Monday, March 24, 2008

Ayman al-Zawahri Calls for attacks on US and Israel

Two messages from bin Laden and now one from Ayman al-Zawahri, all in a matter of a week. The bin Laden tape led to questions about when it was made and why it was different from his other threatening messages and this new one by Ayman al-Zawahri calls for Muslims to attack Jewish and American targets worldwide.

Issuing so many in such a short time frame has some believing al-Qaeda is showing desperation and trying to use every prejudice and Arab anger to rally support for the terror network.

Bruce Hoffman, a counterterrorism expert, said that with al-Qaida in Iraq suffering setbacks, al-Qaida "has to look further afield and at least give an impression of an upward trajectory, that it's operating across the Middle East."

He noted al-Qaida's media arm, Al-Sahab, has dramatically stepped up output of audio and video tapes, issuing an average of one every three days in 2007, or more than double the 2006 rate.

"There comes a time when you have to back up your words," said Hoffman, a professor at Georgetown University. "With the increased drumbeat of propaganda ... it becomes an element of necessity — if you're talking so much you have to do something."

"Perhaps they don't have the ability to attack the United States, so they may turn to the next best enemy, either Israel or Europe," he added.


al-Zawahri, "Muslims, today is your day. Strike the interests of the Jews, the Americans, and all those who participated in the attack on Muslims. Monitor the targets, collect money, prepare the equipment, plan with precision, and then — while relying on God — assault, seeking martyrdom and paradise."


As usual both cowards, Bin Laden and al-Zawahri urge suicide attacks, bombing and murdering of innocent men women and children and as they watch their network losing support and their membership shrink as Muslims get tired of the violence against innocents, they will continue with all they have left.

Video and audio tapes begging for help.

The danger is real, there are still terrorists out there that are loyal to al-Qaeda and their murderous ideology and with the US Congress having let the FISA amendments expire, our intelligence gathering abilities are severely hindered according to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, who said that Congress' failure to act has, "delayed passage makes it harder to track terrorist suspects by the day."

Desperation often creates more danger and al-Qaeda's desperation could very well translate into high casualty rates and yet Congress still is showing their incompetence by not doing their job to protect the US.

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