| Submit your comments on this article |
| Terror Networks & Islam |
| Ayman's tape intended to reassert leadership of al-Qaeda core |
| 2005-08-04 |
| The videotape of al-Qaeda deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri broadcast on Thursday is the latest in a series of recent messages sent by the terrorism network's top leaders that analysts believe may be part of a campaign to reassert themselves, even as they remain isolated by US and Pakistani forces. Since April 2004 there have been at least nine tapes from al-Qaedaâs two leaders â Mr al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden â all of which have drawn close scrutiny from security agencies and terrorism analysts, since Mr bin Laden has repeatedly said his public statements were important sources for those wishing to understand the network's ideology and political goals. A report sent to Capitol Hill in June by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the non-partisan analysis agency, found that despite Mr bin Laden's limited ability to provide command and control to al-Qaeda operatives he and other leaders have stepped up their issuance of such tapes. Given the increased public profile of foreign fighters in Iraq, and the concomitant rise of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian militant believed to be leading the Iraqi insurgency, the CRS report said there was a growing belief that Mr bin Laden and his aides were trying to use the public pronouncements to return themselves to the centre of the jihadist campaign. âThe ideological content and highly political tone of the recent statements have led some terrorism analysts to speculate that the messages may signal a renewed attempt by bin Laden and his associates to create a lasting leadership role for themselves and the al-Qaeda organisation as the vanguard of an emerging, loosely organised internationalist movement,â the report stated. âOthers have argued that the presently limited operational capabilities of al-Qaeda's central leaders have inspired them to revive ideological outreach efforts.â As part of that effort, the tapes have increasingly used Iraq as a touchstone for the jihadi cause. Many of them are addressed directly to Western audiences, in what appears to be an effort to discourage support for European and US foreign policies in the Islamic world. Mr Zawahiri used that tactic again yesterday, blaming the London attacks on the policies of Tony Blair, the British prime minister. Mr bin Laden took a similar attack before the November US presidential elections, in which he blamed President George W. Bush's policies in Iraq for continued attacks on US interests. The CRS argued that the shift towards Iraq was a reflection of Mr bin Laden's âpragmatic messianismâ, in which his overall goals the expulsion of Western forces and influences from the Muslim world, and the creation of a pan-Islamic state ruled by religious law remain constant, but his short-term tactical goals shift. The report notes that Mr bin Laden has, in the past, cited the presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia â since withdrawn â and the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict as rallying cries, only to drop the causes in later appeals. Similarly, Mr bin Laden's earlier broadcasts mentioned Iraq only on occasion, but analysts note that since a December tape, in which the al-Qaeda leader specifically embraced Mr Zarqawi, mentions of Iraq have increased. Despite the repeated mention of Iraq, analysts emphasise that the underlying ideology of al-Qaeda has not changed and continues to focus on getting rid of Western influences from the Middle East and creating a puritanical Islamic state. That theme was repeated by Mr Zawahiri's broadcast yesterday. Although the attack on Mr Blair was prominent in the excerpts broadcast on al-Jazeera, the Arabic television news channel, much of it was dedicated to al-Qaeda's insistence that attacks will continue until allied forces are withdrawn. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |