'Chilling' Al Qaeda Memo Obtained

[ECH1969]

The U.S. has obtained a 13-page letter written by Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al Zawahiri, to Abu Musab al Zarqawi in Iraq, outlining with what one senior official calls "chilling clarity" al Qaeda's stretagy for Iraq and beyond, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

The letter, which was written shortly after the London bombings in July, calls Iraq "the place for the greatest battle of Islam in this era."

As outlined by Zawahiri in the letter, al Qaeda's battle plan calls for driving the Americans out of Iraq, establishing an Islamic regime in as much of the country as possible and then extending the holy war to other Arab countries, including Egypt, Lebanon and Syria.

In the letter, Zawahari complains to Zarqawi that some of his violent tactics are hurting public support for al Qaeda's cause, particularly the videotaped beheadings of hostages. "We don't need this," the letter says. "Use a bullet instead."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/06/eveningnews/main924484.shtml

[TallahasseeGrannie]

1. Well, this is interesting

but not really surprising, I guess. Thanks for the link.

[Endangered Specie]

2. as Oliver Hardy might say to GWB:

Well, heres ANOTHER fine mess you've gotten us into

[kikiek]

5. Exactly....and maybe we better find some allies willing to help us get

out of this mess.

[EFerrari]

37. "Why don't you do SOMETHING to HELP me?"

:rofl:

[Endangered Specie]

50. But I couldn't *sob* help it *sob *cry*

;)

[rzemanfl]

3. CBS should be careful about documents it uses as the basis for

stories. You'd think they'd have learned, also, this is just too fucking convenient.

[rayofreason]

12. Fake but accurate?

Just say it ain't so!

[kikiek]

20. From what I understood in the book End of Faith the author says that the

liberals underestimate the threat of Osama and the other groups like his Al Queda. The conservatives fucked it up and he said the invasion opened Iraq up to be taken over the by the extremists. He also said that they (extremists) would like to spread throughout the middle east. We played right into Osama's hands by invading a country that had nothing to do with 9/11, and not capturing Osama. He has plenty of angry volunteers now. This mess is far worse than Vietnam. We will have a hell of a time getting out because of what will happen to Iraq if we go.

[rzemanfl]

49. Sure, they were they original National Guard documents, run

through a scanner and OCR software to make them Microsoft Word documents.

[JudyM]

4. There's Chimpie's after-the-fact justification for invading...

[kikiek]

8. I see it as shows how bad he fucked up. We didn't get Osama and now

we have a full blown holy war because we invaded the wrong country. Osama set his trap and we flew right into it.

[Jacobin]

52. Which is hilarious

Because it was the MAIN reason NOT to kick Saddam out.

Now there is a power vacuum that will NOT be filled by an american puppet, but will be filled eventually by a goverment that hates america for what it has done to iraq

[Dem Agog]

6. Excerpts from Memo...

"Dear Peeps...

All is going well with our plan.

The infidel Boy George W. Bush is elevating our status among his people.

Our recruitment levels are up! We've exceeded our recruitment goals this year by %87 percent thanks to Infidel Boy George.

All hail Infidel Boy George!

PLEASE REMEMBER!!! The Holy Barbecue is this Friday! Twenty five drachmas and a llama get you a hotdog. Bring a virgin if you would like free beer!

In Honor of the United States Holy Day of Halloween, please dress up as your favorite Cabinet Member or White House Iraq Group team member. Awards for originality will be presented!

Until then... Love and Kisses...

Zawahari

[Stuckinthebush]

14. *snort*

That's funny, Dem.

Hehe

[Andrushka]

7. Written on paper with a Club Med letterhead, no doubt

:eyes:

[JDPriestly]

9. What convenient timing for the Bush administration.

Just as they launch their counteroffensive against the Democrats Peace campaign. Just where is Zawahiri . . . in U.S. custody perchance? Is that why the timing is so perfect?

Just joking of course. After all, there's never been an American president who falsified documents or lied or tortured people into confessions for his or her own political advantage, has there? Our presidents are above that, aren't they? After all, they have to answer to the people, don't they?

These terrorists always seem to make terrifying statements just when Bush needs a distraction or a boost in the polls. Remember that memo from a supposed member of Al Qaeda right before the 2004 election? And all the alerts during the summer of 2004 and how they ended as soon as the election was over? This is a guy who has called "Wolf" many, many times too many for me. This may be an authentic Al Qaeda document, but somehow it causes my mind to recall the Niger forgery. I don't know why. Free association I guess.

[blogslut]

21. And oddly, the letter is two months old

We're just hearing this now? On this particular, very bad day for buscho?

I call shenanigans

[HysteryDiagnosis]

10. Even more chilling to the Iraqis... Bremer's frigging legacy.....

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0122-06.htm



'The people of Iraq are free," declared U.S. President George W. Bush in Tuesday's State of the Union address. The day before, 100,000 Iraqis begged to differ. They took to the streets of Baghdad shouting "Yes, yes to elections. No, no to selection."

According to Iraq occupation chief Paul Bremer, there really is no difference between the White House's version of freedom, and the one being demanded on the street. Asked on Friday whether his plan to form an Iraqi government through appointed caucuses was headed toward a clash with Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's call for direct elections, Mr. Bremer said he had no "fundamental disagreement with him."

It was, he said, a mere quibble over details. "I don't want to go into the technical details of refinements. There are, if you talk to experts in these matters, all kinds of ways to organize partial elections and caucuses. And I'm not an election expert, so I don't want to go into the details. But we've always said we're willing to consider refinements."

I'm not an election expert either, but I'm pretty sure there are differences here than cannot be refined. Ayatollah al-Sistani's supporters want every Iraqi to have a vote, and for the people they elect to write the laws of the country -- your basic, imperfect, representative democracy.

[bemildred]

16. Bremer needs to give an account of himself at the Hague. nt

[bemildred]

11. Emmanuel Goldstein almost arrested!!!

Leaves small novel detailing dastardly plot to kill Big Brother!!!
Complains about Big Brother's infallible correctness and iron will!!!

[bonito]

13. It was reported 2 weeks ago

on debkafile that osama was going to concentrate on iraq

[Imalittleteapot]

15. Can't they learn to string out this terror stuff over

a few weeks. The bam bam bam terror cowinkydinks are sooooo obvious, true or not.:yoiks:

[tocqueville]

17. this makes no sense

1) Al Quaeda doesn't have any popular support in Iraq. The Sunnis let them do some of the dirty job and killing Shiites is a part of it.

2) Al quaeda considers the Shiites as heretics, not like fellow muslims. Most of the Sunnis Arabs don't give a damn if Shiites are killed.

3) Therefore when the battle is over (the US leaves) none of the three actors remaining will tolerate the Al quaeda inside Iraq. Of course Al Quaeda can always claim victory, but the real winner will probably be Iran.

this shows that the memo is a forgery or that Zawahiri has completely lost his touch. Besides it implies that there is kind of a "split" in tactics with Zarquawi.

it's called disinformation.

The memo doesn't have to be produced by the CIA. If it does exist, it goes more the Iranian way.

[Oreegone]

18. What BS

I am not buying it. I think it is a concoction of the Bush administration. There is no reason for any of that group to write such tripe and then send it to unsecured areas...

It is just so Dubyas ratings will go up and the fearful will hail King George and say, see we got to stay in Iraq no matter what.

Just another manipulation.

[Voltaire99]

29. Who believes a word this government says?

I agree with you: this is transparent propaganda.

Fearless Leader Bush wants you to tremble, and the dutiful corporate news media are ever obliging.

[DemoTex]

19. Exquisite timing. As usual.

Yawnnnnnnnn.

[geckosfeet]

22. Yah. Did they put the presnident and CIA in the cc: line? n/t

[screembloodymurder]

23. None of this would have been possible without

Bush.

[oblivious]

24. Memo sent via donkey bringing superpower to its knees. "Chilling".

This al-qaeda propaganda is beyond farcical now. What kind of people make up this stuff? And why does the press print it as if it's real? Are they really so completely clueless? It's so transparently ridiculous.

[daleo]

25. This is certainly timely.

"The letter is 6,300 words long and a senior official calls it the clearest and most comprehensive exposition of al Qaeda's objectives and strategy the U.S. has ever seen."

I wonder what language it was written in?

[buddysmellgood]

26. The U.S. has obtained? All of us? I never got my memo, did you? I think

they mean Bushco obtained a chilling memo written just down hall by KKKarl.

[buddysmellgood]

27. I'll bet Osama sent the letter via the U.S. post office with insurance and

still Dubya can't find him.

[FloridaPat]

28. You mean someone has a real strategy for Iraq? And what number

is bin Laden's deputy? I'm pretty sure #2 was caught several times the last year or so. So where is the deputy on the list?

[SlavesandBulldozers]

30. OH NOOOO!!!! I'm scared again.

Quick where's a flag? And goddamn it Dale Earnhardt's not here to console us!!!! Number 3 f'rever, goddamn it i love the USA!!! Let the eagle aooaaar like its never soared before!!!

[eridani]

31. Right, like the Shi'ite majority is going to allow itself--

--to be ordered around by Wahabist Sunnis.

[pinniped]

32. This is the biggest load of crap I've seen all day.

--The letter also indicates Zawahiri's life in hiding has left him cut off from news and financial support. He asks Zarqawi to provide him more information about operations in Iraq, saying he should know at least as much as the enemy knows, and he even asks Zarqawi to send money.
--

[TheWatcher]

33. Welcome to the Orwellian States Of America

EVERY single time these pieces of garbage get into trouble, soemthing like this comes out.

Another Letter, Another Video, Another Memo, Another e-mail, Another Brochure, Another Post Card, Another #2 Killed, Another #2 Captured, Another #2 caught having a Milk Shake at an Indiana Denny's, Another Beheading, Another Stack Of Koran's found in an abandoned Honda Civic, Another Terror Alert, Another Distraction.

How long is it going to be before everyone WAKES UP to this excuse for a bad Reality TV Show?

Absolutely NOTHING they say is true. Nothing they "FIND" is true or real.

Professional Wrestling is more real than The War On Terror.

[xchrom]

34. timing is everything.

[LynnTheDem]

35. March 4, 2004.

...the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq made public an intercepted letter it said was written by al-Zarqawi to al-Qaida leaders, detailing a strategy of spectacular attacks to derail the...Iraqis. U.S. officials say al-Zarqawi may have been involved in some of the series of suicide bombings this year in Iraq."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4446084

Here's the trick...the above is from March 4, 2004. Turned out to be "fabricated". As in utter bullshit. Funny how these "intercepted letetrs" always say the same thing, even a year apart.

HMMMMMM.

[JackieO]

36. Chilling!

:boring:

[Nostradamus]

38. Is it written on an IBM Selectrix with proportional spacing ?

I fancy we won't hear much about thie accuracy of this "letter" from the usual suspects

[henslee]

39. An obtained from an operative through a handoff in a texas parking lot.

[itaintoveryet]

40. yes, i can just picture

it : Ayman al Zawahiri sitting at a roll-top desk with quill in hand musing about the contents of the "letter" to his "compatriot" living in Iraq at "Bombed out street 10", Baghdad, Iraq. who would send an actual physical letter in this day and age ? and how convenient that "Al-Qaida" shows up just after *'s latest speech and starts making noise ?

utter BS, i feel sorry for those who swallow such garbage because the GOP and * are in power.

[Roland99]

41. Pentagon: Bin Laden deputy complains about money, Iraq tactics

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/07/pentagon.al.qaeda/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An intercepted letter from Osama bin Laden's deputy to the al Qaeda leader in Iraq complains that the terrorist network is short of cash and faces defeat in Afghanistan, a Pentagon spokesman says.

The United States obtained a recent letter that appears to be from Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's No. 2 figure, to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, outlining both the strategy and concerns of the terrorist network, said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.

In the letter, al-Zawahiri warns that some of the tactics currently employed by the insurgency, including the slaughtering of hostages and the suicide bombings of Muslim civilians, may risk alienating the "Muslim masses," Whitman said Thursday.

Reading from a summary of the letter, Whitman said al-Zawahiri concedes that al Qaeda has lost many key leaders, is resigned to defeat in Afghanistan, and that its lines of communication and funding sources have been seriously disrupted. Al-Zawahiri includes a plea for financial support, indicating he is strapped for money, Whitman said.

Uh....yeah....right.

With the Taliban on the rise again in Afghanistan? With more US soldiers killed this year than the previous three?

I'm going to believe this?

:eyes:


BTW, with all of these letters being captured, why can't we capture the letter carriers or trace these letters back? Freakin' joke!

[mattclearing]

42. Zawahiri: "Stupid Pony Express!!!!" n/t

[Roland99]

45. It was sent return receipt....just follow the return

;)

[wtmusic]

43. Osama's been enjoying life at the top

Notice how the "letter" was not released. Our government wouldn't lie, would it?

[ugarte]

44. Sounds like CIA Psyops...probably bogus.

nt

[Javaman]

48. Here it is: The letter was just released!!

Dear Osama,
Death to America, God is great, send more money we are broke.

I know, I know, the suicide bombers being what they are, should cut overhead, but the fact is: These guys know they are going to die, so they go in these jags of eating and partying! Damn, I got a bill from the beer guy last week...I know, I know, no beer, but tell that to the guy that is drinking his last one, he want another another another, but I digress, this beer guy is demanding payment up front now! He says our credit is no longer good. What's with that? Can you look into this?

Oh and the other thing, stop sending us these trigger happy recruits, they are killing our supporters. Just the other day, we had several people out in front of Manni's drive thru falafel stand and this clod runs up and blows them to smithereens!!! I mean, crap, what the fuck? I wanted to kick the shit out of the moron but, well, you know...They ain't helping. Give them a manual or something.

On a more pleasant note, I got the sweater you sent, very nice wool. I'm so glad you remembered blue was my favorite color. Beyond that, nothing much, the usual, oh before I forget, send more of that strawberry ice cream, the guys were going wild over it.

Until then, God is great, yadda yadda yadda,
Abu

[Javaman]

46. Dupe

[Javaman]

47. Wow! I didn't know my bullshit meter could go this high!!!

Down in the bowels of the pentagon, in one of the many sub sub sub basements, sit two writers, chain smoking, downing cup after cup of coffee. Sweat stained, unshowered and unshaved the hack out something on a PC...

Bob: You know, I haven't seen my wife in 3 weeks...

Dave: shut up, that's the 20th time you have said that today!!

Bob: I was just saying, you know, making conversation...

Dave: shut up shut up! I can't take you or this bullshit any longer! I want out!!

Over the intercom, squawks a disembodied voice...

Voice: trouble down there? Do we need to send in Steve?

Bob and Dave: oh no, no trouble, yeah, yeah, fine, right bob? Yeah Dave...

They laugh nervously.

Voice: okay then. tonights dinner is lo mein with vegies...

The intercom clicks off.

Dave: christ!! not lo mein again? If I eat it one more time, I'm going to start talking Mandarin!

Bob: okay okay, let's get back to work, the sooner we are done, the quicker we are out of here. What do we have so far...

Dave: I was thinking of a take on the whole hitler thing...

Bob: hmmm, okay, go on...

Dave: you know, today Germany tomorrow...

Bob: I got you, today Iraq tomorrow the world!!! Yeah, your brilliant!!!

Bob kisses Dave on the forehead. Dave smiles wearily.

Dave: I was also thinking of reviving the whole head chopping thing, that seemed to work for us so well...

Bob paces around the room...

Bob: yeah, but it's a bit stale don't you think? Just go with a bullet, it will appear as if they are getting desperate...

Dave: I'm sorry I yelled at you before...

Bob: No problem, just a little venting. Damn, you know, I haven't seen my wife in 3 weeks...

Dave: Arrrrrrgggggg!!!!!

[Zynx]

51. Hmmm..."Smells like....":

[hippiechick]

53. I thought Zawahiri was dead, captured, and missing a leg ??

... in the middle of all that, he has time to write notes to Osama ?

Jeez. Busy guy !

[savemefromdumbya]

54. Ayman al Zawahiri - is this guy real

or is he made up by the Bush administration. I am beginning to wonder? Besides where is OBL?

[Neil Lisst]

55. Just when Bush needs another "letter" there it is ...

This looks like yet another Bush admin intel fabrication, something made up to set up a connection that probably isn't there, another bogus story to show how the war in Iraq is just what Bush says it is.

Uh, didn't we get the original "letter" in early 2004, when Bush was bogged down and Kerry was coming out of Iowa strong?

I don't believe anything that suddenly appears when Team Bush is trying to reshape public perception.



------
Neil Lisst progressive comic
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/neillisst/

[StrafingMoose]

56. Zarqawi to Zawahiri:

"Got a problem with my techniques? You think I'm working for you buddy or what?! The CIA pays alot more, and at least I won't end up in a Tora Bora cave for my retirement! Harharhar!"

[yurbud]

57. Ever since the 'Orange County al Qaeda' guy, it all seems like bullshit