Al-Qaeda urges war on Somalia
2007-01-05 22:01
Cairo - Al-Qaida's second in command called on Somalia's Islamic militants on Friday to step up their attacks using Iraqi-style guerrilla warfare against government and Ethiopian forces in the first recorded message from the terror group this year.
Experts say the audiotape, posted on an Islamist Website on Friday, and other recent recordings indicate that al-Qaeda is intensifying its focus on the Horn of Africa where the terror network has a long history of operations.
The recording came as Somali government forces backed by Ethiopian troops prepared to launch a major assault on the last stronghold of Somalia's Islamic militias, while the US Navy deployed off the coast to keep al-Qaeda and allied militants from escaping the war-wrecked country.
The militia, which has been driven from the capital, Mogadishu, and much of the south, have vowed to launch a guerrilla war as part of a bloody reprisal.
"I call upon the Muslim nation in Somalia to remain in the new battlefield that is one of the crusader battlefields that are being launched by America and its allies and the United Nations (UN) against Islam and Muslims," Osama bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahri said in the audiotape.
First recording by al-Zawahri
"Launch ambushes, land mines, raids and suicidal combats until you consume them as the lions and eat their prey," said the Egyptian-born al-Zawahri. He also urged Muslims in other Mideast and African countries to support the Islamists battling the troops from Ethiopia, a country with a large Christian population.
The recording, which was more than five minutes long, could not immediately be verified, but was aired on a Website frequently used by militants. It carried the logo of al-Qaeda's media production wing, as-Sahab. It was the first recording by al-Zawahri this year and his third in less than a month.
In an audiotape released last week, al-Qaeda's deputy leader encouraged Islamic militants in Somalia to "be firm in defence of the honour of Islam". Last year, bin Laden also identified Somalia as a battleground in his war with the West.
Al-Qaeda has increasingly discussed Africa in messages released over the past year. In an April videotape, Osama bin Laden called on Islamic militants to battle any Western troops deploying in the war-torn Darfur region of Western Sudan.
Bin Laden was based in Sudan during the 1990s until the government ousted him briefly before a US air strike on a Sudanese factory in retaliation to the 1998 al-Qaeda bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Three Islamists wanted for bombings
Ben Venzke, head of the US-based IntelCentre, which monitors terrorism communications, said these recordings indicate an increased al-Qaeda emphasis on Muslim Africa.
"This is a clear indication of their priorities and focus," said Venzke. "They are preparing way in advance. ... And it just shows that their sense of timing and planning is very different than American sensibilities," he said.
"They are not going to tell you the date and time of an attack, but they do consistently tell you what their focus is on."
The US and others have expressed concern about al-Qaeda's growing influence in Somalia. Three al-Qaeda suspects wanted in the East African US embassies bombings are believed to be leaders of the Islamic movement in Somalia. The Islamists deny having any links to terror networks.
A senior US state department official has said that al-Qaeda militants were operating with "great comfort" in Somalia.
Jendayi Frazer, who heads the department's Africa bureau, said a top US goal is to capture the three militants wanted for the 1998 embassy bombings and a 2002 attack against a hotel in Kenya.
- SAPA