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Politics : Moderate Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Thomas M. who wrote (10724)	5/13/2004 9:31:09 PM
From: Brumar89	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 20773

Someone should tell Zarqawi - he's issuing tapes in Al Qaeda's name now: Al Zarqawi: Al Qaida is targeting Jordan, but has no chemical weapons DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - A man identified as al-Qaida operative Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi said on a tape aired Friday that his terror group did indeed plan an attack on Jordan's secret service building, but didn't have a chemical weapon as the Jordanian authorities have alleged. ..... cnews.canoe.ca Here is part of the confession of the captured would be bombers A recent article on Zarqawi and his recent activities: Al-Zarqawi stepping up terror battle 12/05/2004 - 08:37:42 Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the terrorist leader allegedly claiming responsibility for the graphic beheading of a US civilian in Iraq, is adopting an increasingly public and influential role among Islamic militants, US officials and terrorism experts say. An Islamic web site yesterday released a video titled “Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Shown Slaughtering an American”, which chronicles the beheading of Nick Berg. In the most gruesome moments, five men disguised by head scarves and ski masks shout “Allahu Akbar!” – or “God is great”. As recently as March, US officials said al-Zarqawi’s modus operandi was not to make taped public pronouncements nor to claim credit for attacks. But that changed five weeks ago when he released what is believed to be his first audiotape – a 33-minute recording in which he called on Sunni Muslims in Iraq to “burn the earth under the occupiers’ feet”. Then, he claimed responsibility for the attacks on the UN headquarters in Baghdad and an Italian police station in Nasiriyah, among others. At least two other tapes involving al-Zarqawi, including the beheading, have followed. It was unclear whether al-Zarqawi, thought to be an ally of Osama bin Laden, though running his own “Zarqawi network,” was shown in yesterday’s video, or whether he was simply claiming responsibility for ordering the execution. The authenticity of the tape, found on a web site known for carrying militant Islamic messages, also could not be verified. For some time, the intelligence community has been paying attention to al-Zarqawi, also known as Ahmed al-Khalayleh. The Jordanian has been described as an al-Qaida associate, a senior operations planner and, in Iraq, a leader of a network targeting Americans. A specialist in poisons, he spent time in Afghanistan’s camps alongside al-Qaida fighters and other militant Muslims. Over the years, al-Zarqawi is also thought to have developed ties to terrorist groups ranging from Iraq’s Ansar al-Islam to Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Senior US officials view him as evidence of an evolution under way, as the al-Qaida organisation and its affiliates – under siege by the United States - devolve into a more diffuse, less centrally organised network of militants who follow al-Qaida ideology. At a recent congressional hearing, the US State Department’s counterterrorism director, Cofer Black, named the Zarqawi network on a short list of threats to the United States and its allies as this decentralisation takes place. “Literally scores of such groups are present around the world today,” Black said. Black said jihadists view Iraq as a “new training ground to build their extremist credentials and hone the skills of the terrorist”. Another US official said al-Zarqawi had increased the size of his network and his capabilities in Iraq, giving him increasing opportunities to carry out his operations. Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert at the Rand Corporation think tank, said he believed al-Zarqawi was after power. “He is not competing with al-Qaida, but he’s emulating it,” he said. Last month, al-Zarqawi was sentenced to death in absentia in Jordan for masterminding the 2002 murder of Laurence Foley, a diplomat and administrator of US aid programmes in Jordan. Now believed to be in Iraq, al-Zarqawi is thought to be behind at least a dozen high-profile attacks there that have killed hundreds. The United States is offering a $10.5m (€8.9m) reward for information leading to his death or capture. 212.2.162.45 More to follow.