the Arab and Muslim world:
 
LOL. In Iran... blah, blah. I was speaking of spontaneous celbration, you speak of actions by leadership. And if you don't think the stadium in Iran is run by the government I don't know which world you live in!
 
Damocles said:
LOL. In Iran... blah, blah. I was speaking of spontaneous celbration, you speak of actions by leadership. And if you don't think the stadium in Iran is run by the government I don't know which world you live in!
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You'd be hard pressed to find video footage of arabs "celebrating", other than a few video loops from fox news, of a handful of palestinians.

The majority of arabs and muslims were shocked and saddened by the attacks. This is a fact.
 
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