Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri The Coordinator 2014 Part 17-15-The Deep Battle against the West

By Capt (Ret) C de Waart, feel free to share: in Confidence

"This is what will cause the battle to be transported to the hearts of your own homes; because Muslims will not stand idly by and watch Muslims be bombed and killed in their countries, while you are safe on your countries. The price of war will not be paid by your

leaders alone1…

Islamists plan Christmas attacks on 5 planes in major European hubs – report

Published time: December 01, 2014 21:35 Remember: Reports that 11 commercial jetliners are missing from the main airport in Libya's capital of Tripoli are raising fears that militants could use them in terrorist attacks to mark the 13th anniversary of 9/112. Also, The 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot was a terrorist plot to detonate liquid explosives carried on board at least 10 airliners travelling from the United Kingdom to the United States and Canada3.

Reuters/Paul Hackett

An “alive and real” Muslim terrorist bomb plot is in progress in Europe, security sources have told the UK’s Sunday Express newspaper. Authorities are considering banning all hand luggage as a countermeasure, the report claims. "We've been

told that five planes are being targeted in a high profile hit before Christmas. They've been waiting for the big one,” a high-ranking airport security source told the Sunday Express. "We have many scares but this one nearly got hand baggage pulled from all airlines. The threat is still alive and real." The attacks are expected to center on “major” European destinations, according to the insider. "The threat is aimed at Europe. The US has improved their security over the summer but we have not.” "Everyone is expecting something catastrophic very soon.” . The strongly-worded claims chime with the words of Home Secretary Theresa May, who last week said that Britain is likely facing its greatest ever threat of terrorist attacks. Concurrently, she unveiled “enhanced” security powers, including faster and more comprehensive access to airline passenger details. Scotland Yard has announced that so far this year, up to five major plots have been foiled, as opposed to the average one a year, and more than 270 people have been arrested on terrorism charges in the UK since January. From August onwards, the overall threat level has been raised to “severe” – the second highest, below “critical.” But stemming the air travel threat would require practical measures that are both disruptive, and possibly impractical. "High level negotiations are continuing at Governmental level but at the moment there has been little done to respond. There is paralysis because of the difficulty of banning hand luggage which is one of the strongest weapons we have against the new threats,” explained the UK source. "All

1 28 Sep 2014, The leader of Al Qaeda’s Syria affiliate vowed Sunday that his group would “use all possible means” to fight back against airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition and warned that the conflict would reach Western countries joining the alliance. In a 25-minute audio recording, Nusra Front leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani warned Western countries against taking part in the alliance in words that echoed those of the late founder of Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden. “This is what will cause the battle to be transported to the hearts of your own homes; because Muslims will not stand idly by and watch Muslims be bombed and killed in their countries while you are safe on your countries,” he said. “The price of war will not be paid by your leaders alone. You will pay the biggest price.” He also portrayed the U.S.-led coalition as a “Crusader alliance” against Sunni Muslims and vowed to fight back.

2 http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/09/04/libya-missing-planes-sept-11/15059169/3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_transatlantic_aircraft_plot

electronics may be banned from hand luggage and placed in the hold, that has been considered, and there has been behavior analysis training at airports but while it's effective, it's difficult to roll out quickly and is not a sufficient safety net.” Al-Qaeda and other international terrorist groups have reportedly become adept at making non-metallic explosives - such as the bombs concealed inside printers - which cannot always be detected by airport scanners, and explosives that can be detonated in liquid form, like those made by the Khorasan group in Syria, according to US intelligence. There have been warnings from the UK intelligence service MI6 that terrorists may even use suicide bombers who have explosive devices implanted inside their bodies. Sally Leivesley, a risk expert who previously worked for the Home Office, told the Express that the terrorists may have already rehearsed the planned attacks. "There is likely to have been dry runs already with terrorists testing airport security," she said. But the expert believes that extreme security measures affecting millions of travelers are impossible to implement. “Efforts to ban all electronic devices including computers from business class passengers which reaps huge revenue for the airlines is nearly unsustainable in their business model,” said Leivesley. "However, I would contend that even a mobile phone in the hold is capable of being used as a trigger for a bomb or used as a bomb in its own right.” A more realistic strategy would be to capture any terrorists before they pack their explosives and head to an airport, but this has become more difficult. Terrorist groups have proliferated, information has become more easily available, and the success of ISIS and other jihadists in the Middle East and Africa has captured the imagination of thousands of would-be terrorists, including those living in the West. UK authorities estimate that there are at least 500 UK citizens fighting for Islamist causes in Iraq and Syria, and these could come back, creating additional sources of danger. "It's also more diverse [than previous threats] in that not everybody's affiliated to a particular group – some are self-starting groups and you do have individuals, perhaps the "lone wolves" or the volatile individuals,” May warned in her speech, adding that security services are “looking across the board” to thwart potential threats.

According to a recent Faith Matters4 think tank report, more than 5,000 Brits convert to Islam each year in the UK. Muslim births outnumber non-Muslim births in some areas by 8:1, keeping in line with the Hadith, "Marry, for I will outnumber peoples by you." By 2050 (some argue within ten years), the UK will be a majority Muslim nation. In Europe, the majority of Muslims are on welfare. In the UK, The Sun recently exposed Imam Anjem Choudary and others, urging Muslims to claim unemployment to have more time to plan jihad against non-Muslims. Exploiting the welfare system is justifiable because, "the normal situation is to take money from the kuffar [non-believer]. You work, give us the money." Only a few years ago, on July 7, 2011, exactly six years after the London Tube Bombings (when Muslim suicide bombers killed 52 people and injured 800 others), the Islamic Emirates Project was launched. It seeks to transform Muslim communities (specifically twelve British cities) into independent areas operating solely under Shari'a law, and it succeeding. In one strategy document they state, "The Only Identity for Muslims is Islam … In no shape or form can a Muslim support any form of nationalism such as promoting Britishness."

(FOX NEWS 28 Nov) Islamic jihadists worldwide have launched a barrage of recruitment messages amid the latest unrest in Ferguson, Mo., using Twitter accounts to call on African-Americans and others in the United States to join their cause. Some messages urge direct revolt against the U.S. government, while others evoke the names of former black leaders – among them Malcolm X – in a bid to convince people of color that living under an Islamic caliphate is in their best interests. “March against tyranny and arm yourselves against the true

4 http://www.westernjournalism.com/britain-hasnt-invaded-since-1066-now/

terrorists of our time: the US government,” says a tweet from a prominent Dutch jihadist in Syria going by the name of Israfil Yilmaz, and carrying “Ferguson Rising” and “Ferguson Decision” hashtags.

Islam is Spreading and growing in the West IEA, Thursday, 23 October 2014 10:03 All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad , is His slave and messenger. Growth of religion is the spread of religion and the increase of religious adherents around the world. The statistics are commonly measured by the absolute number of adherents, the percentage of the absolute growth per year, and the growth of the number of converts in the world. Studies show that in terms of percentage, Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world. According to western Media CNN others, including the Guinness Book of World Records, Islam is the world’s fastest-growing religion by number of conversions each year.Islam is also the fastest-growing religion in the United States of America, for example, nearly 80 percent of the more than 1,200 mosques have been built in the past 12 years. The people who converted to Islam since 1950, you will be shocked, the answer will tell you very clearly that Islam is the best & true religion to follow, because of that that Islam is the faster growing religion in the world: The population of Muslims in 1950 was 361 million while world population was 2,520 billion, but in 2000 Muslims population was 1,209 billion and the world was 6,057 billion. The World Projections said that in 2015 the Muslims population will be 1,625 billion while the world population will be 7,207 billion. Nowadays, Islam is not covert in western countries as Muslims have spread over there to the extent that there is practically no country that does not have a Muslim community, whether big or small. Also, most western countries have mosques and Islamic centers, the fact that gives much hope for a promising future for Islam in those countries which are so corrupt by disbelief and whose people are so attached to materialistic civilization that they need a savior to rescue them from such deviation, corruption and spiritual emptiness. This rescue can only be found in Islam, the religion that meets the innate needs of human beings and answers their puzzling and complex questions. In fact, this is the reason that encourages people to resort to the religion of Allah (Islam) and nearly every day new people embrace Islam. Moreover, as time passes by, Islam gains a good position there, in spite of the efforts exerted by the enemies of Allah and their warnings from the coming Islamic invasion. This proves the greatness of Islam and its fitness to the nature of mankind. Islam extends naturally by its own power and affects people. Many in the west found their aspired aim in it, and that is why people of all classes are converting to it. The main reason is also that because it's the right religion which is based on facts, evidence, and logic. Also because Allah has sent down miracles, revelations and messengers to give clear proofs that Allah exists and more important, what we should do once we come to this realization. Allah has sent prophets and messengers with many proofs throughout the ages for people to be able to clearly see with their own eyes and to be able to use their own senses the miracles and proofs pointing to the fact, Allah does in fact, exist. When people read the Holy Quran which it is the best of proofs for the existence of Allah, they regret for the previous days they spent in vain and days that Satan astray them out of the straight path. Islam is the only religion on Earth that tells us everything, Everyone is starting to see and opening their black hearts and cleaning it by entering Islam. It's the only religion where you can find the evidence on Allah’s existence and because it makes perfect sense. Consequently, Islam will be the dominant religion in western countries and all over the world. It was narrated by Thawbaan may Allah be pleased with him that the Prophet , told him that Allah has made him see the entire earth and he saw the west and east (all governed by Islam). The Prophet , also said that the rein of the Islamic nation would reach all this. [Muslim] Allah Says (what means): {They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah refuses except to perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it} [Quran 9:32]

The Foreign Fighters’ Threat: What History Can (not) Tell UsPERSPECTIVES ON TERRORISM Volume 8, Issue 5 Jeanine de Roy van Zuijdewijn Abstract5 Methodological questions around the determination how many of the foreign fighters going to Syria are likely to engage in terrorism upon their return are discussed. Two approaches are used in this Research Note to assess the threat posed by Western foreign fighters in the past. These serve to answer two questions: how many of the former foreign fighters became involved in terrorist activity (approach 1) and how many of jihadist-inspired terrorists were former foreign fighters (approach 2)? The research is based on three studies (Afghanistan, Bosnia and Somalia) and the data are presented in an Appendix. A typology of foreign fighters is presented in the text itself. This development has been unprecedented in both its scope and speed. Rallying cries to defend the ummah – the Islamic community – have been heard before, with thousands of fighters flocking to Afghanistan in the 1980s, Bosnia and Chechnya in the 1990s and Somalia, Iraq and Yemen in the last decade. Yet Syria has attracted more foreign fighters within a shorter time span. The ongoing increase in the number of Western foreign fighters going into Syria raises security concerns. Many of these individuals are joining radical jihadist groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra and lately, the Islamic State (IS, also known by the acronyms ISIS or ISIL). Authorities are worried that these fighters will returned radicalized, battle-hardened and determined to launch terrorist attacks in Western countries. Given the high number of fighters, if only a small percentage of those who return would become involved in terrorist activity, it would lead to a handful (if not dozens) of serious terrorist plots in the period ahead. The recent change in tactics taken by IS, including the beheadings of Western journalists, shows that the organisation understands psychological warfare. Given the current situation in Iraq and Syria, there is increased pressure on Western leaders to take forceful measures against foreign fighters. Some suggest stripping foreign fighters of their nationality, imprisoning them upon return or forbidding them to return at all. Such suggestions, in turn, have invited fierce criticism. Richard Barrett, former MI6’s Counter-Terrorism chief, noting the debate about presuming British foreign fighters are guilty of involvement in terrorism unless they can prove otherwise, responded that ‘(t) his fundamental tenet of British justice should not be changed even in a minor way for this unproven threat – and it is an unproven threat at the moment’

French ISIS fighters burn passports, call for attacks on home soil in videoPublished time: November 20, 2014 Islamic State has released a film showing the terrorist group’s French-speaking fighters burning French passports and urging others to join in the fight - in the streets of France. The footage, filmed in a forest, was released by Al Hayat, the main media source used by Islamic State (also known as ISIS, or ISIL), and shows four men who are allegedly French citizens. Three of the men speak in French into the camera. “We disbelieve in you and your passports, and if you come here we will fight you,” one of the masked fighters says, and burns his document in the fire. He is then followed by a man identified as Abu Osama Al Faranci, sitting with a rifle on his shoulder, who slams the French Muslim population for not emigrating to the IS. Another fighter - who holds a short sword that the IS would chop the heads of the “enemies of Islam" - pronounces the threat by saying that people “will even fear traveling to the market.” The fourth militant, who reportedly is Abu Salman al-Faranci, says that he has pledged an oath of allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He says that those who can’t join their ranks should “operate within France” by terrorizing the country’s people to the extent of not letting them sleep "due to fear and horror." Addressing French Muslims, the fighter tells them to "humiliate" others in France.

5 http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/article/view/378/753

The video is just one of a number of footage, released by the terrorist group, featuring jihadists from other countries in their propaganda films. Fighters of British, German, Australian and other nationalities have been recruiting militants - both men and women - for the group. The release of the latest footage comes against the background of two French men identified by intelligence services in France among other extremists in an IS propaganda video, which showed the killing of American hostage Peter Kassig and 18 Syrian soldiers. The two French nationals now in the ranks of the terrorist group are a Muslim convert from northern France, Maxime Hauchard, and Michael Dos Santos from the suburbs of Paris, both 22 years old. They are now under investigation, a Paris prosecutor said on Wednesday. This week, French military officials announced they would increase their involvement in the anti-jihadists campaign in the Middle East, sending more fighter jets to strike the Islamic State positions in the region. Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told the parliament on Wednesday that nine Rafale jets, that are already in the United Arab Emirates, will be reinforced with six Mirage fighter jets. The additional aircraft is expected to arrive in Jordan in December, military sources told AFP.

Spain Grapples with Growing Islamic State ThreatTerrorism Monitor Volume: 12 Issue: 22November 21, 2014 By: John C. K. Daly

Screenshot from a Spanish raid on militant recruiting network in Melilla.(Source: Spanish National Police)A recent report by the UN Security Council estimated that 15,000 people from over 80 countries have so far travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight alongside the Islamic State organization and other extremist groups, “including… [from] countries that have not previously faced challenges relating to al-Qaeda” (The Guardian, October 30). One of these affected countries is Spain. On October 27, Spain’s Ambassador to NATO, Miguel Aguirre de Cárcer y García del Arenal, said, “The Islamic State with its barbaric and terrorist tactics, now presents the most serious threat to our society” (LaInformacion.com, October 27). Separately, the Spanish foreign minister, José Manuel Garcia-Margallo, said during an interview in October: “There is a risk that a jihadist corridor stretching from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean will be created” (El Correo, October 19). Although Spain’s Islamic State volunteers are less well-documented that from those from some other European countries, a number of separate but related threats are emerging. These include the danger posed by local terrorist cells and lone wolves inspired by al-Qaeda’s global jihadist ideology with no direct ties to terrorist groups, Islamist radicals who return home to Spain after undergoing instruction in combat zones, cells aligned with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and finally, extremists who have been released from the U.S. military’s Guantanamo Bay prison to return to Spain. Spain, however, is no stranger to Islamist terrorism and for some years has given a high priority to tackling jihadism; since 1995, according to the Spanish Interior Ministry earlier this year, Spanish security forces have arrested 472 suspected Islamists (Auditor Barcelona, March 10). Spain has also been directly targeted by Islamist militants previously; notably the March 11, 2004 Madrid train bombings (also known in Spain as 11-M) killed 191 people and injured more than 2,000. In addition, the Spanish government is aware, that given Spain’s history, it occupies a unique place in the jihadist worldview; speaking on the tenth anniversary of the 2004 bombings, Spanish Interior Minister Jorge Fernández Díaz said: “Clearly Spain forms part of the strategic objectives of global jihad. We are not the only ones, but we are in their sights” (Grupo Milenio, March 14).

Numbers In September 2013, Spain’s CNI intelligence service reported that it had identified 95 people from Spain – 13 nationals and the rest Moroccans with Spanish residency papers from six different cities – who had travelled to Syria since the civil war broke out to join al-Qaeda in fighting the Syrian government. Of these, it said that at least 11 had died as suicide bombers. In particular, CNI identified three residents of Ceuta who died as suicide bombers in Syria. These included Rawhid al-Wahbi, who crashed a bomb-laden truck into a government military headquarters, reportedly causing 130 deaths, and Mustafa Muhammad Layachi and Mustafa Muhammad, who also died in suicide bombings (El País, January 26). The number of both active jihadists and fatalities is now likely to be considerably higher, although precise numbers remain unclear. For instance, on July 19, Spanish National High Court Prosecutor and Coordinator on International Terrorism Dolores Delgado said that the Spanish security agencies had identified 29 Spaniards currently fighting in Syria, although she said that the figure could be higher because others may not have been located (EFE, July 19). According to the available evidence, most Spanish jihadists active in Syria came from Catalonia, Madrid, Málaga, Alicante, Ceuta and Melilla, with one anti-terrorism officer commenting to the media, on condition of anonymity, that “almost all of them went with the firm determination not to come back, according to their friends” (El País, September 18, 2013). According to the Spanish intelligence services, most Spanish Muslims fighting in Syria are of Spanish origin, being either second or third generation immigrants, or were born abroad and are legal residents in Spain. In addition, the Moroccan authorities have said that an estimated 1,200 Moroccans holding Spanish residency cards have joined the Islamic State organization (El País, August 25, 2013). This echoes previous experience of the issue; police analysts have reportedly found in the last decade that the greatest number of Islamists are concentrated in Catalonia, Granada, Valencia, La Rioja and Madrid (El País, March 10). In addition, the networks that recruit Spanish Muslims to join the Islamic State organizaton are also becoming clearer. In August 2013, Spain’s Interior Ministry reported that 60 Spaniards had been recruited by networks operating within Spain (El País, August 25, 2013). The Spanish media has also reported that most volunteers have travelled to Syria via Turkey, as well as through Bulgaria, Greece and Tunisia, echoing broader patterns of Western European recruitment (La Vanguardia, July 19). Arrests According to a September Ministry of Interior report, the number of arrests for terrorism-related jihadist activities in Spain has grown significantly since 2013, with 44 people taken into custody in Spain, Ceuta and Melilla in the year to date. By contrast, during the entire 2001-2013 period, Spanish security forces arrested a total of 78 individuals (ABC, September 26). The increase in arrests reflects that the Spanish government is increasingly worried about the return of jihadists from Syria and Iraq and their potential plans for attacks in Spain itself, as well as reflecting that the number of active militants is also increasing. However, the Spanish authorities have admitted that they have only a partial picture. A senior official in Spain’s intelligence service, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the media in March that “we do not know how many went and how many returned. That is the danger, not knowing everything that we should know. Nobody is able to give reliable figures” (El País Internacional, March 25). There are also increasing fears that some of the militants are preparing to target Spain directly. According to Spanish terrorism expert José María Gil Garre, Spanish jihadists integrated into the Islamic State organization are now openly threatening to commit attacks on Spanish soil after returning from Syrian-Iraqi conflict zones, stating that their targets will include “churches,” “local government councils” and “police stations” (Agencia Europa Press, September 28). One on the most high profile series of arrests occurred on June 16, when the Spanish security forces arrested eight people in Madrid during a raid against an international network that was suspected of recruiting jihadists for the Islamic State. The recruitment organization was led by

47-year-old Moroccan national Lahcen Ikassrien, a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay prison (El País, June 16). Ikassrien had been arrested in Afghanistan in December 2001 and transferred to Guantanamo, where he was held until he was transferred to Spain’s Torrejón de Ardoz military base in July 18, 2005. He was accused by the U.S. and Spanish prosecutors of cooperating with al-Qaeda; however, Spain’s High Court acquitted him in 2006 due to a lack of evidence (El País, November 20, 2006). Ikassrien, who had been living in Madrid, had also been linked to a cell led by Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, alias Abu Dahdah (El País, March 10). Dahdah, a Syrian-born Spanish citizen, had also been previously arrested in November 2001 and had been sentenced to a 27-year prison term in Spain for his part in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States and for his membership of al-Qaeda. Dahdah’s sentence was subsequently reduced by the Spanish Supreme Court after it ruled that conspiracy charges against Dahdah were unproven. After serving 12 years, Dahdah was accordingly released on May 22, 2013 (EFE, May 23, 2013). The United States, however, had continued to include Dahdah on its blacklist of known al-Qaeda terrorists, alleging that Dahdah knew of the planned September 11 attacks and was deeply involved in their organisation. [1] Government Response In response to the Islamic State organization’s expansion in Iraq and Syria, Spain has adopted a proactive stance. On October 10, Spain’s Minister of Defense Pedro Morenés announced that the country’s Council of Ministers had approved sending around 300 soldiers to Iraq to train the Iraqi army for an initial period of six months, focusing on handling explosives, demining and special operations (El Mundo, October 10). The following week Morenés visited U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon, where, among other topics, they discussed ongoing counter-Islamic State efforts, including Spain’s role in the anti-Islamic State coalition. [2] The next day Morenés announced that while Spain had ruled out taking part in ground operations in Syria, and reiterated its intention to begin training Iraqi forces in the near future, telling reporters: “We could be starting up by the end of this year because the whole operation is evolving fast, all the time, every day; we have to adjust our abilities and what we are offering, in response to that evolution” (El Mundo, October 18). Some among Spain’s million strong Muslim population have also spoken out against the Islamic State. On September 4, Riay Tatary Bakry, Syrian-born president of the Union of Islamic Communities of Spain/Islamic Commission of Spain, issued a press release, entitled “The hijacking of grandiose words by extremists.” In the statement, Tatary said: Within the turbulent reality that for quite a long time has roiled the Levant, some extremist groups identify themselves with great and noble words, when their actions prove otherwise, as they terrorize with criminal violence and oppressive injustice. We are now encountering the self-styled “Islamic State,” which is proving to be neither a state nor Islamic, usurping the name of religion, carrying out brutal actions which do not correspond to the values ??of Islam of peace and coexistence… We urge imams and religious leaders constantly to bear in mind the ongoing awareness of the faithful, so that no one may fall into the propaganda traps of terrorist or extremist groups and our young adults are not lost, who are our future and should be an example of coexistence. We reiterate once again, from the Union of Islamic Communities in Spain, and Islamic Commission of Spain, our firm condemnation of violence, its purported religious justification and Daesh’s [the Islamic State’s] criminal acts and false propaganda. [3]Outlook A decade after the 2004 Madrid bombings, Spain continues to grapple with the threat of Islamist terrorism as increasing evidence emerges of the Islamic State organization successfully recruiting Spanish Muslims. In attempting to tackle this issue, Spain faces some unique challenges. In particular, the proximity of Spain to Morocco and its Ceuta and Melilla North African enclaves allow jihadists extensive freedom of movement, greatly complicating

the efforts of Spanish security forces. In addition, as some observers have noted, in order effectively to combat the Islamic State, Spain will accordingly have to integrate its counter-terrorism policies with Morocco; as Gil Garre observed: “Morocco and Spain have to face this challenge together because the threat is the same, the level of risk is similar and many of the returnees have ties (with both nations) and are linked” (Red Marruecos, March 22). An additional challenge, as some of the above government statements illustrate, is that Spain – not withstanding its extensive counter-terrorism capabilities – faces considerable challenges in identifying and tracking Islamic State recruits, and that compared to many other European counties, its counter-radicalisation capabilities remain relatively undeveloped. Dr. John C. K. Daly is a Eurasian foreign affairs and defense policy expert for The Jamestown Foundation and a non-resident fellow at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute in Washington DC.