Al Qaeda leader calls for attacks inside U.S.

[3005 332]

DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri urged small-scale attacks inside the United States to "bleed America economically", adding he hoped eventually to see a more significant strike, according to the SITE monitoring service.

In an audio speech released online a day after the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 strikes, Zawahri said attacks "by one brother or a few of the brothers" would weaken the U.S. economy by triggering big spending on security, SITE reported.

Western counter-terrorism chiefs have warned that radicalized "lone wolves" who might have had no direct contact with al Qaeda posed as great a risk as those who carried out complex plots like the 9/11 attacks.

"We should bleed America economically by provoking it to continue in its massive expenditure on its security, for the weak point of America is its economy, which has already begun to stagger due to the military and security expenditure," he said.

Keeping America in such a state of tension and anticipation only required a few disparate attacks "here and there", he said

"As we defeated it in the gang warfare in Somalia, Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan, so we should follow it with ...war on its own land. These disparate strikes can be done by one brother or a few of the brothers."

At the same time, Muslims should seize any opportunity to land "a large strike" on the United States, even if this took years of patience.

The Sept 11, 2001 attacks, in which hijacked airliners were flown into New York's World Trade Center, the Pentagon in Washington and a Pennsylvania field, triggered a global fight against al Qaeda extremists and their affiliates. Almost 3,000 people were killed in the attacks.

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi shout sl …
In his audio speech, Zawahri said Muslims should refuse to buy goods from America and its allies, as such spending only helped to fund U.S. military action in Muslim lands. He added that Muslims should abandon the U.S. dollar and replace it with the currency of nations that did not attack Muslims.

Zawahri spoke approvingly of one of the worst attacks on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001, the bombing of the Boston Marathon in April, which U.S. authorities say was carried out by two ethnic Chechen Muslim brothers. The attack killed three people and injured 264.

Zawahri sought to paint the bombing as part of al Qaeda's violent transnational campaign of jihad or holy war against U.S. interests, even if it was relatively small-scale.

"The Boston incident confirms to the Americans ... that they are not facing individuals, organizations or groups, but they are facing an uprising Ummah (Muslim community), that rose in jihad to defend its soul, dignity and capabilities."

"What the American regime refuses to admit is that al Qaeda is a message before it was an organization," he said.

Zawahri, suspected by many security specialists to be living in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area, added that the al Qaeda message simply was that if Muslims wanted to live in dignity and "be liberated", then they had to defend their dignity.

 

Source: http://news.yahoo.co...-055757870.html

[PlunderSteed 1,252]

Same claptrap they've been spewing for decades: destroy everyone and everything that doesn't defer to the most radical forms of Islam.  It's kind of funny...they never really talk about what they actually plan to do with the world if they manage to accomplish this goal.  There's no clear end game, almost like they've been so absorbed with the means that they never really fleshed out the ends.

[Katana 298]

This is why I think cell phones are some of the most important inventions of the past few decades. They've already had a pretty big impact all over Africa, but...

 

Think of it this way. As NLR said, this is some of the most idiotic drivel, that the only way anyone would listen to it is if it's the only propaganda they receive. Those children that Al Qaeda take custody of and indoctrinate might honestly think the United States is some sort of demonic hell, where enormous white men with demon horns laugh at the poor civilizations they oppress. Even getting a view of the world from the streets of Baghdad might give someone a more civil view of the world.

 

As for the leaders? The fully-grown adults who honestly believe this stuff? It just seems so weird that they're apparently intelligent enough to survive discovery from NATO forces, because oftentimes they don't really sound like it.

[Scootalove 10,689]

Al Qaeda just needs to stop already. They already did their damage 12 years ago, they don't need to do anymore because they label the United States as the oppressive government who does everything badly. There is no need for these attacks anymore.

[CT-1138 3,182]

They do have a point, though. They point out the same thing I have noticed for years: we're spending a ridiculous amount on security and for what? Imaginary safety? If we're sacrificing our freedom in the name of safety, then why do we still have things like the Boston Bombing? The post 9/11 has become a time of fear mongering, where the powerful prey upon the weak with warnings of terrorism. Yes, innocent people died, and yes it was a tragedy, but at our most dire hour, instead of standing resilient and strong, we bowed down and cowered in fear as we let the threat of terrorism strip our civil liberties. We may have won the Battle in the Middle East, but we lost against the War on Terrorism. We lost the second that we sacrificed liberty for perceived safety and so traded one evil for another. And now the media throws the word "terrorist" around like it's a hotdog. The government has wrapped us up in a red scare and paint any killing out as if terrorist are coming to get us in the night.

Edited September 14, 2013 by Dinos4Ever

[Silverhoof 2,844]

The jihadists need to adopt a different strategy.
Here it is in three parts.

1) Stop killing people. Stop the terror attacks and amazingly: the west will leave the arab world alone.
Think. What happened after 9-11? The invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. The direct result of terror was two arab nations occupied by Western powers.

Maybe if muslims stop killing people the world might think better of them. Hey, it's worth a try.
It's your side's turn to "Give peace a chance."

2) Stop killing people. It doesn't win you friends, and the world thinks you're barbarians.
And while you are at it, stop the honor killings too.

 

3) Stop Killing people. There are no 72 virgins wait for suicide bombers. If there were, all the old men would be suiciding and not the young teens how haven't learned to think critically yet. The only thing a suicide bomb will earn you is eternity in Hell.

 

Conclusion: What have we learned here today?

If you leave people alone they will leave you alone. Thank you. And stop killing people!

 

This has been a public service announcement for Al Queda jihadist types, and those who support them.

[Shanks 10,816]

1) Stop killing people. Stop the terror attacks and amazingly: the west will leave the arab world alone.

The west would leave the Arab world alone if it didn't have a little thing called oil, it dosen't excuse nutjobs blowing people to smithereens but I am against all forms of terrorism including the state sponsored terrorism that the western world calls "foreign policy". Democratically elected Iranian leader Mossadeq was removed in the 50's because he wanted to nationalize his countries oil industry and replaced with a brutal dictator called the Shah who was replaced when an angry mob ran him out of the country and replaced him with a theocracy. We armed Muslim radicals in Afghanistan during the 80's to drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan, the same ones that would later become Al Qaeda. Armed Saddam Hussein with the same weapons he used to ethnically cleanse the Kurds and launch a war against the Iranians around that same time. Of course Saddam got thrown out like yesterdays trash once he was no longer useful to American "interests". It seems like there would be far fewer people sympathetic to Al Qaeda if America simply stopped bombing countries, and arming/propping up puppet dictators and removing ones that do not serve western corporate interests.

 

Even with this all in mind though the goal of a terrorist is to use fear, without that fear they have no real power. Lets get realistic here the odds of another 9/11 style attack unless it is a false flag operation ie inside job is practically zero. Yes there are crazies that want to blow us up but I am a lot more afraid of the crazies in Washington pushing for more unconstitutional undeclared wars of aggression than I am of a bunch of boogeymen in caves. I am serious we really need to throw them in jail before they end up starting World War III.

[PlunderSteed 1,252]

For clarification, there is not (nor was there ever) any oil in Afghanistan.  It's a mostly barren, poverty-stricken, thinly populated stretch of mountainous wilderness.  We've always known this; any attempt to link the war in Afghanistan to the Western need for oil is misguided.

 

Just wanted to point that out before that particular (non)-debate sprang up...again.

Edited September 15, 2013 by NLR Information Minister

[Galen 1,354]

The jihadists need to adopt a different strategy.

Here it is in three parts.

 

1) Stop killing people. Stop the terror attacks and amazingly: the west will leave the arab world alone.

Think. What happened after 9-11? The invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. The direct result of terror was two arab nations occupied by Western powers.

 

Maybe if muslims stop killing people the world might think better of them. Hey, it's worth a try.

It's your side's turn to "Give peace a chance."

 

2) Stop killing people. It doesn't win you friends, and the world thinks you're barbarians.

And while you are at it, stop the honor killings too.

 

3) Stop Killing people. There are no 72 virgins wait for suicide bombers. If there were, all the old men would be suiciding and not the young teens how haven't learned to think critically yet. The only thing a suicide bomb will earn you is eternity in Hell.

 

Conclusion: What have we learned here today?

If you leave people alone they will leave you alone. Thank you. And stop killing people!

 

This has been a public service announcement for Al Queda jihadist types, and those who support them.

 

You know, "stop killing people" also very easily applies to the west. The vast majority of modern conflicts taking place in the ME and Afghanistan are the direct result of western interference. It was the US that armed the Mujaheddin, which later came to be known as Al Qaeda. It was the US and the UK that caused the instability in Iran when they tried to strongarm their methodology and place someone of their liking in power following the APOC/AIOC crisis (Anglo-Persian/Iranian Oil Company). It was the US that put Saddam in power.

 

Additionally, US "intervention" served only to feed internal conflict instead of putting a resolution to it. Looking at what is happening in Afghanistan with the Taliban should be proof of this. The same applies with what is happening/could happen in Syria and Lebanon. The west killed countless innocents in many countries in the area that it shouldn't be surprising that there's such discontent with western "intervention" that leads people to becoming terrorists, either joining a major group or working alone. So if you're gonna say the jihadists should stop killing people, so too should you say the west has to stop killing people pretending it'll bring peace.

[Guest DJ Hydrolicious]

Its a sad, sad, world out there. I don't understand why the US can't leave everyone the fuck alone. I mean come on are you trying to put your country in danger.

[long gone 8,929]

They've been saying this for years, but since 9/11 nothing has happened. They're like North Korea, they keep saying they're going to do something to us but never do anything.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 41,558]

The jihadists need to adopt a different strategy.Here it is in three parts.

1) Stop killing people. Stop the terror attacks and amazingly: the west will leave the arab world alone.

Think. What happened after 9-11? The invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq. The direct result of terror was two arab nations occupied by Western powers.

Maybe if muslims stop killing people the world might think better of them. Hey, it's worth a try.

It's your side's turn to "Give peace a chance."

2) Stop killing people. It doesn't win you friends, and the world thinks you're barbarians.

And while you are at it, stop the honor killings too.

 

3) Stop Killing people. There are no 72 virgins wait for suicide bombers. If there were, all the old men would be suiciding and not the young teens how haven't learned to think critically yet. The only thing a suicide bomb will earn you is eternity in Hell.

 

Conclusion: What have we learned here today?

If you leave people alone they will leave you alone. Thank you. And stop killing people!

 

This has been a public service announcement for Al Queda jihadist types, and those who support them.

9/11 was not the reason we went over there, rather it was the excuse we used. Yes, let's send over a bunch of military stuff just because a couple of guys from one terrorist group attacked us then stay there after we kill their leader. Makes a ton of sense.

 

Also, point number 3, that is just a pure oxymoron. Trying to counter something fake with something fake doesn't exactly make much of an impact but I digress.

 

Truly, what can these people do besides threaten? In fact, what else do they NEED to do? It is obviously working this way. Give the government more fuel to restrict our rights more and they will abide by that in droves.

[PlunderSteed 1,252]

9/11 was not the reason we went over there, rather it was the excuse we used. Yes, let's send over a bunch of military stuff just because a couple of guys from one terrorist group attacked us then stay there after we kill their leader. Makes a ton of sense.

 

Also, point number 3, that is just a pure oxymoron. Trying to counter something fake with something fake doesn't exactly make much of an impact but I digress.

 

Truly, what can these people do besides threaten? In fact, what else do they NEED to do? It is obviously working this way. Give the government more fuel to restrict our rights more and they will abide by that in droves.

 

You make some good points there.  Their recent argument makes a little bit of sense on paper, but honestly...is the US actually going to collapse because it spends too much on security?  Not likely.  The recent sequestration has caused a realignment in federal funding, and there have been many cuts in DoD and DHS spending as a result.  Politicians and laypersons alike have no interest in allowing such an over-simplified, short-sighted misallocation of priorities to be our undoing.

 

Bottom line: that's what al Qaeda wants to happen, but there's no reasonable chance that it will.

[Frith is Magick 1,471]

It's the strangest thing. Drop a few bombs and launch a major military operation on someone's country and all of the sudden they want to bleed the economy dry for absolutely no reason at all. It's almost as if those idiots believe targeting the economy will force the U.S. to cut military spending and withdraw.

 

It's almost as if they want people to be afraid and do their jobs for them. Not only will be afraid of a potential bombing every time they leave they leave the house, they will become suspicious of everybody else. The Tsarnaev brothers weren't visible Muslims, in fact, most visible Muslims want nothing to do with terrorism. American citizens should be very afraid, not of terrorists, but of their government. Small-scale, lone-wolf attacks are harder to notice and prevent. Either these bombers will slip through the cracks, or government action will turn the U.S. into a George Orwell novel.

 

The government has painted itself into a corner. Withdraw and look weak, or attack and turn  more people towards Al-Qaeda. The next few years will be interesting to witness.

[PlunderSteed 1,252]

The government has painted itself into a corner. Withdraw and look weak, or attack and turn  more people towards Al-Qaeda. The next few years will be interesting to witness.

 

It's easy to say "the government" has painted itself into a corner, but the reality is that modern democracies simply allow their governments be filled with selfish people who twist policy to support their own power base.  It's a kind of laziness and apathy that can only happen among people who are comfortable enough to have the luxury of not really caring about the details.  "The government" is just people: portraying it as a sentient, sinister thing in its own right is a pretty silly way to look at it.

[Frith is Magick 1,471]

 

 

It's easy to say "the government" has painted itself into a corner, but the reality is that modern democracies simply allow their governments be filled with selfish people who twist policy to support their own power base.  It's a kind of laziness and apathy that can only happen among people who are comfortable enough to have the luxury of not really caring about the details.  "The government" is just people: portraying it as a sentient, sinister thing in its own right is a pretty silly way to look at it.

Very true. I am a Canadian citizen, so voting in american politics is off the table. The problem up here in Canada (at least, I think this is the problem) is that everybody is willing to protest, but nobody wants to vote for change. The Liberals have a face with no platform, the NDP and Green Party have questionable views on resource economics, and the Conservatives stay in power not because we like them (quite the opposite), but because our other options are lacking. I imagine this is worse in the united states, which has only 2 major parties. Those in power use said power to maintain control, rather than take meaningful action.

 

Voting and protest is how the people in a democracy influence the government. Sadly, representatives of the voters tend to express their own interests rather than the interests of those they represent. Protest usually results in a token gesture from the government. In theory, a democratic government answers to the people, but increasingly politicians act only in self interest, rather than in the interest of those they are supposed to represent, turning government into a group of individuals who are breaking away from the people. 

 

Back to the topic, going into the Middle East guns a'blazin' shock and awe style was probably not the best way to respond. It boosted national morale, but it would have been easier (and cheaper) to launch one or two quiet operations and seek a more diplomatic route with foreign leaders. A little discretion and PR could have gone a long way in improving the situation. There will always be extremists, but the collateral damage of the war on terrorism only exacerbated the problem.