Purported Iraq al Qaeda tape to U.S.: Jihad not over

Post-9/11 Era Forum

POSTED: 4:36 p.m. EST, November 10, 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A purported audio recording by the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq vows to step up the group's fight against the United States, saying, "We haven't had enough of your blood yet."

The recording was posted Friday on an Islamist Web site and the speaker is identified as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, successor to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Al-Muhajer is also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri.

"Come down to the battlefield, you coward," the speaker says on the recording, which CNN cannot independently confirm as the voice of al-Muhajer.

Calling President Bush a "lame duck" the speaker tells Bush not to "run away as your lame defense secretary ran away," referring to Donald Rumsfeld, who resigned Wednesday.

Critics of the U.S.-led war in Iraq have placed much of the blame for its problems on Rumsfeld. The war's growing unpopularity contributed to toppling the majority Republican Party in both chambers of Congress in Tuesday's election. (Watch Rumsfeld acknowledge what's going wrong -- 2:23)

Much of the Iraqi insurgency has been blamed on al Qaeda in Iraq, whose former chief al-Zarqawi was killed in a U.S.-led airstrike in June.

The speaker on the tape vows that al Qaeda in Iraq will not stop its jihad "until we sit under the olive trees in Rumiya after we blow up the wicked house known as the White House." He says the first phase of the jihad is now over, and that the next phase -- building an Islamic nation -- has begun.

"The victory day has come faster than we expected," he says. "Here is the Islamic nation in Iraq victorious against the tyrant. The enemy is incapable of fighting on and has no choice but to run away."

The speaker claims his al Qaeda army has 12,000 soldiers -- with 10,000 more waiting in the wings to join them.

And he pledges those troops to the service of the Mujahedeen Shura Council and the Islamic Nation of Iraq. He calls on other insurgent groups in Iraq to join with them.

"We have to be unified by the sword, even though disagreements exist between us," al-Muhajer said.

"Go where God has ordered you to go and know that we are with you. We are your soldiers and your men," he says.

Gee, al Qaeda is almost out-gloating the Democrats over the election results.

Interesting that al Qaeda suddenly taunts the U.S. as though they have us on the run in retreat even though nothing on the ground has changed in the last few days. I guess they must understand the U.S. mid-term election results. They must think that when the Democrats win, they win.

It works more for those still in denial and shock about Nov 7th. Apparently the republican "fear n smear" campaign is still embedded in the minds of the diehards.

It's like h@ts said, this fallacy passed its date like a gallon of year old milk and quite frankly, it stinks just as badly.

The meaning of the first post is pretty clear. They are calling us cowards for leaving and telling us to come back to the battlefield, so they must think we are leaving. Obviously their assessment is based on the election results, which they obviously see as a victory for themselves.

I am not in denial about what happened on 11/7. It could not be more clear. What is it that you think I am not seeing?

So what is any different from this rhetoric vs any other rhetoric that comes from the Al Qaeda camp? How many statements did they make about Bush, calling him everything from a coward to an infidel while republicans were ruling? What did you think they would say about what is obviously a political defeat for Bush?

The problem here with your response is that it sounds like you’ve bought into the “when dems take control, planes will be raining from the sky” rhetoric. I could care less what Al Qaeda posts or think because in the end, whether left or right, republican or democrat, everyone here in America wants to see them obliterated. That “dems will be soft on terrorism” boat has sailed and was nothing more than a political ploy to keep repubs in powered in DC, nothing more and even Bush has changed his tune.

The Bush administration and the GOP as a whole dares infer that they are best equipped to handle Al Qaeda? Based on what? Their abysmal failure? Please. The self-serving chest puffing of the republicans didn't work so they need to stop trying to sell it.

-HECK!

Man, Bush's Kool-Aid must taste goooooooood.

What in the wide world of sports makes you think the republicans are better equipped to combat Mr. Bin Laden's jihad. And before you answer that, what (if anything) has the administration done right over there? Also, how does it feel to be in the minority as to who Americans think can better direct our country? Hmmm?

-HECK!