Category: AQAP

Two new statements from al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula: "Statement Denying the Unity Sports Club bombing in 'Aden" and "Statement on the recent events in Mūdīyyah"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

NOTE: The below statements were released yesterday along with the AQAP announcement where they claimed responsibility for the Cargo plot. For more on the below statements see Gregory D. Johnsen’s analysis of them as well as the insightful statement on why the one on the bombing in ‘Aden is the most important of the three.
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Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula — Statement Denying the Unity Sports Club bombing in Aden
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Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula — Statement on the recent events in Mūdīyyah
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New statement from al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula: "Package Operations of Attrition"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

UPDATE: Here is an English translation:
Statement from al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula- “Package Operations of Attrition”
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NOTE: al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula’s new statement “Package Operations of Attrition” takes responsibility for last weeks attempted Cargo plot. In it, they also claim that they were the ones who downed the UPS cargo plane on September 3, 2010 and are disappointed that no one gave them credit for it. This is interesting since officials in Dubai earlier in the week denied any possibility of it. As such, AQAP is either taking advantage of the situation or Dubai is covering something up. As of now I would go with the former explanation. They also stated that they were planning on using this tactic on passenger jets as well. In addition, AQAP accuses the Saudis of interfering with their plan to blow up the Jewish synagogues in Chicago.
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al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula — “Package Operations of Attrition”
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Anṣār al-Mujāhidīn English Forum translates al-Malāḥim Media's "The Reality of the Rulers" by Shaykh Abū Zūbayr 'Adīl bin 'Abdullah al-Abāb

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

UPDATE: al-Mūwaḥidīn Islamic Library translated Shaykh Abū Zūbayr ‘Adīl bin ‘Abdullah al-Abāb’s “The Reality of the Rulers” into Urdu. For a copy of it click here.

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Click the following link for a safe PDF copy of it in English: Shaykh Abū Zūbayr ‘Adīl bin ‘Abdullah al-Abāb — “The Reality of the Rulers”

al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula's al-Malāḥim Media presents a new audio message from Shaykh Abū Zūbayr ‘Adīl bīn ‘Abdullah al-Abāb: "We Responded to the Sharī'ah of God, not the Laws of 'Alī Ṣāliḥ"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

NOTE: Shaykh Abū Zūbayr ‘Adīl bīn ‘Abdullah al-Abāb is believed to be a member of al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) shūrā council. In August, the Global Islamic Media Front released a translation of his lecture titled “Loyalty to the Believers.” The title of this new audio message is in reference to Yemen’s President ‘Alī ‘Abdullah Ṣāliḥ who AQAP as well as other global jihadists believe is not following or implementing the sharī’ah (Islamic law) of God. For more on Shaykh Abū Zūbayr ‘Adīl bīn ‘Abdullah al-Abāb see the various posts by Gregory D. Johnsen of Waq al-Waq on him.
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al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula’s al-Malāḥim Media presents a new audio message from Shaykh Abū Zūbayr ‘Adīl bīn ‘Abdullah al-Abāb: “We Responded to the Sharī’ah of God, not the Laws of ‘Alī Ṣāliḥ

al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula's al-Malāḥim Media releases Inspire Magazine Issue #2

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

UPDATE 3: Below is an Arabic translation of the second issue of Inspire Magazine via Anṣār al-Mujāhidīn Arabic Forum, which was released in English on October 11. It took two and a half months between the release of the first Inspire Magazine and it being published in Arabic. This time, it only took a month and a half. Not sure if it means anything, but thought it should be mentioned.

Click here: Inspire Magazine 2 (Arabic)
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UPDATE 2: Ribāṭ Media has translated Samīr Khān’s article “I am proud to be a traitor to America” into Urdu.
Click here: Samir Khan — I Am Proud to be a Traitor to America
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UPDATE: Check out the analysis of Inspire from the following individuals: Christopher Anzalone, Gregory D. Johnsen, Jarret Brachman, Aaron Weisburd, Thomas Hegghammer, Yassin Musharbash, Brian O’Neill, and J.M. Berger.
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NOTE: al-Malāḥim Media, al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) media outfit, released the second issue of the English language magazine called “Inspire,” which features an essay by Samīr Khān titled “I am proud to be a traitor to America” as well as a new article from Anwar al ‘Awlaqī titled “The New Mardin Declaration.” This for all intents and purposes confirms that Khān is behind the magazine, which many individuals believed when the first issue was released June 30. The first issue featured interviews with the amīr (leader) of AQAP Abū Basīr (Nāṣir al-Wūḥayshī) and Anwar al ‘Awlaqī. After the magazines success, it was translated into Arabic September 10. Unlike the first issue, there was no corruption in the file when the second one was released.
The release of a second magazine further illustrates the rising influence of Americans in al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula as well as their continued outreach to the English-language Muslim world. Further, it shows the diversity of content released by al-Malāḥim Media. In the past month for example, al-Malāḥim Media has released a new biography in their martyrs series, a new video (“By the Lord of the Ka’abah, I Triumphed [Part 2]”) that highlighted ‘Abdullah Haṣan al-’Asīrī, who attempted, but failed to kill Saudi Arabian prince Muhammad bin Nayef in August 2009, who is in charge of the de-radicalization of jihadists, and an audio tribute by Shaykh Ibrāhīm bin Sulaymān al-Rubaysh for Zayyid al-Daghārī al-’Awlaqī. For more on al-Malāḥim Media, read Christopher Anzalone’s recent analysis of it in comparison to al-Qā’idah Central’s media outlet As-Saḥāb. When I get the chance to read Khān and ‘Awlaqī’s articles as well as anything else of interest, I will try and provide some analysis. For now, below is the second issue of Inspire Magazine.
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Click link to download a safe PDF version of the magazine: Inspire Magazine 2

al-Malāḥim Media presents a tribute to Zayyid al-Daghārī al-‘Awlaqī by Shaykh Ibrāhīm bin Sulaymān al-Rubaysh

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin


Transcription:
al-Malāḥim Media presents a tribute to Zayyid al-Daghārī al-‘Awlakī by Shaykh Ibrāhīm bin Sulaymān al-Rubaysh
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Audio:
al-Malāḥim Media presents a tribute to Zayyid al-Daghārī al-‘Awlakī by Shaykh Ibrāhīm bin Sulaymān al-Rubaysh

al-Malāḥim Media presents a new video from al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula: "By the Lord of the Ka'abah, I Triumphed [Part 2]"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

UPDATE 4/30/12 4:26 PM: Here is an English translation of the below Arabic video message and transcription:

[wpvideo loAxPlSK]
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UPDATE: Here is an Arabic transcript of the video:
Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula- “By the Lord of the Ka’abah, I Triumphed [Part 2]“
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NOTE: This video is the second part of a series titled “By the Lord of the Ka’abah, I Triumphed.” The first part was released June 26, 2009. As Christopher Anzalone mentioned on twitter yesterday, the first part highlighted two suicide bombers — ‘Abd al-Raḥman bin Mahdī (Abū ‘Ubaydah bin al-Jarrāḥ) & Khāled al-Ṣan’aānī — prior to their attack against South Korean tourists and their guide in Shibam in Yemen’s southern Hadramut province. In the second part, it features ‘Abdullah Haṣan al-‘Asīrī, who attempted, but failed to kill Saudi Arabian prince Nayef in August 2009, who is in charge of the de-radicalization of jihadists. Also, in the second part, Qāsim al-Raymī, a deputy commander in AQAP, threatened another attempt on Nayef’s life: “I advise you to check before going to bed that there’s no suicide bomber or bomb in the room.”
In addition, in case one was wondering, the first half of the title of the video Lord of the Ka’abah (the black cube-shaped building in the middle of the Grand Mosque in Makka) is a reference to God, which originated from Qur’ānic sūrāt (chapters) al-Fīl (the elephant) and Quraysh (the tribe of the Muslim prophet Muḥammad). Sūrah al-Fīl describes how God saved the Ka’abah from destruction, while Sūrah Quraysh describes God as Lord of the Ka’abah. The title could also be construed as a snub to the Saudi royals as well. Since 1986, Saudi Arabian kings have designated themselves as the “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.” Therefore, by referencing the Lord of the Ka’abah, AQAP is reiterating that the Saudi rulers are not the true sovereign over the two holy mosques in Makka and Medīnah and further delegitimizing their rule.
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My new article at Foreign Policy's Middle East Channel: "What if Obama’s Yemen policy works?"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin


In the past month, Yemen has returned to the spotlight. The CIA now believes that the Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is a larger security threat to the United States than al Qaeda Central in Pakistan. Since then, press accounts have stated that the United States government plans to carry out drone attacks in Yemen, and reported that U.S. Central Command plans to give $1.2 billion in aid to Yemen’s military over a five-year period. But such policies, no matter how well-intentioned, are unlikely to solve the very real challenges posed by al Qaeda’s presence in Yemen and may well make the situation worse.
It originally appeared that there was widespread consensus in the government on providing such military aid to Yemen. But a recent article in the New York Times highlights that there is a vigorous debate within the Obama administration about the efficacy of such aid. The Obama administration has been debating the legality of droning an American citizen (i.e. Anwar al-Awlaki). Before rushing into a major new program, it’s worth recalling the reasons why past U.S.-backed efforts aimed at eliminating al Qaeda’s presence in Yemen have failed.
Read the rest here.