Category: Somūd Magazine

English translation of interview: “With The General Mujāhidīn Official In Nūristān, Shaykh Dost Muḥammad” from Issue #61 of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s al-Ṣamūd Magazine

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

NOTE: To view issue number sixty-one of the Ṭālibān’s magazine al-Ṣamūd see here.
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Biography
The General Official of the Mujahideen in Nuristan Province is Sheikh Dost Muhammad, son of al-Hajj Safar Muhammad, and one of the sons of Nuristan in east Afghanistan. He conducted his elementary studies in this region, then traveled to continue his Shari’ah studies in Pakistan. After graduating, he became occupied
with teaching in a number of schools and has long experience in the fields of tafseer, Hadith and Islamic jurisprudence. He has authored a number of books on Jihad and other Shari’ah matters, and is renowned as a professor on both sides of the border. The Sheikh has dedicated a large part of his life to Jihad and educating the Mujahideen in addition to teaching and writing. He has lived the life of the Mujahideen in the mountains, caves and forests, away from the pleasures of life. Although the Sheikh’s beard has whitened, his soul is still as strong as if he was in his twenties. Now the Sheikh continues to work in the general leadership of the Mujahideen in Nuristan province under the command of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Recently, al-Somood magazine met with him and conducted this interview, which we invite you to read.
Question: Your Excellency, to start we thank you for allowing us the opportunity to met you to learn the situation in Nuristan. We wish for you to give us a general overview of this province.
Answer: We praise Allah and we pray upon His kind messenger. Thereafter, we thank you also for bearing the hardship of coming here, and we ask Allah to reward you. To answer your question, Nuristan province is located in eastern Afghanistan and includes seven districts in addition to the center Parun. This province is divided into three main regions: eastern Nuristan, central Nuristan and western Nuristan. East Nuristan includes Barg-e-Matal and Kamdesh districts. Central Nuristan includes the Wanat and Wama districts as well as the province capital Parun. Western Nuristan includes three districts including Nur Karam, Dawab and Mandol. Nuristan province has a rocky, mountainous nature and the plains are few. Mountains, forests and rivers form the majority of the province’s landscape. Therefore the lands of this province are considered among the most suitable for Jihadist operations and guerrilla warfare. And so this province was among the most dangerous and damaging to the Russians during their occupation of this country and has now becomes one of the most dangerous for the Americans and their allies.
Question: What are the details of the situation in the various regions in this province, and which areas are under the control of the Mujahideen and which are under the control of the enemy? Are there bases for the invading foreign forces in the land of Nuristan?
Answer: Like in the rest of Afghanistan’s provinces, the Americans established their military bases in Nuristan. One of the strongest bases was in Nuristan in different areas of Kamdesh district. Through the grace of Allah and the sacrifices of the Mujahideen, the province of Nuristan has been cleansed of the presence of American forces and they now have no bases in all of Nuristan province with the exception of Nur Karam base in extreme western Nuristan adjacent to the village of Kalagush in Laghman province. They have no other presence in the rest of Nuristan. As for the districts of the province, the Mujahideen, through the grace of Allah, control three districts: Kamdesh, Mandol and Waygal are all under the complete control of the Mujahideen.
As for the districts of Wama and Barg-e-Matal, lackey forces are present in the district centers and cannot leave them because there are Mujahideen bases located no farther than 1 kilometer away. As for the center of Barun district, it is completed surrounded by the Mujahideen. The center is tantamount to a few square kilometers of land surrounded by a fence of security barracks. The rest of the district area and the roads leading to it are under the control of the Mujahideen. In general, American forces are only present in Noorgaram near Laghman province. The Lackey forces are besieged in the centers of Parun, Wama and Barg-e-Matal and supplies are delivered via air only. Allah Almighty willing, the Mujahideen will be successful through His aid to them, and they will conquer the remaining besieged centers and the lackey soldiers will surrender to the Mujahideen or they will flee on helicopters, Allah Almighty permitting.
Question: You spoke about the province center Parun. The lackey government has recently displayed great concern over it and said that the city is in danger of falling into the hands of the Mujahideen. Is there a plan for a comprehensive assault on it?
Answer: Yes,. The Mujahideen in Nuristan have reached the final stages of the plan drawn up to cleanse the center of the enemy, as they did in Kamdesh and Wanat. This year we intend to focus our operations upon the province center. If Allah Almighty grants it to us to conquer the province center, this will mean that Nuristan has been liberated in its entirety, Allah willing, because the rest of the province has already been conquered by the Mujahideen. In the remaining area where the enemy is present, this presence is weak and incapable of mounting resistance. All roads leading to the center have been closed and are under the control of the Mujahideen. The Mujahideen have attacked some of the enemy’s defensive positions as a prelude to the final assault, Allah Almighty willing. They have conquered three of these points and have also shot down a helicopter bringing supplies to the province from Kabul. But the final assault has not yet begun.
Question: If Allah wills success for the operation to liberate the province, what will your future plans be?
Answer: As we mentioned to you previously, some enemy forces remain, even if only in a token fashion, in the Barg-e-Matal and Wama districts, which have been under siege by the Mujahideen for a long time. We will seek to purify these districts also of their presence. With that, the presence of the enemy will be limited to the Nur Karam districts in west Nuristan only. As for the rest of the Nuristan, it will be purified of the ungodliness of the enemy entirely, Allah willing.
Question: The past years in Nuristan have witnessed, through the grace of Allah, great achievements for the Mujahideen. More than once, they liberated the Barg-e-Matal district, and they destroyed 5 strong American bases in Kamdesh. Lastly, they completely liberated Wanat Waygal district. So, what do you see as the secret of the Mujahideen’s victories?
Answer: We believe that our victories are derived entirely from the grace of Allah and the special mercy that he has granted to our unarmed Mujahideen to destroy the strongest American bases in the area. After that, we do not forget sacrifices of the Mujahideen and the general populace, because the people of Nuristan stand loyally and entirely by the side of the Mujahideen, and cooperate with them in carrying out the duty of fighting. Eliminating the enemy from this region is the best proof of the cooperation of the people with the Mujahideen. And now, throughout the entire province, there is no one who opposes the Mujahideen except some puppets in the province center. This because all of those who had allied themselves with the enemy has run away to Jalalabad or to the capital Kabul. The rest of the people are standing alongside the Mujahideen and praise Allah for that.
Question: Nuristan province is a mountainous, rocky region, and far removed from media coverage. Any time a battle takes place, the enemy claims they have inflicted big losses on the Mujahideen. It is hard to confirm some of these claims. So, are the losses of the Mujahideen indeed as the enemy claims?
Answer: Making such claims is the enemy’s last ditch effort to raise the morale of their defeated soldiers. The truth is that the Mujahideen’s losses are very few because the Mujahideen have now understood through their experiences of the past few years how to deal with enemy air raids and have to come to know ways of preventing them. Additionally, the terrain of Nuristan are mostly mountainous in nature and covered with vast forests, so the air raids do not have much of an impact. So if the enemy’s air raids have lost their impact due to natural factors and the enemy’s forces on the ground have become minimal or non-existent, then how could the Mujahideen face bog losses? Throughout recent years we haven’t witnessed any big blows inflicted on the Mujahideen. As for the enemy’s attacks on villages and homes, this has happened numerous times and many among the general public have been killed.
Question: You mentioned the enemy’s attacks on villages and homes and perpetrating massacres against civilians. Would you please give us some examples?
Answer: Years ago, American forces raided the village of Batikhel in Kamdesh district and killed 20 civilians, most of whom were women and children. Also, American aircraft bombed a passenger bus in Kordish village in the same district, killing 8 civilians. Additionally, they bombed a village in Barg-e-Matal killing 40 civilians, and killed more 30 civilians in an attack on a village in Dawab district. The story of heinous crimes committed by the

English translation of article by Abū Aḥmad: “The Oddities Of The Karzai Parliament!” from Issue #60 of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s al-Ṣamūd Magazine

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

NOTE: To view issue number sixty of the Ṭālibān’s magazine al-Ṣamūd see here. For other translations from issue sixty see here.
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On 14 June 2011, Hama Sultani, the representative for Ghazni province in Karzai’s Council of Deputies, claimed that she had been for some time hosting in her home the leader of the Islamic Emirate along with 12 top military commanders from the Islamic Emirate and that she had requested from this leader a resolution of the Afghan crisis through the conduct of peaceful negotiations with the administration of Hamed Karzai. She claimed that this leader agreed with her peaceful
ideas and he is now awaiting a response from the Karzai government and, for that purpose, is now staying at her house. Anyone who doubts her story can go to her house and see with his own eyes the leader of the Islamic Emirate.
Hama al-Sultani made these statements before the Council of Deputies and a large gathering of correspondents, news agencies and journalists and stated that she 12 times had gone to the Republican Palace with a letter from the Emirate’s leader to Hamed Karzai to conduct peace talks with him but Karzai didn’t want to do that and didn’t believe her statements. Hama Sultani’s comments created a great uproar in the media and on the local satellite networks who conducted multiple interviews with her on this issue. She insists that she is playing host to the Ameer ul-Momineen and twelve of his top ranking military commanders in her home.
The impact of these fantastical comments reached the point where the Islamic Emirate was forced to issue a statement to expose this laughable rumor as a lie. But the perpetrator of these claims is adamant in sticking to her comments and refutes the Islamic Emirate statement on the matter.
When asked by a journalist about the nature of her relationship with the leader of the movement, Hama replied that she became acquainted with him through Abdul Baseer, who is also a parliament deputy from Kunduz province. She claims that the above-mentioned individual was one of the leaders of the Taliban during the movement’s rule in Afghanistan and that later a strong acquaintance developed between them to the point that he came to her house and is now living with her in her house in the capital.
Hama Sultani, who is a Shia woman in her forties, kept the media busy for more than three weeks with her crazy statements and still insists that the Taliban leader is living with her with the purpose of conducting peace talks with the government of Hamed Karzai but that the Karzai government doesn’t want that.
What is even stranger than that is the other group of those deputies against whom was issued an order of expulsion from the Deputies’ chamber because of their fraud in the parliament elections of 2011 and who barricaded themselves in the parliament building, bringing in 140 persons as their armed supporters in rejecting the decision.
An armed group of deputies!!! Led by Zaher Qadeer and calling itself “Defenders of the Law” whose sessions threaten the head of the lackey government Karzai and address him in their media addresses as an agent of the Americans and violator of the law.
These are the stupid mentalities and fantastical ideas of the members of Karzai’s parliament which make small children laugh at their naiveté and idiocy. And these are the ones who regard themselves as running parliament’s affairs and constituting the legal representatives of the Muslim Afghan people.
The Americans are the ones who brought these crazy ideas to the parliament chamber through fraudulent elections on which the United Nations spent 120 million US dollars and 50,000 foreign soldiers were used to conduct them, and all local and global media instruments were used to publicize and promote, etc, etc…
Yes, the enemies impose such odious and frivolous people on Islamic peoples in order to purchase them at a cheap price and use them for the benefit of colonialism when and how they want, not only in Afghanistan but unfortunately throughout the Islamic world.
Translated From The Islamic Emirate Of Afghanistan: Al-Somood Magazine Issue #60 (May-June 2011)
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English translation of article by 'Abd al-Ra'ūf Ḥikmat: “The Prison-Break: How To Turn Fantasy To Reality” from Issue #60 of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s al-Ṣamūd Magazine

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

NOTE: To view issue number sixty of the Ṭālibān’s magazine al-Ṣamūd see here.
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PART 1
Kandahar Prison
Kandahar’s main prison is located west of the city in the Sarpoza area, north of Kandahar-Herat highway. It is largest government prison in south Afghanistan, with the capacity to hold thousands of prisoners. The prison comprises several sections surrounded by high and impenetrable walls.
This prison is fundamentally well-built, with high surveillance and watch towers set up at its four corners. It is also surrounded by a number of subterranean walls, further to its high [over ground] walls, to prevent tunnels being dug to the outside.
Despite its strong construction and tight security measures, this prison has become the scene of a wonderful story not only in Afghanistan around the globe. Over the past eight years, political prisoners have been able to escape from this prison only three times. The first time was in June 2003 when Mujahideen prisoners dug a tunnel from inside the prison to the outside, enabling all 45 of this ward’s prisoners to escape via the tunnel. Also in June 2008, the Islamic Emirate launched armed and martyrdom attacks on this prison that resulted in the death of all the prison’s guards and released close to 1,200 Mujahideen prisoners. After this incident, the Americans and Kandahar officials paid close attention to the maintenance and preservation of this prison; Canadian forces trained special policemen to guard the prison, watch towers were increased and monitoring cameras installed; the entire prison was encircled by a deep and wide trench. Despite all these measures, the Mujahideen were able, after long planning, for the third time to release 541 prisoners on 25 April 2011.
Pure Fantasy
One of the Mujahideen in Kandahar city, who by his connections gained full knowledge of the inside and outside of the prison, pondered whether it would be possible to dig a tunnel from the inside of a house on the other side of the street into the prison as a means of releasing the prisoners. This fantasy and vision seemed laughable at first even to its owner; he dared not share his opinion with others, but, after more time and continued thinking, he reached a conclusion. On one of these days, while he was riding a motorcycle with two of his comrades, he shared that view with them. They thought it was impossible and deemed it dangerous to attempt, but they placed their trust on Allah and shared their opinion with the Mujahideen high command in Kandahar and they revealed to their trusted comrades their decision to implement this plan regardless of danger.
Concrete Workshop
Six months ago these Mujahideen rented a house opposite the south corner of Kandahar prison. Initially they built a new room. Then they brought in all necessary equipment and machines to make concrete, hiring a number of workers who worked during the day. But in the afternoon, when the workers left, the Mujahideen stayed under the pretence of serving as guards. It was during that time that they proceeded to dig the tunnel from within the room they had just built.
Hard Work for Four Months
At first, four Mujahideen implemented this process: one of them was to hit with the pickaxe, digging the tunnel, while the other three were to move the soil. The tunnel was narrow and the soil could not be moved out by wheelbarrows, so some operation planners went to the market and bought a number of children bicycles, removing their small wheels and fixing barrows on them. They were able to prepare wheelbarrows that suited their task. Now they filled these barrows with soil, pulling them by a rope to the tunnel opening and collecting the soil there before moving it to the lorry. In the morning, when the dirt trucks headed to the city for its sale, the Mujahideen would bring in their soil-filled lorry and sell the dirt to get rid of it. For two months, four Mujahideen were working in the tunnel digging, then their number increased to eight Mujahideen and they were digging four meters every night. When their continued work reached 100m, they faced the issue of ventilation and lack of oxygen; nevertheless they carried on until cutting a distance of 150m. At this point it was terminally difficult to continue working, due to lack of oxygen, and the work carried on no further. In the beginning they tried a ground fan; it resolved the ventilation issue but it was winter and the cold weather caused headaches. Then they made an air-pumping machine, delivering air by a pipe from the outside to the inside of the tunnel. This was the best method to resolve the ventilation and lack of oxygen – the machine worked quietly by a charged battery. But they then realized the risk of their digging a tunnel under the road that carried the heavy enemy vehicles to the interior of the prison: There was a possibility of a tunnel collapse under intense vehicle pressure. The question was how deep was the tunnel to be dug to exclude that possibility. As an experiment, they parked a lorry atop the tunnel; it suffered no damage, assuring them that it would not suffer because of enemy vehicles. The tunnel was 2.5m deep between the house and the public road, but as a precaution they deepened it further. Four months passed and the tunnel went 220m, a well iron pipe surprised them before realizing it was not a prison pipe but a pipe to a village south of the prison. In fact, the tunnel diggers, having no map, deviated from the correct path to the right, crossing the road and reaching a village close to the prison. Here Mujahideen recognizer that the target could only be reached with the prison map and distance measuring tools.
One and a Half Months of Efficient Work
The tunnel diggers who lost their way and made an extra 120m now downloaded the prison map off the internet and by which were able to pinpoint the prison location. Using earth measurement tools they re-dug at the distance of 100m of the tunnel directly towards the prison. However, with the passing of the winter, night was shorter. Consequently they increased the number of Mujahideen labourers until they reached twenty-one. Furthermore, earth evaporates less in summer, so ventilation was less of an issue, and the work was faster and more efficient. By digging 166m they reached the middle of the prison (it must be added that the Islamic Emirate’s site mentioned the distance dug by Mujahideen including the distance dug by error, giving a total of 360m, when the precise distance, excluding additional distance, was 266m. It is worth noting, however, that the tunnel’s height was 70cm and its width 60cm ). The Mujahideen inmates were in two separate locations within the prison: Most were in the political ward, where they numbered 530, but a small number were in a room called ‘Tawqif Khanah’ [detention room]. The tunnel was dug first towards Tawqif Khanah room, as it held a Mujahid aware of the case. He used to hit the ground for one reason or another so that the tunnel diggers would know whether they were ahead or behind or on target. Thus they were able to pinpoint the place, but for verification they poked a blade into the room, until the prisoner assured them of hitting the target. They moved on to the political ward. Five days produced a further 23m, reaching the political ward, cell 7 of which held two prisoners aware of the case. The aim was to take the tunnel to cell 7. Here again the tunnel diggers wanted to raise a blade to ascertain and avoid any error when opening the tunnel to the prison. The Mujahideen were hesitant: were they underneath cell 6 or 7? To keep the matter secret when the blade would be raised, the two prisoners held a Quran session; all the rooms were vacant, the two aforementioned prisoners left, one to room 6 and the other to room 7. When the blade was raised they realised they were under room 6, contrary to their expectation. Then two further meters were dug until reaching room 7. Now they could not vacate the rooms with the Quran completion excuse again, so the Mujahideen used the afternoon time when prisoners would go out to washing rooms and get prepared for the noon prayer; the blade was raised and it made it successfully to room 7. The opening place was specified for the escape operation day. It should be added that the blade raising operation was made subsequent to a wise and interesting plan: The prison ground was about 2.5m above the tunnel, with the tunnel’s height of 70cm, how a long blade could fit through this tunnel to reach the prison ground? The Mujahideen cut iron blades of 50cm length and joined them together; when they were raising a blade 50cm by a car jack, they would fix to it another blade and raise it by the jack. So for dismantling the blades, they prepared a machine that would be attached to each blade then hit by a hammer downwards. This was how they were able to pinpoint the location precisely.
The Plan to Extract the Prisoners
After construction of the tunnel, the persons responsible for digging finished their work and requested from the Islamic Emirate’s high command guidelines concerning the plan to extract the prisoners. Therefore officials from Kandahar Province’s and high ranking officials of the Islamic Emirate held continuous consultations in order to conduct a secure extraction.
As a result of the consultation, the following plan was adopted. The mastermind of this operation, who on his own swung the pickaxe laboriously to dig 300m of the tunnel, would himself be the commander of the prisoner extraction. During the operation, he would adopt

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan releases Issue #66 of al-Ṣomūd Magazine

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

NOTE: Previous issues: #65, #64, #63, #62, #61, #60, #59, #58, #57, #56, #53, and #51. You can also see English translations of articles from previous issues here.
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Click the following link for a safe PDF Copy: The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan — Issue #66 of al-Ṣomūd Magazine
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The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan releases Issue #65 of al-Ṣomūd Magazine

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

NOTE: Previous issues: #64, #63, #62, #61, #60, #59, #58, #57, #56, #53, and #51. You can also see English translations of articles from previous issues here.
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Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan — Issue #65 of al-Ṣomūd Magazine
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English translation of "Interview With The Deputy Jihādī Official For Kāpīsā Province" from Issue #62 of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s al-Ṣamūd Magazine

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

NOTE: To view issue number sixty-two of the Ṭālibān’s magazine al-Ṣamūd see here. A translation for Aḥmad Bawādī’s “Revolutions Are No Substitute For Jihād” from the same issue can be read here.
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In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Our guest for this edition is brother Maulavi Ahmed Mustafa bin Ghulam Hadrat, deputy jihadist official for Kapisa province, located north of Kabul.
Brother Mustafa was born in Alasay directorate. He undertook his elementary education in his village madrasa, then migrated to Pakistan, continuing his intermediate and higher Shari’ah studies in religious schools until his graduation. He joined the Taliban movement in its first years and under their banner continued his Jihad in the different provinces of Afghanistan like Kunar, Kabul, Parwan, Kunduz and Takhar.
After America attacked Afghanistan, he began his Jihad against them in the company of Qari Ihsanullah Baryal in Kapisa province. He continues his Jihad there with the brigades of brother Ihsanullah Baryal, who has assumed overall responsibility for the Mujahideen in the province.
Al-Somood magazine conducted with him this interview regarding his assessment of the Jihadist situation and the state of the Mujahideen in this province.
Al-Somood: What is your assessment of the Jihadist situation in Kapisa province?

Maulavi Ahmed Mustafa: First, I wish to thank you for giving us this opportunity with your blessed magazine. To answer your question, we say that, before plunging into the jihadist situation in Kapisa province, we must first understand some of the special characteristics of Kapisa province. Kapisa province is located north of Kabul, at a close distance to the capital. It is also located a few kilometers away from Bagram, the largest air base of the American occupiers and headquarters for the armies of the Crusader alliance occupation. The residents of this province know well about Jihad and sacrifice, both against the Russians and the Americans. The province is divided into six districts: Alasay, Hesa Awal Kohistan, Hesa Duwum Kohistan, Kohband, Mahmud Raqi, Nijrab and Tagab.
Beyond this brief summary, we can say that the beginning of Jihadist activities in this province go back to the first days of the Crusader attack on Afghanistan and gains in force and power with the passing of each day. The occupiers are unable to clear the area of Mujahideen despite its proximity to the capital, Kabul and to the largest American base in all of Asia.
The Mujahideen carry out their Jihadist affairs with all precision and strength and execute their Jihadist plans with great success, all praise to Allah, Lord of Creation.
As for the enemy, he lives in a defensive posture in the district centers only. The remaining areas are under the control of the Mujahideen, through the grace of Allah Almighty. As for the residents, their complete loyalty lies with the Mujahideen. They are the ones who render aid, assistance and support to the Mujahideen in all conditions. They answer the call of the Islamic Emirate for Jihad against the occupiers.
Al-Somood: Would you please discuss the victories of the Mujahideen and the losses of the enemy that have occurred in recent days in this province?

Maulavi Ahmed Mustafa: Through the grace of Allah Almighty, the Mujahideen have achieved successive victories and employ all kinds of warfare against the enemy with precision and deliberation. Since the launch of the spring Badar operation was announced, we have, through the grace of Allah Almighty, carried out 65 offensive operations against the enemy, including 10 IED attacks against tanks and other means of transport during the course of which all targets were completely destroyed. The rest of the operations comprise rocket attacks on enemy bases, setting up ambushes and assaulting enemy bases. These attacks inflicted on the enemy great losses in personnel, equipment, and advanced military hardware.
The enemy in this province is now living in fear and has taken a defensive posture. His soldiers have lost offensive capability and fighting spirit. This is because the mountainous terrain and the forests of the region work to the advantage of the Mujahideen. The enemy finds it difficult to move around there. This increases the opportunity to target the enemy and inflict great losses on him while on the other hand minimizing the possibility of the Mujahideen suffering losses. The solidarity of the people is another factor for the supremacy of the Mujahideen over the enemy in this war. These circumstances render the enemy anxious and unstable in this area.
Al-Somood: What is the extent of the Mujahideen’s popularity on the front and the people’s solidarity with them?
Maulavi Ahmed Mustafa: There is no doubt that the people of Afghanistan are a Mujahid and believing people with a history replete with the glories of battling and hatred for aggressors, because the greatest victim of their crimes is the people.
They are the ones who deal with the problems, who are killed and dispossessed. They are those whose homes are destroyed and whose orchards and crops are burned. They therefore bear a great hatred for the invaders and on the other hand see the Mujahideen as their sole salvation from the yoke of occupation and the evil of the occupiers.
This is because the Mujahideen do not fight for worldly material benefits. They fight in the cause of Allah Almighty in defense of their Religion, country and the dignity of the Believing people. Therefore the people love them, and offer them food, clothing and shelter; treat their wounds; bury their martyrs with all love and dignity; and provide them with all the aid and service in their capacity.
Moreover, the Mujahideen are the sons of those people, their brothers and their family. They feel no sense of exile among them. While the Mujahideen are in difficult living conditions, the people are they who take responsibility for them, and bear the costs of their provisions and shelter. This has been the character of the Afghan people towards their Mujahideen sons since old times. All friends and foes alike have borne witness to this.
Al-Somood: How do you assess the fighting spirit of the Mujahideen in the province?

Maulavi Ahmed Mustafa: Through the grace of Allah Almighty, the Mujahideen battle the enemy with high fighting spirit. The large number of enemy soldiers in the province does not frighten them. Neither does the presence of the largest American military base at Bagram near them.
Their fighting spirit gains in strength with every new operation against the enemy. Likewise the number of Mujahideen continues to increase and more young men join the ranks of the Mujahideen with each passing day. The Mujahideen are certain that through the grace of Allah Almighty their enemy is in a state of defeat and frightened. Moreover, the glory of the life of Jihad and love of martyrdom make the souls of the Mujahideen overflow with faith in Allah Almighty and good intentions in this world and the Hereafter.

Al-Somood: How do you assess the results of the Badar operation, not only in Kapisa but throughout Afghanistan?
Maulavi Ahmed Mustafa: Truthfully, ever since the Islamic Emirate announced the Badar operation, victories have followed throughout Afghanistan. These victories have brought good tidings of conquests to the Muslims just as the Badar invasion was a great conquest for the Islamic army.
As for the results of this operation, they are through the grace of Allah Almighty great and humiliating to the enemy. The most important operations in this series of operations were the extraction of more than 500 Mujahideen from the Kandahar central prison, the Takhar martyrdom operation which killed top taghut leaders, the Ministry of Defense operation which targeted the Afghan and French ministers of defense, the martyrdom operation against the headquarters of Italian invader forces in Herat, and the martyrdom operation conducted by the pilot Ahmed Gul against American advisors in the Kabul international airport.
These bold operations have shaken the enemy and thwarted his plans to prepare the lackey Afghan army as the faithful successor to the Crusader forces after they leave depart.
What has worried the Westerners more is the participation in these operations of organized Mujahideen among the ranks of the enemy. This anxiety has caused the Americans to summon more than 80 counterespionage experts to prevent

English translation of Aḥmad Bawādī’s “Revolutions Are No Substitute For Jihād” from Issue #62 of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s al-Ṣamūd Magazine

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

NOTE: To view issue number sixty-two of the Ṭālibān’s magazine al-Ṣamūd see here.
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In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Mistaken are those who think that the establishment of Shari’ah will emerge from the womb of revolutions which are calling for freedom, and mistaken are those who believe that these revolutions are an alternative to the way of the Believers or the path to a sound manhaj. When the banners of truth are borne by those
who are not of its people, then these banners become blind guides colored by desires and caprice. Who said that truth could be championed by falsehood, the very argument used to refute it? Who claimed that the banner of truth is being raised by those gangs of falsehood who oppose it? Those proclaiming these revolutions must devote their banners to the Deen of Allah in order to achieve their security and faith. The Shari’ah of Allah is sufficient to guarantee a good lifestyle and a secure life.

مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ

“Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has faith, verily to him will We give a new life, a life that is good and pure, and We will bestow on such their reward according to the best of their actions.”

فَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ

“Those who believe and work righteousness, for them is forgiveness and sustenance most generous.”
A person may be oppressed in his person, dispossessed of his wealth, his family humiliated and his dignity wasted. This does not give him the right, if he triumphs over the one who wronged him, to become a regent over others and to set up for them regimes and constitutions that accord with his whims and desires. He who thanks Allah after being delivered from oppression should comply with the command of his Lord by establishing the rule of Shari’ah. The fortune of those might change after Allah aids them, but they will never arrive at the divine program while raising partisan banners, calling for democracy and demanding freedoms.
The state of Islam will not be established by a revolution for a loaf of bread, if that revolution was not undertaken for the sake of the Deen and Shari’ah of Allah. No one should think that a revolution over unemployment will close the wine shops and nightclubs. They will not prevent women from going outside wearing make-up and unveiled and will not prevent them from showing their nakedness at pools and on the beaches. The networks of singing, dancing, prostitution and shamelessness will not be shut down by these revolutions, if they are not indeed the catalyst and motivator for these sins, when freedom and democracy become the religion and constitution of the people and are an alternative to Jihad. When people rebel and bring down despotic regimes for the sake of unemployment and a loaf of bread, and these revolutions are conducted by people from all walks of life who come to terms over (being governed by) other than the Shari’ah of Allah, we are back where we started from. If the revolution is carried out by such as these then undoubtedly the state would be like the Buyid state and require new Seljuqs to deal with them.
We must know and understand that what has occurred in Egypt and Tunisia comes from the promise of Allah to support His oppressed and defeated servants to aid them against their oppressors. Our merciful Lord aids even the infidel against those who oppress him, even if the oppressor is Muslim. How much more (will He do so) when the oppressed is a Muslim? This lesson is a warning and admonishment to the unjust (ones) so that they may turn away from their injustice and oppression, and it is assistance to the oppressed, so that he may thank Allah for His grace. This is what we must understand so that we do not make this aid into a way to attain empowerment on earth, while we call for foul constitutionalism without guidance from the Deen and Shari’ah of Allah and neglect to aid Deen and its partisans.
Read, if you will, the Book of your Lord:

وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُم فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا وَمَنكَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ

“Allah has promised , to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance (of power), and He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion – the one which He has chosen for them; and that He will change (their state), after the fear in which they (lived), to one of security and peace: ‘They will worship Me (alone) and not associate aught with Me.’ If any do reject faith after this, they are rebellious and wicked.”

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن تَنصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ

“O ye who believe! If ye will aid the cause of Allah, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly”.
These revolutions and their people will not recover Palestine, nor will they take the place of Jihad and the Mujahideen and expel the invaders and conspirators from Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia. Their banners are a morsel of bread and eliminating unemployment, drowning in worldly desires and following whims and keeping a distance from Jihad fi Sabeel Allah.

الَّذِينَ أُخْرِجُوا مِن دِيَارِهِمْ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ إِلَّا أَن يَقُولُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍ لَّهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ وَبِيَعٌ وَصَلَوَاتٌ وَمَسَاجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا اسْمُ اللَّهِ كَثِيرًا وَلَيَنصُرَنَّ اللَّهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ

“(They are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right, (for no cause) except they say, ‘our Lord is Allah.’ Did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure. Allah will certainly aid those who aid His (cause), for verily Allah is full of strength, exalted in might (able to enforce His will).”
Events which change the face of history and watershed moments of change and transformation are rarely repeated. What is happening in Egypt and Tunisia and what might happen elsewhere is extraordinary and emanates from the aid Allah has given to these countries and peoples at this time. Were it not for the kindness of Allah towards them, tens of thousands of people would have been killed, even half the population would have been destroyed without the ruler being shaken in his reign. Look if you will at other Islamic countries and the oppression, domination and tyranny that occur there. They are as close as possible to those great historical events which may only be repeated after a long period of time, or may not be repeated at all, even those events which are (not) outside the control of the people.
Look at how many earthquakes occur, and yet we’ve had only one tsunami over a long period of time. And look at how many bombings have occurred, but we have only one September (11).
The Battle of Badr changed the face of history and was a turning point between truth and falsehood. The battle changed the scales and confused the forces of falsehood and tyranny. Did matters stop there and were all the battles and issues then decided? Or did it act to change views, ideas and beliefs after striking fear into arrogant hearts while bringing aid to the broken-hearted, becoming the spark that lit the fire which engulfed the people of falsehood and served as a torch illuminating the darkness for the people of the truth so that they could proceed with firm steps and confident in the support of Allah.
He who defeated the hosts at Badr is capable of bringing down those who are weaker than they. He who brought down the towers of America as if they were the least of its structures, and he who removed Shain al-Abidin in all his wickedness and Hosni with his might, will not be unable to remove that which is more oppressive and powerful. But Allah laid low their prestige and humbled their state before the eyes of the people so that mankind may know the power of the truth of the Almighty and Sublime and remove from them the dust of disgrace and shame and work to aid His Deen and its adherents after He had humiliated the people of falsehood and strengthened the people of truth to make use of these events for their own advantage. Events such as these do not allow us to stop and stand upon them or await similar events. Rather we must exploit these events and their consequences in a sound and correct manner to use these opportunities and

English translation of an interview with Shaykh Jalāl al-Dīn al-Haqqānī: “The Defeat Of America In Afghanistan Will Be Swifter Than The Defeat Of The Collapsed Soviet Union” from Issue #30 of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s al-Ṣomūd Magazine

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin



Dear Readers,
Al-Somood magazine wished to interview Field Commander Jalaluddin Haqqani, one of the most prominent Jihadist personalities and the military official for the provinces of Khost and
Paktia, about the latest political and military developments on the Afghan front. The Sheikh has privileged al-Somood magazine with this interview. We thank him, and regard this interview as a realistic assessment of the accomplishments of the Mujahideen by one who lives physically and mentally at the heart of the conflict and who sees with his Jihadist perspective what political analysts do not see from the outside.
Question: Your excellency Sheikh Haqqani, would you please give readers of al-Somood information about your health situation?
Answer: In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, Who granted victory to His servants and glory to His soldiers, Who fulfilled His covenant, and defeated the factions alone. Praise be to Allah Who blessed us with the Religion of Islam, the greatest of religions. Prayers and peace upon the noblest of His creation, Muhammad, and upon his household and his companions and all who are guided by him! Thereafter…Praise be to Allah Almighty, I am in complete health and vigor. By complete health, I mean that, despite my great age, and despite the unstable security conditions I have been experiencing, I have not faced any health problems hindering me from conducting my Jihadist activities.
Question: Local and global media recently reported news of the seriousness of your health situation. Indeed, there have been spread news of your death or your martyrdom in a barbarous bombing attack. What is the truth of these rumors?
Answer: I say that the fact you are interviewing me and that I am alive amongst you is sufficient to falsify these rumors. If we compared my health situation to those rumors, we would reach the conclusion that I am in full health and not suffering from any illnesses. There is no truth behind the spread of those rumors and lying reports and these are deceptive claims of the enemy.
A second thing is that health, sickness, death and martyrdom are divine destinies. We believe in Allah-ordained fate and destiny. These destinies are ordained for every person and none can escape them. Every human being must taste death, and everything destined for him will occur at its appointed time.
The Sublime and Exalted says: “Nor can a soul die except by Allah’s leave, the term being fixed as by writing”(Al-i-Imran 154).
And the Almighty says “every soul shall have a taste of death in the end to Us shall ye be brought back”. (Al-Ankabut 57).
I mention to you that although I have faced many bitter days and have spent most of my days in Jihad and battling the enemy; have endured serious crises and have been wounded many times in battles that erupted between us and our enemies among the kuffar and munafiqeen – despite all that, I am in perfect health.
I also state that martyrdom and death fi sabeel Allah are among the dearest wishes of my life. All my life I have wished to be killed and to sacrifice myself and my soul fi sabeel Allah and to support his Deen with which he has blessed us and to deliver his servants from the oppression of the oppressors and the deceits of the infidels. But I have not been to achieve my dearest wishes yet.
Question: Excellency Sheikh, more than seven years have passed since the Crusader occupation of Afghanistan. Their forces stationed in Afghanistan number more than 70,000 persons armed to the teeth with the most modern types of military equipment. On the other hand, the Mujahideen confront them with scarce resources and paltry equipment. Based on your Jihadist and military experience, and in view of the imbalance in numbers and equipment between the two sides, what are your expectations of the defeat of the Crusaders in the face of the Mujahideen resistance, from your perspective?
Answer: If we looked at the ongoing battle between truth and falsehood in Afghanistan, we would understand from an historical standpoint it is considered an unique battle and asymmetrical encounter between Islam and infidelity. There is only one precedent in the history of Islam of such an intense battle and that is the Ghazwat al-Ahzab. There the Mujahideen achieved a great victory in the end. Here, also the Mujahideen will achieve victory by the will and permission of Allah. The assistance of Allah Almighty for the Mujahideen and the support of the people by their side, as well as recent military and political events are among the evidence and indications that prove our claims and back up our words.
I add to that, all the reasons and factors that led to the fall of the Russian Empire at the hands of the Afghan Mujahideen are today facing the American Empire. The huge monetary sums America is spending on the occupation of Afghanistan and the deaths of dozens of their forces every day at the hands of the Mujahideen are among the circumstances that indicate the victory of the Mujahideen and the defeat of all aggressor Crusader forces before them.
Question: There are enormous differences between the Russian occupation and the American occupation of Muslim Afghanistan, from the perspective of time, circumstances and resources. Meaning, at that time there was an ongoing Cold War between the forces of East and West. Additionally, the peoples of the world were angered by the arrogance of Communist actions and its use of arbitrary methods. For this reason, the Afghan Jihad received material and moral assistance from the world. The Mujahideen were permitted the latitude to carry out Jihadist activities and received resources and aid from outside the country. But the situation today is the opposite. The world’s affairs are directed by a unipolar power with no competitor to balance its power. The entire world stands against the Jihad and the Mujahideen in the name of the War on Terror – as they call it – and the Mujahideen enjoy no financial or military support and no external political backing from even one country across the globe. So how can the Mujahideen resist this great force and triumph against them with empty hands?
Answer: Divine fate and victories often cause supernatural events that can not be (grasped) by the human mind. This is not something new today rather they are constants that have been determined since the beginning of the outbreak of the battle between truth and falsehood across the pages of history. If we look at history, we would find that divine criteria are based on this premise. The Sublime and Exalted says, “How oft, by Allah’s will, hath a small force vanquished a big one? Allah is with those who steadfastly persevere.” (Al-Baqara 249). The Almighty also says,“O ye who believe! If ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly..”(Muhammad 7).
It is true that this world is (controlled) by reasons; we must therefore look for means and motivations. We see in the present circumstances that the Islamic Jihad against the occupiers provides a strong impetus to the collapse of the American occupation and its agents. It provides an impetus whose positive effect is acknowledged by America and its Crusader alliance. Additionally, Afghanistan’s geographic situation, the strong hatred around the world towards Americans and huge costs of the war are factors that play a tangible role in the failure of those predatory forces. Indeed, I believe that America’s current policy and its violation of all international agreements are considered as a threat to the entire world. It is not far-fetched that the world will one day act against it and adopt a unified policy towards (America’s) failed policy.
It is worth mentioning that during the time of the Russian occupation of Afghanistan, it was called the Russian Empire, it was alleged that the cause behind the victories of the Mujahideen against the Russian forces were Western aid and American Stinger missiles. The victory of the Mujahideen was therefore attributed to American aid and equipment. The victories against the American crusaders and their allies in our present time, however, are the result of nothing but the heavenly sacrifices of the Mujahideen. It is impossible to attribute it to any other agency or ascribe it to baseless causes.
Question: More than seven years have passed since the Crusader attack on Afghanistan and America and its allies have used all of their military and political resources to subdue the Afghan people. The result of these practices and attempts has been failure, defeat and collapse. Moreover, all Western military commanders and political analysts, among others, have given the opinion that this war will not be able to achieve any victory. Despite that, America insists of sending more military reinforcements to Afghanistan. What is your assessment of these contradictory actions?
Answer: I have said before and I say again that America’s involvement in the Afghanistan issue is just like someone who is losing at gambling. He keeps playing hoping to win but, in the end, rather than achieving anything he loses everything he owns.
Undoubtedly, Western admission of losing the battle in Afghanistan is an established fact they have to face. Even if they don’t acknowledge it, the coffins and corpses of their slain soldiers acknowledge it. As for sending additional reinforcements without achieving victory, I believe that Allah has ordained the destruction of this unjust race at the hands of the oppressed