Al-Qaeda Commander in Northern Iraq: We Are in Dire Straits
Al-Qaeda Commander in Northern Iraq: We Are in Dire Straits On February 12, 2008, the Qatari daily Al-'Arab published an interview with Al-Qaeda commander in northern Iraq Abu-Turab Al-Jaza'iri. The interview, at an Al-Qaeda hideout in northern Iraq, was conducted according to Al-Qaeda's stipulations - including no disclosure of the region where it took place and no communications or recording equipment of any kind brought to the site. During the interview, Al-Jaza'iri acknowledged that Al-Qaeda's position in Iraq was difficult, and that Al-Qaeda had committed mistakes, including indiscriminately murdering civilians, which had caused its popularity to decline sharply. He also termed the most recent terrorist attacks in Algiers 'folly.' The following are excerpts from the interview:
We Have Been Forced to Withdraw from Several Cities
Asked about Al-Qaeda's position in Iraq, with reference to the U.S. announcement that it had been paralyzed, Al-Jaza'iri replied: "[The Islamic Republic of Iraq] is alive, striking, bombing, and planning to attack various military targets belonging to the Crusaders and to betrayers of Islam, i.e. the Shi'ites and Kurds who have joined the occupier
"It is true that we have lost several cities and have been forced to withdraw from others, after a large number of [Sunni] tribal leaders betrayed Islam and when their tribe members joined forces against us. However, we are still fighting, and the 'paralysis' mentioned by the Crusaders is true only for some of the regions. [Besides,] it is common knowledge that any war always involves advance and retreat, so that [even] in those regions I wouldn't call our position 'paralysis,' but rather 'the [changing] conditions of the war.'"
Al-Jaza'iri added: "I do not want to paint a false picture: Our position is very difficult, but we are fighting, and will continue to do so"
Reasons for the Decrease in Al-Qaeda's Popularity
Asked about possible reasons for the decrease in Al-Qaeda's popularity, Al-Jaza'iri said that indiscriminately murdering civilians had been a mistake that had "harmed the organization's reputation."
He stated: "In the Al-Anbar [district], for example, Sunni Iraqis voluntarily enlisted for jihad activity not because [they believed in] it, but because they hated the Americans and [wished] to take revenge on them and on the betrayers of Islam. Some were motivated by financial considerations, and got carried away with murdering and executing futile attacks, which killed a lot of unfortunate individuals.
"Neither can I ignore the U.S. and Iraqi intelligence apparatuses, or the media, which caters [to the Americans] and which has accused us of carrying out attacks in which we had no part - such as the attack at the Al-Habbaniyahmosque west of Al-Faluja, or the [attacks] in Al-Faluja and Al-Ramadi, where lethal chlorine gas was used. The killing of the Crusaders and of the tribal leaders who collaborated with the betrayers of Islam should have been carried out more intelligently."
Our Brothers in Algeria Disregarded the Rules
Regarding the latest incidents in Algeria, Al-Jaza'iri said: "The attacks in Algeria sparked animated debate here in Iraq. I believe that had I been a leader there, this would not have happened - because most of the youths who enlisted in Al-Qaeda were still adolescents, motivated by resentment, revenge, and hatred of the ruling regime and the rich, who were sucking the blood of the people, rather than by shari'a.
"This is exactly what happened in Al-Ramadi, a city in western Iraq about which I have told you, where a few individuals caused a lot of bloodshed. Algeria is not under occupation like Iraq; its army and the police force are from among the people, and its people are Muslims. We have a religious principle: 'There is no imperative to kill every person whose apostasy has been proven.' How much less so if [such a person] attests that 'there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger.' [Furthermore, there must be a distinction between] incidents in which the apostasy has been proven and the apostate persists in it - in which case the qadi sentences the apostate to death - and [incidents] in which the apostate [confesses] and renounces his mistake - [in which case] his repentance is accepted...
"[My] brothers in Algeria disregarded all these laws - [an omission] which has harmed our good name, and which, moreover, has damaged the entire Salafi movement - while the only one to profit was the regime that had betrayed Islam and its allies.
"By Allah! Had they told me they were planning to harm the [Algerian] president and his family, I would say: Blessing be upon them! But explosions in the streets, blood [flowing] knee-deep, the killing of soldiers whose wages are not even enough for them eat at third-rate restaurants, let alone second- or first-rate ones! - and calling all this jihad - by Allah, it's sheer idiocy!
"I appeal to them to come to the country of glory, Iraq, and to wage jihad here, in the Land of the Two Rivers. However, if they decide to remain in hiding, carrying out attacks that harm the poor, the deprived, those who are ignorant in questions of religion, and those who sin out of ignorance - [such behavior] is forbidden, and those [guilty of it] are sinners.
"Had they planned to kill the Interior Minister or his deputy, or a leader of the oppressive Algerian [regime], I would say, 'By Allah, they have devised [a worthy plan],' and we would all pray for their success. However, I have not seen or heard anything like that.
"I realize that what I have been saying will be vehemently opposed by some here in Iraq, as well as outside it in Algeria, but I stand by it. My opinion is firm, and is shared by some other commanders..."
Al-Qaeda Members Who Have Harmed Our Good Name Must Be Expelled
Asked about how to rectify Al-Qaeda's mistakes, Al-Jaza'iri replied: "...[These mistakes] can be rectified by expelling the elements that have harmed Al-Qaeda's [good name] and by following the principle of 'quality over quantity.' Today, our [organization] numbers over 9,000 fighters, but only 3,000 can be relied upon. The rest are unreliable, since they keep harming [the good name] of Al-Qaeda - as you call it - [that is,] of the Islamic State of Iraq..."
Further on in the interview, Al-Jaza'iri said: "...Al-Qaeda has been infiltrated by people who have harmed its reputation... We have started expelling them and driving them out of our ranks. This year will be marked by rectifying [mistakes] and [waging] jihad..."
The Next Few Months Will Prove Decisive
On the change in Al-Qaeda's strategy and the continuation of attacks, Al-Jaza'iri said: "It is clear that the strategy [of capturing cities and turning them into Al-Qaeda bases] has failed, so today we are fighting a guerilla war, or, as some call it, 'street fighting.' The efficacy of this [strategy] has been proven in various contexts. We have been instructed to focus our attacks on targets that are strategically and morally important to our enemies, on the eve of the U.S. election campaign."
He continued: "...It is the type of attacks and the way they are planned that will be changed. Accordingly, we will be focusing on operations that cause the maximum pain and bewilderment to the enemy. This [shift] will open a new page in the fighting, which you will notice on the fifth anniversary of the occupation of Iraq..."
Addressing Iraq's Sunnis, Al-Jaza'iri said: "The next few months will prove decisive, and by Allah! We have prepared for this - we have humiliated the Crusaders, and have made their blood flow in the streets... And what is to come will be even worse and more bitter. Therefore, I say to those who claim that we have failed, or are paralyzed...: You will receive our answer in the next few weeks..."
There never would have been an Al Queda in Iraq if we hadn't invaded the country; Saddam Hussein methodically killed religious fanatics as a threat to his own rule.
But we do seem to be doing better against them lately. One of the main reasons is mentioned in the above interview: they tee'd off the locals with indiscriminate killings.
There never would have been an Al Queda in Iraq if we hadn't invaded the country; Saddam Hussein methodically killed religious fanatics as a threat to his own rule.
But we do seem to be doing better against them lately. One of the main reasons is mentioned in the above interview: they tee'd off the locals with indiscriminate killings.
It's a fy paper strategy. You can't run all over the world shooting Al Qaeda leaders but you can attract them to Iraq and kill them.
Personally, I have no problem with Moslem fundies killing each other off. I think it was Bush's mistake not to keep backing the losing side until they kill each other off down to managable levels, then turn the Kurds loose to run the country.
It's a fy paper strategy. You can't run all over the world shooting Al Qaeda leaders but you can attract them to Iraq and kill them.
Personally, I have no problem with Moslem fundies killing each other off. I think it was Bush's mistake not to keep backing the losing side until they kill each other off down to managable levels, then turn the Kurds loose to run the country.
The problem is that we aren't just attracting them; we're creating them. And faster than we're killing them, too.
Osama Bin Laden and Al Queda were a product of the war against the Russians in Afghanistan, and I'm sorry to say we're going to be dealing with the graduates of Iraq for years to come, regardless of the outcome in Iraq itself...
The Kurds do seem to be better at running themselves than the Sunni and Shi'ite Arabs in Iraq, but I doubt they'd do any better at keeping a lid on those two factions. Different language, different culture; they'd be seen as foreign occupiers as surely as Americans are.
you dont really believe that do you?
they were there a long time before we went in.hussein was backing them and providing a safe haven for them.
No, they weren't. And he wasn't. And I didn't get that from any Democratic National Committee flyer, either. Check out what the CIA and every reputable intelligence agency in the world has said on the subject. The only contact even alleged between Saddam's people and Al Queda was an Italian report of a meeting in a sidewalk cafe between one of his people and one of Al Queda's that turned out to be unsubstantiated. It's been conclusively proven that one of the two was somewhere else at the time.
The only terrorist camps that were found in Iraq were in the northern Kurdish section, where we had stopped Saddam from enforcing his rule.
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troy i'm amazed that you have bought into the lies that the left wing of the democrats have spread.
BB, don't insult my intelligence by telling me that the CIA, the NSA, the 9/11 Commission and every other serious group that has looked into that claim are simply arms of the "left wing of the Democrats."
Fundamentalist Muslims hated Saddam. He allowed women to get educations and become doctors, lawyers and professors; he allowed liquor stores to exist; and as earlier mentioned, he ruthlessly exterminated radical clerics as a threat to his own secular rule.
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i guess the next thing you'll say is that the surge isn't working. just like pelosi, and reid are saying.
And I suppose if I told you I didn't like broccoli, you'd guess the next thing I'd say would be that I don't like Cauliflower. Why?
Actually, I'm cautiously optimistic that the surge IS working. When it was being discussed beforehand, I said on here that I didn't think it would work, but that we probably should try it anyway because it was the only slim chance of salvaging the situation.
And just recently I've said, again on Gun and Game, that it might be the only time in his career Bush has pigheadedly ignored good advice and turned out to be right.
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how sad it is that the democrat party has been highjacked by those two
and the clintons.
No sadder than the unholy alliance between bible thumpers and big business that highjacked the Republican party...
We lost troops again Monday...damn suicide attack and roadside bombs.
The attacks were in the heart of our fortified zones.
I worry the surge didn't make them draw down so much as rethink their tactics and we're now seeing the results. Some of these people may be fanatical zealots, but their leadership isn't stupid.
Make of that what you will. I just don't think we can win this militarily. I don't think we ever could because we weren't fighting an army. Historically, the only way to fight these tactics was to kill everyone or make the populace so terrified of you that they'll turn in insurgents rather than risk your wrath.
We can beat about anyone on this planet in a straight fight, little doubt of that, but we were never prepared for this. We need a cultural and diplomatic solution augmented with more precise uses of force.
We will never win in Iraq, it's not possible. Not without resorting to Saddam type tactics and keeping order through fear and punishment. And we all know that won't happen. You can't win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people with empty promises. We can't promise them safety, just look at the news every night. We can't promise them that all the new members of their government will truly be on their side. The "terrorists" will ultimately defeat us. Not because they are better soldiers, not because they have better equipment, or better leaders. But because they are willing to die in order to kill just ONE of their enemies. The Iraqi people will never feel "safe" as long as we are their, due to terrorists hate for us. They kill one infidel and they got to heaven with all their virgins. You can't beat, kill, or destroy that kind of dedication and blind faith. Unless, of course, as I've said, you kill each and every member of that group. Each day we breed more and more enemies with that same goal. Anyone who thinks my response is a knock on our troops, or in some way not supporting them is an idiot. The only way we are truly going to bring peace to that country is to leave, as we will never do whats required to win. You can only pull a wife away from an abusive husband so many times before you say "enough is enough". There is no middle ground any more in Iraq. We either need to finish it, or get out. And for all of those who disagree with me, and say I'm a disgrace, think about one thing for me. If you believe what we are doing will work, after all these years, how many more years are you willing with watching our soldiers come home in caskets? My views gets them out of harms way, yours keeps a steady stream of dead soldiers returning home. Who's really supporting the TROOPS, and who's not?
Pred ... the Iraqi Govt. needs to stand up and take control of their country. That's the biggest problem here. In addition, did you read the original post here? Al Qaeda is hurting big-time... through their own actions and ours, they are on the run and are attempting to make a big splash...
People in other countries hated us before the Iraq wars... we are never going to get along with everyone and not everyone is going to get along with us, period.
As I've said before... we need to turn out attention towards Afghanistan and Pakistan... get the Iraqi Govt. to do their damn job... then we can come home. How is that supporting a steady stream of dead soldiers returning home?
Wanting to get the job done isn't, but refusing to do what is needed is. Our government seems content with this happening. I agree, Iraq needs to get off their butts and help out. Didn't Congress set time tables for Iraq? And didn't Bush veto any of them that put troop withdrawal dates in them? Kind of hard to get someone to do something when there is no consequences.
Al-Qaeda Commander in Northern Iraq: We Are in Dire Straits 
