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Withdraw or else...
21/11/2007 07:24 - (SA)
Vienna - An Islamist group calling itself
the "Global Islamic Media Front" has sent a video demanding
Germany and Austria withdraw their troops from Afghanistan,
Austria's interior ministry said on Tuesday.
The video, published on the website of Austrian daily
newspaper Oesterreich, also demands the release of two Austrians
arrested in Vienna in September on allegations they helped
produce a similar video message published in March.
"The German soldiers still occupy Afghanistan and we repeat
our call from the last video that Germany withdraw their troops
from Afghanistan," the mostly German-language video said. "This
only serves your own security in your country.
"The same applies to Austria too. The mujahideen have spared
you so far, therefore the number of dead soldiers is not
particularly high. But this will now change..."
Germany has some 3 000 troops in Afghanistan as part of the
Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission.
Three Austrian soldiers serve as part of ISAF in Kabul.
"We address the Austrian government: We demand the brothers
and sisters arrested in Vienna be released immediately, or else
you will regret that you dared to lock up Muslims in your
prisons," it says.
German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said authorities
were taking the video seriously, but said Germany was not scared
by the threats.
"There is no sense in letting ourselves feel blackmailed,"
he told a police conference in Wiesbaden, near Frankfurt.
Joerg Ziercke, the head of Germany's BKA federal police,
told the same conference that the video showed scenes already
used in the March video, but said the new material targeted both
politicians and Islamic groups.
A spokesperson for the Austrian interior ministry said it
received the video a few days ago and was investigating its
origins.
"There is no identifiable, immediate threat, but
nevertheless such a message needs to be taken seriously," the
ministry's Rudolf Gollia said. Austria has not raised security
levels for government members.
- Reuters
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