The "King Of The North" Is Coming!

The mysterious identity of the "King of the North" and "Small Horn" discussed here. The "Great War" of Daniel 10:1 (NIV) discussed here. The heavenly & earthly establishment of God's Kingdom discussed here at length. Answers such questions as when does Jesus' Kingdom Rule begin and end.

Moderator: LWF Administration

Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Abaddon (Ex. 23:21)
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
Posts: 283
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Founder YORWW Bible Institute & Training Center resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.
Contact:

The "King Of The North" Is Coming!

#1 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Thu Jun 24, 2004 10:13 am

THE "KING OF THE NORTH" IS COMING!

[See blog with graphics at: http://www.livingwatersforum.com/osama.html]

The Appearance Of The 7-Headed "Wild Beast" After The Coming "Great War" Of Daniel 10:1 (NIV)


Today, many keen bible students have come to discern the fact that the "Wild Beast" spoken of in the book of Revelation, actually represents a political entity which is under Satan the Devil’s control and thus is in complete opposition Jehovah God and His “Kingdom” Interests upon earth. However, what is not commonly known among religionists today is that the “7-Headed” entity itself, actually has not as of yet, been fully formed yet. What I mean by that statement is that the 7-Headed "Wild Beast" that Revelation speaks of itself pertains to the future, or it is a "beast" that will formulate in the near future for us, as a "7-headed" entity..one that must go thru several phases or vicissitudes, finally, before it becomes the “7-Headed” Political Entity the bible speaks of that makes a devastating attack upon the "holy ones" and to "conquer them" as the "Two Witnesses" of God. -- Revelation 11:7; Revelation 13:5-7

As we recall, this moving drama about the "wild beast" forms when the "woman", a heaven-high, heavenly adorned "woman," is sent "fleeing" to the wilderness, as a form of punishment from God. A "Woman" that is "persecuted" by the Dragon directly. Bible prophecy shows this mystery "woman" who is "fed" by God Almighty in the "Wilderness" will prove to be none other than the Jehovah’s Witnesses as an organization or people, complete with the "stars," "moon," and "sun" proving themselves to be the "heavenly body" leaders and corporate heads of the JW Organization, especially the Governing Body itself. -- Revelation 12:1, 2, 6, 13, 14

Bible prophecy indicates that very shortly, the JW Organization in its entirety, will come under attack and intense persecution from the political factions of this world, even here in the United States too. This all occurs just after the "Great War" that is shortly to come upon us now, just comes to an abrupt end. The "Great War" of Daniel 10:1 (NIV). Immediately afterwhich, the JW organization will be chased to the wilderness, showing that they have lost all of Jehovah's blessings and spirit, totally. God will allow all of this to happen to them as punishment for being transgressors against His Will. -- Psalms 74:3-10; Daniel 8:12-14; Daniel 11:40, 41; Revelation 12:6, 14-16; Revelation 13:5-7

It is from this setting, that we first see or get our very first glimpse of the notorious "Babylon the Great," the old disgusting "Harlot," yes the infamous "Mother of the Harlots," who has positioned herself upon the "wild beast" to ride the political "wild beast" [United Nations Organization] for all its worth. Actually, Babylon The Great, forms after the JW Organization exists for some time within the "wilderness," after much intense persecution has been experienced by the JW family. In fact, Babylon the Great is actually formed by a unique metamorphosis of the JW Organization, while under intense persecution in the "wilderness", where the majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses will side with the Governing Body Leadership in total compromise and receive the "mark of the beast" in high treason against God as real "apostates". This great event is just ahead of us for all the world to see. -- Daniel 11:32; Revelation 13:14-17.

John shows us just how such a thing could happen…the formation of Babylon The Great and how it gets its beginning,

"And he carried me away in the power of the spirit into a wilderness. And I caught sight of a woman sitting upon a scarlet-colored wild beast that was full of blasphemous names and that had seven heads and ten horns." -- Revelation 17:3

Babylon the Great actually gets her start, while in the "wilderness," which is the exact same place we recall, that the "woman" has been chased previously, as mentioned in Revelation 12:6, 14. Also we notice above that the "wild beast" has "7 heads and 10 horns." Now, this description of the "10 horns" reminds us of the 4th tremendously destructive "beast" of the book of Daniel 7th chapter. This "beast" we remember, is said to be particularly "fearsome and terrible and unusually strong." Also, from this "extraordinarily fearsome" beast, will also come forth, from among these “10 horns,” a most notorious "small horn" leader, who becomes the Chief Persecutor of all God's People, yes Jehovah’s Witnesses, and also winds up “harassing” as the prophecy says, the “holy ones of the Supreme One,” the future kingdom heirs of God. (Daniel 7:18-27) Yes, this “small horn” figure then, thus becomes the real Leader of this particularly brutal "10-horned" beast, or cruel beastly governmental set-up, as the much feared "King of the North" that we have all heard and read so much about in the book of Daniel. Yes, he becomes the Chief Person, among real persecutors of God’s Name People…this one we know today, as OSAMA BIN LADEN!!!

Yes, this person most responsible for the 9-11 attack upon [NY Trade Center Buildings] America, yes the true leader of the “Al-Qaida” [The Base] Network of Islamic Extremists, who continues to escape the grasp of America and its military machinery, yes this one, will be the one who will take the lead in the persecution of modern-day "Israel" of our times, Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide, before Jehovah brings it to a halt. Osama bin Laden, yes, the one who leads a small group of people, the "Al-Qaida" Network, the "small nation" spoken of in Daniel 11:23. Yes, the one who will become quite famous, quite powerful indeed, as THE UNDISPUTED LEADER of the International Islamic Community, that must be reckoned with, finally. When this one has fully accomplished his will concerning his Great "Jihad" against the West, against America, when this "Great War", this so-called "holy Jihad" is over…AFTER…after the “Great War” of Daniel 10:1 is fought and won by himself as the infamous “King of the North,” who defeats, the “King of the South,” or American and supporting nations, in the most bloody, devastating war the world has ever, ever seen before -- then, yes then, the "King of the North," will make much trouble for God's Name People...much trouble indeed! – Daniel 7:18-27; Daniel 8:23-25; Daniel 10:1 NIV; Matthew 24:7; Revelation 6:4; Revelation 13:5-7

To be sure, this coming "small horn" leader, then will prove to be the Real Leader of the "10 horned" political entity that devastates the earth in terrible warfare. And even after he, Osama bin Laden is dead and gone, yes bible prophecy indicates still, that the "10-Horned" Beast, will continue to prove themselves to be the real enemies of God’s Name People, right up to the end of this system of things, when the Holy "Mountain of Decoration," has to be defended by God Almighty Himself. -- Daniel 7:7,8, 19-22; Daniel 11:44, 45

It will be during such a difficult time as these described above, the initial stages of persecution against Jehovah's Witnesses, the "woman," that the JW Organization will crumble, become totally disillusioned, and finally in complete defeat and compromise, willingly and disgracefully, accept or receive the "mark of the beast", under the leadership of the wicked, disgustingly, cowardly, Governing Body leadership of our modern day times. It will be this particularly "fierce king," who strangely, "understands ambiguous sayings," yes strangely "ambiguous" words known as the so-called "Holy Koran" book itself, yes this particular Religious Leader himself, will lead God's Name People, into complete "apostasy" before God…just as God’s unfailing Word, predicts! -- Daniel 8:23-25; Daniel 11:30, 32

Of course, we remember the WTS has said in their publications in the past, that the 7 "heads" on the “Wild Beast,” actually picture 7 successive governments down thru the ages, starting with namely Egypt, and then moving to Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and finally the Anglo-American duo world power. However, this explanation is obviously wrong since we remember, John is given a vision of the future and not of the distant past. So, John is not an inspired historian, in this instance, retelling the past to us, but he is shown the "things that must take place," as of the future. He is seeing things of our day, of our future, as from the 1st century, and on. But not of the past. Revelation 1:1 and Revelation 4:1 make that point clear. And when we come to appreciate this fact, then this means as we might expect, yes the "heads" on the beast are CONTEMPORARY governments, contemporary “beasts,” that exist at the same time, and not successive governments that follow one another, over a long period of time, starting as it were, many centuries ago.

The book of Revelation helps us to see, the United Nations is the key figure here too, since it represents the organization that can bring all of the governments together in a unison of power. However, at different times, key nations, actually express control of this political power entity of the United Nations Organization. For example, we see the "Security Council" with its five PERMANENT MEMBERS, actually showing all of the real power and authority of our time. Actually, these "five" kings [or five governments] are referred to in Revelation 17:10. They are the same "five kings" that occupy the seat of Permanent Members of the Security Council for the United Nations Organization...the ones that have what is called: Veto Power. These “five” will be in power and vogue, during the time the “Great War” of Daniel 10:1 (NIV), will occur. John was told the following:

"And there are seven kings: five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet arrived, but when he does arrive he must remain a short while." – Revelation 17:10

What this means is that, when the real trouble starts, "five will have fallen" in total warfare and influence toward world affairs. In other words, a "Great War" is on the horizon, with the "five kings", the Five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council, "falling" in their influence to control the world situation anymore. They will have "fallen" in the eyes of the world, in power and in influence as regards to WORLD POLICY. What they think, at this time, will no longer be considered by worldly nations to be “germaine”, or even relevant, as respects, international policy around the globe. No but, at this time, after the “Great War,” yes, there will be only one "king" at this time, to really deal with. One real force to be reckoned with. And it will be during this unusual time, after the "Great War," when this "king", this particularly "fierce king" will exercise great political and military influence upon the world scene. It will be under these particularly difficult circumstances for the Western World, these unexpected circumstances that the Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, will receive the "mark of the beast", under the leadership of the wicked, nefarious Governing Body leadership of our times. This "fierce king," the then prevailing "King of the North," will lead God's Name People, Jehovah's Witnesses as a nation and people, into "APOSTASY" before God. -- Daniel 8:23-25; Daniel 11:30, 32; Revelation 13:14-18

When the prophecy says, the "one that is," or the "king that is," it means the one prevailing "king" or "kingdom" or "mountain" that represents the new ruling power, which will be in vogue at the time that "Babylon The Great" gets on the back of the "wild beast", while they are conveniently dwelling, "in the wilderness." When this happens, this one particularly "fierce king" -- Osama bin Laden, will then be in power, and will control things, politically, from a world scene point of view. Bible Prophecy is clear!!!

Daniel 8:23-25 speaks of him as being a particularly "fierce king" that is coming into power, and gains his power, yes thru "intrigue." Daniel 11:30-32 shows, that he, acting the part of the "king of the North," will lead "those acting wickedly against the Covenant" of God, into complete "apostasy". And he leads the leadership, particularly the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, yes and the majority (but not all) of the Jehovah's Witnesses Organization, he will lead into complete "apostasy." This act in itself, will fully reveal the "man of lawlessness" in fact to be the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. In other words, the Jehovah's Witnesses Organization will receive at that time, the dreaded "mark of the beast" in full compromise before Jehovah God, at the "smooth" behest of this new political "king" of our time, the "Small Horn" Islamic Leader, who will powerfully control world policy, the same way America controls it today. A new "fierce King" altogether, the "Small Horn," who is also at that time, the prevailing "king of the North."

And all of this will be made possible, because just before this spiritual deflection of the JW Organization, America, as a particularly powerful "head" of the "five kings" that have fallen -- yes, America will have received the "deathstroke," or the "swordstroke" during the "Great War" that is spoken of by the prophet at Daniel 10:1 (NIV). Bible prophecy indicates that the world's ONLY SUPERPOWER of our modern day times, yes, the United States of America and its mighty military, high technologically advanced army itself, the greatest army in the world itself, will lose this war...and will fare ever so badly, and suffer dearly, in the next World War that is shortly before us. And a newly united Islamic Conference of Nations, the "ten toes" of the mighty statute or "image" envisioned by King Nebuchadnezzar as mentioned in Daniel 2:40-45 will exist at this time. Yes, those "Ten Toes" of this Great "Image" should be correctly understood to also represent the "10 horns" on the top of the "terribly fearsome" beast of Daniel 7:23-26. These "Ten Horns" will thus prove to be the collective entity of Islamic Nations, then under the leadership of OSAMA BIN LADEN, the "Small Horn" of Bible Prophecy, who will give the United States of America a surprising military defeat, and even apply the "deathstroke" ... yes, the "deathstroke" and "swordstroke" to the only recognized Superpower on earth today. Yes, this will indeed happen to the mighty military machinery of United States of America, because Bible Prophecy is clear! (For more information on the destructive surprise attack by the "Small Horn" of bible prophecy upon America [King of the South], see the following link: A Powerful "Sign" From God Will Soon Be Given To All Mankind! -- See Daniel 8:23-25; Revelation 13:3, 12, 14)

Yes, bible prophecy indicates, that they (USA of America) will be defeatedly soundly. (Daniel 8:23-25; Daniel 11:25, 26) Afterwhich believe it not, yes... Islam itself will be in power worldwide (using the UN Organization as a tool, just as America once did), with devastating consequences for all "Christian" religions of the world, as well as the complete destruction and dismantling of the natural nation of "Israel " in the middle east. All of the above described events ensure the future to be particularly bloody, with the prolific use of biological, chemical and even nuclear warfare to be fully employed, with 1 out of every 4 humans upon this planet, experiencing an early demise! In fact, things will be so bad, that even the ecology of this earth will be completely disrupted for a period of time. Yes, bible prophecy even states that because of this coming "Great War," yes, nature will be knocked out of balance, with wild animals attacking humans because of this imbalance in the ecology and its surrounding wildlife. In addition, bible prophecy makes clear that accompanied with worldwide famine and the terrific spread of infestious diseases, at that time, yes deadly "pestilence," ... all of this together, will ravage the world's scene with 1/4 (one fourth) of earth's present-day population experiencing untimely death ... just as Jesus Christ himself predicted and is clearly shown in the book of Revelation. -- See Daniel 10:1 (NIV); Matthew 24:7, 8; Luke 21:10, 11; Revelation 6:3-8.

Think about it!
_________________________________________________________

Review Questions For Article: The King of the “North” is Coming!


1. When will the seven-headed Wild Beast spoken of in Revelation 13:5-7 make its appearance?

2. What dramatic scenario does Revelation chapter 12 depict that occurs at the same time that the seven-headed Wild Beast is formed?

3. Who does this “woman” prove to be and why and when is she being sent to the wilderness?

4. When does the notorious “Babylon the Great” form and what precipitates her formation?

5. What entity emerged from the seven-headed, ten-horned beast that the “woman” rides on who will be the chief persecutor of her and of the “holy ones?”

6. What role will Osama Bin Laden play on the world scene?

7. What will Jehovah’s Witnesses, as an organization, do under the intense pressure of persecution by the King of the North?

8. What explanation does the Watchtower Society offer in their publications of what the “seven heads” on this beast represent, and why is this not a reasonable one?

9. Currently who controls the United Nations, the organization that can bring together all governments in a unison of power?

10. What does Revelation 17:10 mean when it says that “five have fallen?”

11. What does Revelation 17:10 mean when it says the “one is?”

12. In spite of its great military might, which nation is going to be given a “death stroke” and who renders this defeat?

13. What kind of devastation will the world suffer during this particularly bloody war soon to be upon us?




To get the answers for the review questions CLICK HERE.

***[/size]
"He that is from God listens to the sayings of God..." -- John 8:47

User avatar
Abaddon (Ex. 23:21)
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
Posts: 283
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Founder YORWW Bible Institute & Training Center resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.
Contact:

#2 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Thu Jun 24, 2004 10:25 am

2 News Items Below:

ISLAMIC STATES WANT U.S. OUT OF IRAQ

Iraq divisions, anger at Israeli strike in Syria, mark summit

ASSOCIATED PRESS

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia Oct. 11 — The world’s Islamic states opened their biggest meeting in three years Saturday with a call for the eviction of U.S. troops from Iraq and the rapid restoration of its sovereignty.

DIVISIONS OVER Iraq threatened to prevent Islamic leaders from finding a unified voice to address a widespread feeling that the war against terrorism has turned into a war against Muslims.
The gathering of the 57 countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the world’s biggest Muslim political grouping, is its first regular summit since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks brought terrorism to the center of world politics.
Senior officials opened discussions with a prayer Saturday in Malaysia’s new administrative capital, Putrajaya. They will lay out positions for their foreign ministers and national leaders to consider later in the week, ranging from Israel’s airstrike on Syria to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
But Iraq is expected to take center stage.

‘UNPRECEDENTED THREAT’ CITED
Abdelouahed Belkaziz, the OIC’s secretary general, told the officials that Islamic nations “are still under the strain of extremely difficult challenges and unprecedented threats to our countries’ independence, sovereignty, security and courses.”
Top priority should go to “the eviction of foreign forces from Iraq, allowing the United Nations to administer Iraqi affairs (as a) prelude to restoration of Iraq’s independence, and to the rebuilding of what has been destroyed over the past 20 years, all in accordance with a clear and short timetable,” he said.
Host Malaysia, a moderate, prosperous Southeast Asian country led by blunt-spoken Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, had attempted to keep the U.S.-picked Iraqi Governing Council from taking the seat formerly held by Saddam Hussein’s government, viewing the council as puppets

But Arab nations — the real power in the Islamic world, many of which allowed American troops to attack Iraq from their soil — prevailed upon Malaysia to accept the council, which has already been admitted to the Arab League.
Malaysia has said that Muslim states should not heed U.S. calls to send peacekeepers to Iraq unless the United Nations takes control of such operations. Washington wants troops from other countries to help relieve the burden on its 130,000 troops there.

TURKISH TROOPS REJECTED
Turkey has given the green light to send troops, raising objections among the Iraqi Governing Council, which fears the troops would interfere in Iraq’s internal affairs and that Turkey’s conflict with its Kurdish minority could spill over to engulf Kurds in northern Iraq.
“We don’t like to have any peacekeeping troops from neighboring countries, because it might cause problems inside Iraq,” said Riyadh al-Fadhli, a senior Iraqi Foreign Ministry official.
Tahsin Burcuoglu, head of Turkey’s delegation, said his country was assuming its neighborly responsibility and suggested that countries that wait for U.N. cover that may never materialize were satisfied with doing nothing.

“Everybody among the Islamic countries has to make a choice,” Burcuoglu said. “If there is no such resolution, then what should be the position of Islamic countries — to stay out and wait for something else and to just observe the tragedy going on?”
But Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Gholamali Khoshroo, said that Muslim countries were unanimous in feeling that the United States should leave Iraq and hand over power to Iraqis. Striking a common position on peacekeepers would not be on the summit agenda, he said.

SYRIA SEEKS CONDEMNATION
Syria declared that it wants the conference to formally condemn Israel’s airstrike against a training base for Palestinian militants on its soil. Damascus claims the base was closed years ago, while Israel insists it was being used recently by suicide bombers plotting attacks.
Syria has run into snags in the U.N. Security Council in persuading European countries to support a resolution condemning Israel, and the United States has threatened a veto.
“We are more hopeful than in any other sphere that the OIC will adopt the resolution supporting our position,” said Bashar Jaafaari, chief of the Syrian delegation.
The OIC has been dismissed by critics as a toothless talk shop with few concrete achievements. Malaysian officials say their nation, as OIC chair for the next three years, will strive to transform the organization into an effective advocate.

--------------------end of first news item---------------------

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia Oct. 12 — Foreign ministers arriving Sunday at the world’s biggest meeting of Islamic states prepared to welcome Iraq’s new government — at arm’s length — and confer another layer of legitimacy to the U.S.-picked body.

THE MINISTERS, representing the 57 member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, arrived as lower-ranking officials from their countries put the final touches on agendas for ministerial meetings Monday and Tuesday, to be followed by a full summit of national leaders Thursday and Friday.
With the occupation of Iraq and threats to other countries reinforcing unease that the war on terrorism is turning into persecution of Muslims, officials said the ministers and leaders will discuss resolutions welcoming the Iraqi Governing Council and condemning Israel for last week’s airstrike against Syria.
They will also hear host Malaysia, led by blunt-spoken Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, urge that the 34-year-old organization cast off a reputation as being little more than a talking shop and show more unity as a strong advocate of Muslim nations on the world stage.

DISAGREEMENT WITHIN OIC
The status of Iraq since Saddam Hussein was toppled six months ago had led to disagreement in the OIC, with summit host Malaysia contending that no Iraqi government should be seated with the country under U.S. occupation, and the powerful Arab bloc saying that the Governing Council is transitional and legitimate enough, for now.

The Arab view prevailed, and Iraq will be represented by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd, and by Ayad Alawi, current holder of the council’s rotating leadership.
Delegates said that a resolution would likely welcome the Governing Council but be balanced with calls for Iraq’s return to full independence and sovereignty and control over its own oil.
The resolution “is more of a welcome and acknowledgment of the Governing Council and considering it as a step in the right direction,” said Musa Braiza, a senior official from Jordan. “I am not aware of any opposition.”
A resolution condemning Israel for launching an airstrike in Syria — the first such attack in three decades — was also expected, Syrian officials said. Israel has claimed that the attack targeted a training camp used by Palestinian militants. Syria insists the camp closed years ago.

PEACEKEEPER RESOLUTION UNLIKELY
Delegates said that no resolution was likely on the issue of sending peacekeepers to Iraq, which has divided Turkey from the Governing Council and other states.

Turkey, which once ruled much of the Arab world, has offered to send peacekeepers without waiting for Iraq to shift from control of the United States to the United Nations, a stumbling block for other Muslim countries demanding a U.N. mandate.
The Governing Council has rejected peacekeepers from neighboring countries, fearing they could end up interfering in Iraq’s internal affairs and that Turkey’s long-running conflict with ethnic Kurdish insurgents could spill over to Kurdish areas of northern Iraq.
The dispute has put the Governing Council on a collision course with its American overseers, who are desperate for foreign troops to relieve the burden on the 130,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq.
Malaysia’s Mahathir, a staunch opponent of the U.S. invasion, said in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp. that persistent attacks on U.S. troops show they are unwelcome in Iraq.
Mahathir, 77, who retires Oct. 31 after 22 years in power, said the current scenario in Iraq differed from that after World War II when U.S. troops who helped liberate Paris were showered with thanks.
“But today, we don’t see that thing happening in Iraq,” Mahathir said.

End of article

User avatar
Abaddon (Ex. 23:21)
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
Posts: 283
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Founder YORWW Bible Institute & Training Center resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.
Contact:

Osama bin Laden's Prediction of Jihad Against USA

#3 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Fri Jul 30, 2004 12:28 pm

NEWS ARTICLE ABOUT OSAMA BIN LADEN’S PREDICTIONS OF JIHAD AGAINST USA


SOURCE OF THIS NEWS ARTICLE

APOCALYPSE NOW, OR ALOTTANUKES SOON


NOTE: This article has been pulled from the news source, but you can read it here. Asia Times feels the article is a hoax, but there is still much of value contained within it. Read and judge for yourself. To date, there has been no denial of the tape's validity sent to Al-Jazeera. - Steve Quayle

November 15, 2002
By Pepe Escobar, THE ROVING EYE

At a time when a tape handed over to the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television station has received widespread expose for its purported comments by Osama bin Laden in praise of recent terror events around the world, another al-Qaeda message released to the same station has received little coverage.

Al-Jazeera was granted an interview with one Mohammed al-Usuquf, allegedly al-Qaeda's number three. Al-Usuquf is said to be a doctor in physics and to hold a masters degree in international economics. A copy of the interview was sent to the prestigious Arab-language daily Al Quds Al Arabi, edited in London, but it was not printed.
Asia Times Online has obtained a copy of the interview, and reproduces excerpts here, with the caveat that the identity of the man has not yet been confirmed, nor has his membership within al-Qaeda.

Al-Usuquf says that al-Qaeda's Kuwaiti spokesman, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, and bin Laden himself, suggested that he grant the interview. Bin Laden, he says, is "alive and healthy, along with his commanders Mohammed Atef, Khalid Shaik Mohammed and Mullah Omar".

Al-Usuquf starts by criticizing Washington's disrespect of the Kyoto Protocol on climatic change, the International Criminal Court and the Palestinian cause, as well as the "financial greed" engendering speculative gains over Third World countries. He also criticizes the manner in which America wastes wealth, like US$80 billion a year on gambling. "They [have] lost the notion of spirituality and only live in sin."

For this reason, America must be destroyed, and al-Usuquf insists that "aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and spy satellites will be worthless in the next war".

Al-Qaeda, according to him, has 5,000 first rank operatives and around 20,000 all over the world. Of all the prisoners in the US, only "20 or 30" are al-Qaeda, and all of them "second-rank". Confirming Asia Times Online information, he swears that there are no first-rank prisoners in Guantanamo in Cuba. Al-Usuquf says, "We have more than 500 first-rank and 800 second-rank [operatives] inside the US." "First rank" are considered ones that have lived in the US for more than 10 years, most of them married with children. "They have an idea about the plans, and they are just waiting for a call." "Second-rank" operatives arrived in the past five years and "have no idea about the plans". They are all willing to die.

Al-Usuquf insists that September 11 "was just the beginning. It was a way to call the world's attention to what's going to happen." He then details a plan to destroy the US by "attacking the heart of what they consider the most important thing in the world: money".

"The American economy is an economy of false appearances," says al-Usuquf. "There's no real economic weight. American GNP is something around $10 trillion, but only 1 percent comes from agriculture, and only 24 percent from industry. So 75 percent of its GNP comes from services, and most of it is financial speculation. For someone who understands economics, and apparently America's Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill does not, or cannot, the US as a whole behaves like an immense dot.com, and dollars are its stocks. The value of stocks from a given company is directly proportional to its profitability. When a company only provides services, but does not produce goods, the value of its stocks depends on its credibility. What I'm saying is if US credibility is affected, its stocks - the US dollar - will fall at tremendous speed, and the whole American economy will collapse."

Al-Usuquf is absolutely positive, "because, in a smaller scale, this is exactly what big financial conglomerates do with Third World countries to collect profits in one month that no Swiss bank would guarantee in four to five years". Al-Usuquf says that al-Qaeda could do the same by "provoking a deficit of $50 to 70 trillion, the equivalent to five to seven years of the GNP of the US". How? By "destroying America's seven largest cities and some other measures". The means? "Atomic bombs." Al-Usuquf's most startling revelation is that the bombs "won't be launched, they are already there". "Seven nuclear heads have already been positioned on American soil, before September 11, and they are ready to be detonated. Before September 11, American security was a fiasco, and even later, if we needed, we could position the bombs there. They arrived through seaports, as normal cargo. A nuclear head is not bigger than a fridge, so it can easily be camouflaged as one. Thousands of containers arrive at a seaport every day, and even with very efficient security, it's impossible to check and examine each one of them."

Al-Usuquf says that the bombs were bought on the black market: five from the former USSR and two from Pakistan. The five Russian heads "are from T-3 missiles, also known as RD-107, and their power is around 100 kilotons each, that is five times the Hiroshima bomb. The Pakistani ones are less powerful, something around 10 kilotons each."

Each of the Russian bombs would have cost around $200 million. Al-Qaeda was able to raise the money "because we have many sponsors. Many countries sponsor us, and also some very rich people." And not all of these are Arab countries. "Some European countries as well are also interested in the fall of the US." As to the "rich people", they are "people who are also tired of seeing the US bleeding the rest of the world."


And Iraq's Saddam Hussein, says Al-Usuquf, is not one of these people, "but just a collaborator, represented by Abdul Tawab Hawaish, his vice prime minister and responsible for Iraq's arms program".

Al-Usuquf says that the bombs cannot be detected by US authorities. "Even if they are old, they were modernized and are very well hidden. Even if they were located, they have autodetonation mechanisms in case something or someone gets close. Even an electromagnetic pulse is not capable of deactivating them." The bombs allegedly cannot be detected because "they are enveloped in thick layers of lead". They could be detonated "by various methods - cellphone call, radio frequency, seismic shock or by their regressive clock".

Al-Usuquf details the whole plan. "First, one head would be detonated, which would cause the deaths of 800,000 to 1 million people and a chaos never seen before. During this chaos, two or three planes, which are now disassembled inside barns near empty roads in the US countryside, would take off in suicide missions to pulverize another two or three big American cities with chemicals. Once the disease was identified, all seaports and airports would be quarantined. Land borders would also be closed. No plane, boat or car would enter or leave the US. This would be total chaos." The first target would be the city "that would offer the best conditions, for example bright sky and winds of eight or more miles an hour blowing towards the center of the country, so radioactive dust can contaminate the largest possible area".

This attack would not knock out the US, recognizes al-Usuquf, "But the process would be initiated. As with the World Trade Center, it would be just a question of time for the whole economic structure to be turned to dust. If the objectives are reached with one bomb and diseases, probably we will save the lives of other people, but it's risky, and probably six more bombs will be detonated, one a week, and more attacks with chemical weapons will be launched." According to estimates made by al-Usuquf "and Ayman al-Zawahiri", al-Qaeda's number 2, about 15 million people would die, victims of the bombs and the radiation. Among those contaminated by diseases, "25 percent will die, a figure around more than 5 million, plus many others due to the chaos and disorder".

Al-Usuquf does not fear an American military response. "Even if five or 10 cities are chosen at random to be destroyed, it will still be a small price to pay. The problem is that the economic despair will be so great that even if it saves [money] by not using weapons, American liquidity will be near zero, and the US will make more money selling a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier to Turkey or Italy for $5 billion, because they will urgently need to recapitalize. But it will be too late. Moreover, what will remain of an American soldier's morale to fight knowing that his whole family died and his country ceased to exist? To fight for what?"

The world economy would not collapse, says al-Usuquf, although "in the beginning, it will be very difficult. But without the US the world will soon rise in a more just and fraternal manner. Nothing can stop the plan."

And whatever America does, "it's too late". When will the attack begin? "I can't tell."

End of Article


***
"He that is from God listens to the sayings of God..." -- John 8:47

User avatar
Abaddon (Ex. 23:21)
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
Posts: 283
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Founder YORWW Bible Institute & Training Center resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.
Contact:

#4 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Thu Aug 12, 2004 12:41 pm

Bin Laden To Air Message Ending Truce Offered To Europe
website AFP: 8/12/2004

DUBAI, Aug 12 (AFP) - An Islamist website said Thursday that Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden or his number two was due to release an audiotape to declare an end to the truce he offered to Europe if it pulled troops out of Iraq.

"Expect an audio message from Sheikh Osama bin Laden or Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri," said a statement on the Minbar Ahl al-Sunna wal Jamaa website, which has repeatedly posted terror-related news and videos by various shadowy groups.

"To all Muslims: expect an audio message from Sheikh Osama bin Laden on one of the satellite channels during which he will announce the end of the truce that he has given to the Europeans for a pullout from Iraq," it said.

The authenticity of the statement could not be verified.

In a taped message broadcast by the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television on April 15 the Al-Qaeda chief offered peace to European states which refrained from aggression against Muslims and pulled their troops out of the Muslim world within three months.

European leaders promptly dismissed the offer, saying the idea of negotiating with bin Laden was absurd.

On Tuesday, the Al-Qaeda-linked group Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, which has claimed deadly terror attacks in Turkey and Spain, warned of more such strikes in Europe.

It was the latest in a series of warnings attributed to the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades since the expiry on July 15 of bin Laden`s truce offer.

The Washington Times said Wednesday that Al-Qaeda was planning a high-level assassination against a US or foreign leader to disrupt the US presidential election, in an operation to be set in motion by a new tape from its leader.

Besides the United States, two possible places where the assassination would take place were Saudi Arabia and Yemen, unnamed US intelligence officials told the daily.

The assassination would signal the launch of more terrorist attacks involving "multiple targets in multiple venues" across the United States, the officials said.

They said the "very detailed" plans were found on a laptop computer of suspected Al-Qaeda computer expert Naeem Noor Khan, who was arrested in Pakistan last month.

The officials said the likely trigger for Al-Qaeda`s new terrorist campaign would be a new video and audio message from bin Laden, which they expected to surface soon.

"The message likely will be the signal for the attack to be launched," one official said.

Source of Article
"He that is from God listens to the sayings of God..." -- John 8:47

User avatar
Abaddon (Ex. 23:21)
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
Posts: 283
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Founder YORWW Bible Institute & Training Center resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.
Contact:

Islamic Conference of Nations Want UN Intervention

#5 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Mon Aug 23, 2004 7:09 pm

Pakistan, Malaysia blast US on Najaf

Monday 23 August 2004, 15:55 Makka Time, 12:55 GMT

Shia leader Sayyid Anis Haidar Naqvi says US seeks Iraqi oil

Protesters in Pakistan have demonstrated against the bombardment in Najaf, saying the US and its allies seek control of Iraqi resources, while Malaysia has called for attacks on the city to stop.

About 200 Shia Muslims staged a demonstration in Multan, central Pakistan, against US attacks near the Imam Ali shrine in the Iraqi city of Najaf.

Protesters marched and condemned what they called the desecration of the shrine.

"The United States wants to occupy the oil resources of Muslim states on the pretext of terrorism and the hunt for al-Qaida," Shia leader Sayyid Anis Haidar Naqvi told the rally.

The protesters carried placards reading: "Stop US barbaric operation in Iraq, Najaf", "Stop bombing holy places", "Down with America and Britain", "Bush and allied forces are terrorists" and "Desecration of sacred places will not be tolerated".

"The people of Iraq deserve to have peace and not more suffering"

The complex, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, has been in the hands of the al-Mahdi Army since an April uprising against the US-backed interim Iraqi government.

US warplanes pounded the area near the shrine overnight as continued fighting dimmed hopes of an end to the two-week-old standoff.

Call to UN

Malaysia, which currently heads the world's biggest grouping of Islamic countries, called for an end to violence in Najaf on Monday.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, chairman of the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference, urged the United Nations to act to end the fighting.

Current head of the OIC, Malaysia, has called for Najaf attacks to end
"If the confrontation in Najaf is not defused, it will inflame emotions and may create unpredictable conditions," he said in a statement to the official Bernama news agency.

"It will also erode the fragile stability in the country and affect the preparations for the holding of the national elections in Iraq scheduled in January 2005," said Abdullah, who is in South Korea for a three-day visit.

"The people of Iraq deserve to have peace and not more suffering," he added.

US forces around the site in Najaf have been pounding the area sporadically over the past few days with heavy fire.

Source of Article

***
"He that is from God listens to the sayings of God..." -- John 8:47

User avatar
Abaddon (Ex. 23:21)
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
Posts: 283
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Founder YORWW Bible Institute & Training Center resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.
Contact:

#6 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Mon Aug 23, 2004 7:15 pm

COMES DEATH ON A PALE HORSE


Osama's Revenge: The Next 9/11: What the Media and the Government Haven't Told You

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/article ... 4552.shtml

Bob Cheeks
Thursday, July 29, 2004

He walked steadily but not hurriedly. He was neatly dressed in a three-piece Brooks Brothers suit. As he walked he looked directly ahead with a slight smile on his face; no one paid any attention to him. He was everyman; dark-skinned, clean-shaven, with straight black hair neatly combed.

When he reached the front of the largest building in the very center of the busy city, he put his suitcase down and checked his wristwatch. It was 9:54 a.m. His timing was impeccable. He picked up the suitcase and turned toward the street. Traffic was light; most people had already arrived at their jobs and were working. He said his prayers. A few minutes later he placed the suitcase on the sidewalk and slowly bent over and initiated the firing sequence.

Story Continues Below

“Allah Akbar!” he said, smiling.

Within seconds a huge fireball rose above the city. Already tens of thousands were dead, while buildings blocks away were twisted and ripped open by a wind calculated to approach 700 miles per hour. Within three minutes the dead and wounded would exceed 1 million Americans.

This same scenario was repeated at exactly the same time in six additional American cities. Fortunately, two other bombs failed to detonate. The death toll was over 7 million. America was physically devastated, her economy in shambles. No help came from the United Nations. No European countries sent aid.

****************

The foregoing scenario is fiction, I pray. But if the information provided in Paul L. Williams' new book, "Osama's Revenge: The Next 9/11," is accurate - and keep in mind his book is scrupulously documented and filled with footnotes - America faces a nuclear Armageddon.

We would be better prepared for the “Islamic militants” if we were still a Christian nation. But in the post-Christian era, our embrace of multiculturalism and ethnic diversity work against us. We have, as the brilliant rhetorician Richard Weaver once commented, “lost our consensus.” But Islam has not lost its consensus; it has what Nietzsche referred to as “the Will to Power.”

Williams details Osama bid Laden’s rise to power in Afghanistan and his genius in raising money via heroin sold in the good old USA, which has filled al-Qaida’s coffers to overflowing. If a suitcase bomb in Chechnya costs $20 million, it’s not a problem! In a 2002 article, Al-Majallah, London’s Saudi weekly newspaper, reported that al-Qaida now possesses 48 such devices.

Williams quotes the esteemed terrorist expert Yossef Bodansky, head of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare: “We don’t have any indication that they are going to use it [nuclear weapons] tomorrow or any other day. But they have the capacity; they have the legitimate authorization; they have the logic for using it. So, one does not go into the tremendous amount of expenditures, effort, investment in human beings and in human resources, to have something that will be kept in storage for a rainy day.”

In Europe the fulfillment of Jean Raspail’s prescient book "The Camp of the Saints" is at hand. Williams reports that al-Qaida cells in France gained between 35,000 and 45,000 members; in Germany, 30,000; in Great Britain, 10,000. These volunteers are assigned to terrorist cells that train regularly in “the use of weapons, explosives, and chemical/biological warfare.”

Williams declares that “up to five thousand sleeper agents are already in major U.S. cities ... preparing ‘for the American Hiroshima.’” He also adds a more ominous note: “Although President Bush sounded the alarm about the presence of al Qaeda operatives in the United States, federal officials have displayed almost total incompetence in their ability to identify sleeper agents and root out sleeper cells.”

Even more chilling is Williams' report that in January of 1998 Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America, “testified before a committee of the US Department of State” that 20 suitcase nukes were already in America, with 5,000 terrorists being trained for the next attack. Kabbani also testified that he believed that Islamic extremists who wish to overthrow the government controlled 80 percent of the mosques in the United States. Remember when we called that treason?!

Williams’ book is a chilling and appropriate reminder that these Islamic terrorists are brilliant, tenacious and totally without mercy. They demand the conversion or death of every American: man, woman and child - and they have no moral qualms about murdering millions of Americans.

In the final analysis, we must consider that Islamic militants have put us in the unhappy position of either destroying a significant portion of that population or risk nuclear annihilation. Let us begin the fight!

Editor's Note: Get Paul Williams' blockbuster new book with our FREE offer – Click Here – Osama's Revenge: The Next 9/11: What the Media and the Government Haven't Told You.

Additional information on new book!

Osama's Revenge: THE NEXT 9/11: What the Media and the Government Haven't Told You

Hardcover – 261 pages

Does Osama bin Laden have nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction? If so, where are they? Are they in the hands of al Qaeda sleeper cells in the United States? Should Americans be bracing for a nuclear attack?

Former consultant for the FBI an organized crime and international terrorism and a seasoned investigative reporter, Paul L. Williams reveals the potential for nuclear terrorism on US soil in this shocking expose. Based on the findings of US, Israeli, Pakistani, and British intelligence, Williams describes how the theft of tactical nuclear weapons from Russian arsenals have in all likelihood made their way to al Qaeda cells throughout the United States in preparation for the next terrorist attack.

Williams presents clear evidence showing that, in the chaos following the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Chechen Mafia got its hands on portable Russian nuclear weapons. Between 1996 and 2001, mafia members negotiated the sale of twenty nuclear "suitcase bombs" to representatives of Osama bin Laden. Far worse than so-called "dirty bombs," each suitcase bomb is capable of killing millions of Americans while exposing millions more to deadly radioactive fallout. According to Williams, reliable sources indicate that these bombs may already be in the possession of al Qaeda operatives in such major cities as New York, Washington, Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas, Houston, and Los Angeles. In addition, bin Laden has recruited former Soviet scientists and technicians to maintain these weapons and recharge their nuclear cores so that they may be deployed immediately on his command. In 2001 he issued a statement boasting of his intent to have America experience a "Hiroshima."

Also included in the book are bin Laden's "Letters to America" and his "Declaration of War against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places," as well as the World Islamic Statement declaring "Jihad against Jews and Crusaders." These crucial documents highlight the rationale behind and the depth of bin Laden's hatred for the United States. Moreover, Williams documents that Osama has the international network of embedded terrorists to carry out his threats.

Although the media have reported on some of these threatening developments and government insiders have acknowledged the threat of nuclear attack, until now no one has put all the pieces together in a coherent, no nonsense way. Williams makes a persuasive case that bin Laden and his deputies have the motive and the means and are just waiting for the opportunity to launch an apocalyptic attack on the "Great Satan" of America.

http://www.newsmaxstore.com/nms/showdet ... 1770&DID=6
"He that is from God listens to the sayings of God..." -- John 8:47

User avatar
Abaddon (Ex. 23:21)
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
Posts: 283
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Founder YORWW Bible Institute & Training Center resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.
Contact:

Islamic Terrorist Group Suspected In Russian Airliner Attack

#7 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Fri Aug 27, 2004 2:35 pm

Evidence of Terrorism Mounts in Russian probe

Explosives found in one jet; officials investigate 2 women onboard

The Associated Press

Updated: 11:35 a.m. ET Aug. 27, 2004

MOSCOW - One of two Russian airliners that crashed nearly simultaneously was brought down by a terrorist act, officials said Friday, after finding traces of explosives in the plane’s wreckage. An Islamic militant group claimed responsibility for the attack in a Web statement.

The planes, with 90 people aboard, went down within 20 minutes of each other Tuesday night. In Washington, a Bush administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there is mounting evidence that both crashes were acts of terrorism.

Traces of the explosive hexogen were found in the remains of one of the planes, a Tu-154, security service spokesman Nikolai Zakharov said. No results from the investigation of the other crashed plane, a Tu-134, have been announced.

“According to preliminary information, at least one of the air crashes ... has been the result of a terrorist act,” a spokesman for the Federal Security Service, Sergei Ignatchenko, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

The Tu-154 was carrying 46 people when it crashed en route to the Black Sea resort of Sochi. The other flight had 44 people aboard, heading to the southern city of Volgograd, when it went down.

NATO’s chief blamed terrorism for both crashes.

“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the apparent act of barbaric terrorism ... resulting in the crash of two Russian passenger aircraft, and the senseless loss of innocent lives,” NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, said Friday.

Hexogen, the explosive found in the Tu-154, is the material that Russian officials said was used in the 1999 apartment bombings that killed some 300 people in Russia, an attack blamed on Chechen separatists.

Despite the suspicious timing of the crashes and the fact they took place five days before an election in Chechnya opposed by separatists, Russian officials had kept open the possibility they were caused by bad fuel or human error.

Islamic militant group claims responsibility


A Web site connected to Islamic militants published a statement on Friday — signed the “Islambouli Brigades” — claiming responsibility for the crashes. The statement’s authenticity could not immediately be confirmed.

The statement said five “mujahedeen” — holy fighters — were aboard each plane. It said the two planes were downed as part of a series of operations “to extend support and victory to our Muslim brothers in Chechnya and other Muslim areas which suffer from Russian faithlessness.”

The Federal Security Service declined to comment on the statement.

Russian officials have contended that the rebels fighting Russian forces in Chechnya for nearly five years receive help from foreign terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida.

Friday’s claim did not refer to al-Qaida, but a group called “the Islambouli Brigades of al-Qaida” claimed responsibility for last month’s attempt to assassinate Pakistan’s prime minister-designate.

Lt. Khaled Islambouli was the leader of the group of soldiers who assassinated Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in Cairo in 1981.

Two female passengers under investigation

Russian officials, meanwhile, said they were investigating two female passengers — one on each plane — with Chechen names. The two were the only passengers whose relatives did not contact authorities, officials said.

A relative of a plane crash victim waits for information at Domodedovo airport outside Moscow, on Wednesday.

Female suicide bombers with alleged Chechen connections have carried out attacks in Moscow, including the twin bombing of an outdoor rock concert and another blast outside a hotel adjacent to Red Square.

Paul Duffy, a Moscow-based aviation expert, told Associated Press Television that he found it “hard to believe” that five attackers were aboard each plane, “but there is no doubt that they had at least one on each aircraft.”

Both planes took off from Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, one of Russia’s most modern and sophisticated. It was not immediately clear how airport security systems could be circumvented to smuggle in explosives.

Although Friday’s developments raised security concerns for the airlines that crisscross the sprawling country, Russia did not order a halt to air traffic, as the United States did after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Warning of attacks ahead of Chechen vote

Chechens on Sunday are to vote for the republic’s president, to replace Kremlin-backed Chechen president Akhmad Kadyrov, who was assassinated in a May 9 bomb attack.

Officials had warned that Chechen separatists might try to carry out attacks ahead of the vote, which is part of the Kremlin’s attempts to establish a modicum of civil order in the region and undermine separatist rebels.

A Chechen connection to the crashes would be likely to further harden the Kremlin’s already-stony refusal to negotiate an end to the war, as well as to expose weakness in its strategy.

“Here’s the answer to how effective our politics in Chechnya have been,” Russian legislator Vladimir Ryzhkov was quoted as saying in the newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

Security analyst Andrei Soldatov said a connection could bring more suffering to Chechnya, where Russian forces are widely criticized for abusing and abducting civilians.

“The government will now be able to say that the fight against separatists in Chechnya comes under the roof of international terrorism. As soon as they say that, you can forget about human rights in the region,” he said.

Source of Article

***
"He that is from God listens to the sayings of God..." -- John 8:47

User avatar
Abaddon (Ex. 23:21)
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
Posts: 283
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Founder YORWW Bible Institute & Training Center resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.
Contact:

Iraq Violence Surges!

#8 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Sun Sep 05, 2004 3:56 am

DOZENS KILLED AS IRAQ VIOLENCE SURGES

Sunday 05 September 2004, 9:37 Makka Time, 6:37 GMT

Dozens of Iraqis have been killed and scores wounded in attacks in northern Iraq and Baghdad.

Three Iraqi policemen were killed on Saturday afternoon south of Baghdad, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.

He said the three died when their police car blew up in raids against armed fighters in the Latifiya area, just south of the capital.

"We know that a police vehicle was attacked and blown up but we do not have the details now. Three were dead and several wounded but we don't have the exact amount," said the spokesman.

The attack came hours after a bomber detonated his vehicle near a police academy in the northern town of Kirkuk.

At least 22 people were killed and 20 wounded in the attack.

Police said the head of the bomber was found among the debris scattered by the blast about 150 metres from the police building. One police car and four civilian vehicles were destroyed.

Town encircled

In a separate incident, at least 12 people were killed and 60 others wounded as clashes erupted in the northern town of Tal Afar, Iraqi journalist Ammar al-Zubaidi told Aljazeera on Saturday.

The fighting in Tal Afar, near the city of Mosul, began after US troops and Iraqi forces encircled al-Sarai and Hasankul districts in the town, al-Zubaidi said.

Also, a US military helicopter was forced to land near Tal Afar on Saturday. Two crew members aboard the UH-58 were injured, a US military spokesman said.

He said it was not immediately clear what forced the helicopter to land but it happened as fighting raged in the area.

Explosions and machine-gun fire have continued to rock Tal Afar, about 390km north of Baghdad, witnesses say.

Elsewhere in Iraq, a US military Humvee was destroyed on Saturday morning in the district of al-Hashimiya, west of the central city of Baquba, Aljazeera has learnt.

The US vehicle was about to detonate a landmine when an explosive device planted on the main road blew up, wounding a number of US soldiers, sources told Aljazeera.

Rising toll

A spokesman at the Tal Afar hospital said "the number of casualties is expected to rise as the clashes and bombing by helicopters are continuing".

"Many houses have been bombed and destroyed with the residents still inside," Dr Khalil Ibrahim Rashid said.

"All casualties are civilians, including women and children."

Dr Rashid added the town had been sealed off since early Saturday morning, "turning it into a banned military zone".

Tal Afar has witnessed much bloodshed in recent weeks. About 30 civilians were wounded in apparent crossfire during clashes between US forces and suspected resistance fighters on 29 August.

Pipeline blasts

Against this backdrop of fierce clashes, oil pipelines in both the north and south of Iraq were attacked on Saturday.

A pipeline near the main southern Iraqi city of Basra was attacked, less than two days after northern exports were halted by a huge attack on a pipeline to Turkey police said.

Firefighters struggled on Saturday to put out the blaze caused by the explosion near Hartha, 30km north of Basra, police Colonel Nuri Muhammad said.

A South Oil Company official said on condition of anonymity that technicians were forced to close the pipeline, which carries 15,000 barrels of crude a day from the Nahran Omar oilfields to an export storage tank called Zubayr-1 in the Faw peninsula.

In northern Iraq, a refined oil products pipeline has also been attacked, a security official said.

A bomb exploded underneath the pipeline, which runs from the oil centre of Kirkuk to Iraq's biggest refinery at Baiji, according to Ahmad al-Ubaidi of the North Oil Company.

Resistance fighters have launched repeated attacks on Iraq's vital oil industry in a bid to undermine the interim government.

Source of Article

***

User avatar
Abaddon (Ex. 23:21)
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
Posts: 283
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Founder YORWW Bible Institute & Training Center resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.
Contact:

Al Qaeda Says U.S. Strike Near Ready

#9 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Fri Sep 10, 2004 11:01 am

PURPORTED AL QAEDA LETTER SAYS U.S. STRIKE NEAR READY

REUTERS NEWS

SOURCE OF THIS ARTICLE

DUBAI (Reuters) - A letter purporting to come from Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s militant Islamist al Qaeda network said a big attack on the United States was in the final stages of preparation, a London-based Arabic newspaper said on Thursday.

"We bring the good news to Muslims of the world that the expected 'Winds of Black Death' strike against America is now in its final stage...90 percent (ready) and God willing near," the letter said.

The letter, signed by the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades which said it is part of al Qaeda, was sent to the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper. A copy of the letter was faxed to Reuters in Dubai.

It was not possible to independently authenticate the letter.

The United States blames al Qaeda for September 2001 attacks on New York on Washington that killed some 3,000 people. The Spanish government has said Basque separatists are the main suspect in the bombings of four trains early on Thursday that killed 192 people.

But the country's interior minister held open the possibility of a militant Islamist link on Thursday evening when he told a newspaper conference that a suspect van had been found containing detonators and an Arabic-language tape. He said, however, militant Basque separatists remained chief suspects.

The al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper received similar letters from the same brigade claiming responsibility on behalf of al Qaeda for a November bombing of two synagogues in Turkey and the August bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad.

Spain backed the United States in its invasion of Iraq (news - web sites), drawing the opprobrium of militant Islamist groups

End of Article

User avatar
Abaddon (Ex. 23:21)
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
Posts: 283
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Founder YORWW Bible Institute & Training Center resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.
Contact:

More Threats From Bin Laden Reported

#10 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Fri Sep 10, 2004 11:20 am

MORE THREATS FROM BIN LADEN REPORTED

SOURCE OF ARTICLE

NewsMax.com
Friday, Dec. 26, 2003

With the world poised for the next terror shoe to drop, the Saudi weekly Al-Majallah is reporting that al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden will issue yet another video message -- after a massive attack on U.S. territory.

As reported in an Australian Associated Press story, Saudi weekly Al-Majallah will quote in its next edition an e-mail it reputedly received from a known official the bin Laden network.

The e-mail from a source known as Abu Mohammed al-Ablaj warns, "An emissary of bin Laden has informed me that the al-Qaeda chief's (next) appearance (on video cassette) will come after a deadly, far-reaching operation on American territory," according to Al-Majallah -- as reported by AAP.

This latest ostensible communique from the terror leader became this morning the subject of reports by MSNBC and other media.

According to the published reports, the e-mail message further discloses:
"In the video, bin Laden will evoke the success of his backers in once again striking the United States to the core and America's failure (in its anti-terrorist campaign) both outside and inside the country."

The message continued, "Bin Laden will also reaffirm al-Qaeda's determination to continue its war against America, until its defeat."

Ablaj, who has a track record of reliability, last February announced to the same Saudi publication that bin Laden would release a video statement after the U.S.-led war in Iraq. That video did indeed appear.

The most recent message allegedly from bin Laden follows on the heels of an audiotape broadcast last week by Dubai-based Al-Arabiya satellite channel.

Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya have both been charged by U.S. officials of inciting violence by airing such tapes of al-Qaeda leaders, as well as those of deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

Before the last alleged bin Laden tape was aired, Al-Jazeera broadcast a tape purported to be from bin Laden lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahiri, in which he said the Americans were beginning to stagger under the blows of al-Qaeda.

Later, CIA analysts reportedly concluded that the Zawahiri tape was "most likely" authentic.

End of Article

User avatar
Mary
YORWW BIBLE ACADEMY GRADUATE (ALUMNI)
Posts: 294
Joined: Tue Jun 22, 2004 10:39 am
Location: 2003 YORWW Bible Academy Graduate

Al Qaeda Planning Spectacular Attack!

#11 Post by Mary » Tue Sep 21, 2004 12:30 pm

AL QAEDA SEEN PLANNING FOR 'SPECTACULAR' ATTACK

By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Source of Article

U.S. intelligence agencies concluded recently that al Qaeda — fearing its credibility is on the line — is moving ahead with plans for a major, "spectacular" attack, despite disruptions of some operations by recent arrests in Britain and Pakistan.

Officials said recent intelligence assessments of the group, which is blamed for the September 11 attacks, state that an attack is coming and that the danger will remain high until the Nov. 2 elections and last until Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.

"They [al Qaeda] think their credibility is on the line because there hasn't been a major attack since 9/11," said one official familiar with intelligence reports on the group.

A second official said: "There isn't reason to believe that the recent arrests have disrupted their plans."

Authorities in Pakistan and Britain recently arrested key al Qaeda leaders, but the group uses tight "compartmentation" of its operations. The process, used by intelligence services, keeps information about operations within small "cells" of terrorists to protect secrecy.

Thus, details of the possible attack remain murky, but analysts say it is planned to be bigger and deadlier than the September 11 attacks, which killed 3,000 people.

Potential targets include the White House, Pentagon, U.S. Capitol and congressional buildings, as well as landmarks and business centers in New York, the officials said. The officials said that there is no specific information about targets.

Intelligence officials say a key figure in al Qaeda's North American operations is Adnan Shukrijumah, who is being sought by the FBI for the past several years.

One official said Shukrijumah recently was seen in Mexico and earlier had been in Canada near a university with a nuclear reactor, leading to concerns that he was seeking radioactive material for a radiological bomb.

The Mexican newspaper Proceso, quoting Mexican officials, reported earlier this month that Shukrijumah was being sought in northeastern Mexico after being tracked to Sonora in August.

Acting CIA Director John McLaughlin told a Senate hearing last month that al Qaeda's ability to keep its operations secret is a "strategic weapon."

Mr. McLaughlin told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the group "compartments secrets down to a handful of people in a cave somewhere."

"It's very well-documented in the 9/11 report how few people knew about that," he said Aug. 17. "They use secrecy as a strategic weapon. It's a strategic weapon for them because it asymmetrically works against us because we don't keep secrets very well."

Several key arrests of al Qaeda members were made over the past several months in Britain and Pakistan.

One major intelligence "break" was the arrest in June of Musaad Aruchi, who was captured in Karachi. Aruchi was a senior al Qaeda member who provided information that led to other key arrests within weeks.

The arrest of Aruchi, a nephew of September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, provided U.S. and Pakistani intelligence and security officials with information that led to further arrests, including that of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian linked by U.S. intelligence to the August 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Along with Ghailani, U.S. and Pakistani authorities also arrested another al Qaeda member, Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, a Pakistani, who was picked up in Lahore on July 13.

Khan was seized along with a laptop computer that had information on al Qaeda planning and operations.

The computer did not contain specific information about plans for a major attack in the United States, but the information did lead to the raising of the national terrorism alert levels in Washington and New York.

Eisa al-Hindi, an al Qaeda leader in Britain, was arrested after the arrest of Khan. Al-Hindi was arrested in London Aug. 3 along with 12 other suspected al Qaeda members.
_______________________________________________________________________________
"All great truths begin as blasphemies."
George Bernard Shaw

User avatar
Abaddon (Ex. 23:21)
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
Posts: 283
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Founder YORWW Bible Institute & Training Center resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.
Contact:

Iran Delivers 'Strategic Missile' To Armed Forces

#12 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Sat Sep 25, 2004 11:52 am

IRAN DELIVERS 'STRATEGIC MISSILE' TO ARMED FORCES

Report on successfully tested missile follows Israeli bomb purchase

The Associated Press


Source of Article

Updated: 9:06 a.m. ET Sept. 25, 2004

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran said Saturday it successfully tested a “strategic missile” and delivered it to its armed forces, state-run radio reported.

The report did not say whether the missile was the previously announced new version of the Shahab-3 rocket, which already was capable of reaching Israel and U.S. forces stationed in the Middle East, or was a new missile.

Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani declined to give details about the missile for “security reasons,” but said Iran was “ready to confront all regional and extra-regional threats,” the report said.

“This strategic missile was successfully test fired during military exercises by the Revolutionary Guards and delivered to the armed forces,” Shamkhani was quoted as saying. The exercises were held Sept. 12-18.

The announcement came four days after Israel said it was buying about 5,000 U.S.-made smart bombs, including 500 one-ton bunker-busters that can penetrate 6-foot-thick concrete walls.

In 1981, Israel bombed Iraq’s nuclear facility before the reactor could begin operating and the smart bombs are believed capable of destroying Iranian nuclear sites. Iran is suspected by the United States and others of developing nuclear arms and is under increasing international pressure to cease some atomic projects.

Iran reinforces defenses against 'big powers'

The maneuvers conducted by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards this month near the border with Iraq were described by top military officials as being designed to reinforce the country’s resolve to defend itself against “big powers.”

During the maneuvers, state-run radio said a “long-range missile” would be test fired, but there had not been any official confirmation of the test.

The military exercises came a few weeks after Iran said it had test fired a new version of the Shahab-3. Iran’s Defense Ministry didn’t give the missile’s new range, but Israeli sources speaking in Jerusalem later said it was more than 1,200 miles, or about 400 miles longer than its previous range.

The development of the Shahab, whose name means “shooting star” in Persian, has raised fears in Israel about possible attack by the Iranian government, which strongly opposes the Jewish state’s existence.

Earlier this month, Israel launched a spy satellite meant to monitor Iran but the Ofek-6 plunged into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after launch.
"He that is from God listens to the sayings of God..." -- John 8:47

User avatar
Abaddon (Ex. 23:21)
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
Posts: 283
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Founder YORWW Bible Institute & Training Center resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.
Contact:

Covert Iraq-Iran Alliance Prepares To Destroy Zion

#13 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Sat Sep 25, 2004 12:45 pm

Please find below, an article that was sent to me, that suggests some of the same conclusions we are discussing above....a menacing situation for America's military in the Gulf Region.

yorww

------------------------------------------------snip--------------------------------------------------

COVERT IRAQ-IRAN ALLIANCE PREPARES TO DESTROY ZION


"Come into my parlor..." said the spider to the fly


Please note: Article Written & Copyrighted by Joe Vialls, 12 August 2004

See Entire Article At This Link

(article below truncated)


Since 1989 Iraq and Iran have quietly amassed more than three hundred block-2 Aérospatiale Matra Exocet and Chinese C 801 sea-skimming missiles, purchased to protect Middle East crude oil from theft. Back in 1982 a single Exocet was responsible for sinking the British destroyer HMS Sheffield, and then in 1987 aother single Exocet cut the American frigate USS Stark in half. Now these 300+ refurbished and updated sea-skimmers have been placed on high alert. Their most likely target is a giant U.S. aircraft carrier trapped in the narrow waters of the Persian Gulf, loaded down with 70 aircraft and 5,500 very vulnerable American sailors.


Back in December 2003 when I accurately forecast 4 months in advance that Shi'ite leader Moqtada al-Sadr would "open a southern front against the [Zionist] invaders in Iraq", my prediction was not derived from black magic or some sort of mystical extra sensory perception. Though at the time it probably seemed impossible to most in the west that Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims could or would fight together against America and the Jewish State, such action has in fact been inevitable since the late eighties, when Iraq and Iran formed a covert alliance designed from the outset to rid the entire Middle East of Zionist insurgents forever.

Though this powerful alliance has been generally known to the upper levels of Arab and Persian intelligence agencies in the Middle East for many years, it was easy to hide from countries in the west, who believed what they were taught to believe, and who then in turn forced their false beliefs onto the people by way of the ever-compliant media. "Shi'ite Muslims hate Sunni Muslims" and so on, and just to prove it President Hussein ruthlessly put down a Shi'ite uprising in southern Iraq. It was a stunning and thus utterly convincing put down, because these particular Shi'ites were working for the American CIA rather than for Baghdad or Tehran, making their demise in sovereign Iraq inevitable.

The western intelligence agencies should have been able to recognise the deadly Alliance for what it really was, but most of them sadly lacked the capacity to do so. With the exception of Germany and France, who tend to stand aside from the pack, the agencies of America [CIA], Britain [MI6], Palestine [Mossad] and Australia [ASIS] act like a giant global club, where each member of the club believes the rumors of other club members to the exclusion of all else. So when the Mossad says "Shi'ites hate Sunnis", there is a faint echo of obsequious agreement from the CIA, MI6 and ASIS. Considerably amused by this gross and thus fatally flawed 'western intelligence', the French SDECE in particular keeps its distance, ordering its agents not to spoil the Zionist party by injecting real truth where it might not be welcome.

Most thinking people in the west will be able to understand the Shi'ite - Sunni Alliance perfectly well, based on their own [mostly Christian] history. Though for centuries Roman Catholics and Protestants cheerfully slaughtered each other by the thousand, in recent times both splinter groups of the same religion have fought side by side in conflicts like World War II, to defeat what both factions jointly believed to be an 'evil' foe. Rest assured that Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims react in exactly the same way, and will fight to the death in order to rid their sovereign nations of Christian and Jewish invaders

It is with the reality of this alliance in mind that we must view the latest developments in Iraq and Iran, because it is the only way to decode what is really happening. Though Sunni Baathist Republican Guard attacks on Americans and collaborators in the north of Iraq appear detached from Shi'ite Mehdi Army attacks on Americans and collaborators in the south, they are in reality fully-coordinated strikes by two separate oversized brigades of the same Alliance army, equipped with a very sophisticated military Command Control Communications intelligence [C3i] structure.

The first hard intelligence of the Iraq-Iran alliance was in full public view thirteen years ago, but was completely missed by observers in the west, due partly to the fog of war, and partly to the boastful antics of "Stormin' Norman" and his bevy of adoring junior American army officers. When President Hussein ordered that all serviceable jets and Exocet-equipped helicopters be transferred to Iran, Stormin' Norman branded this an act of cowardice, scornfully accusing the Iraqi Air Force of, "Running away from the fight". In fact, Stormin' Norman had just viewed Act One of the Alliance's master plan to remove all Zionists from the Middle East forever, but he was just too stupid to recognize it.

Now think about this very carefully. At that time in 1991, both sides knew perfectly well that America completely lacked the logistic support to invade Iraq nationwide, so the simplest action for the Iraqis would have been to further disperse their combat jets to more than fifty rudimentary satellite airstrips [easy with Mirage and Mig fighters], and sit it out. If this was considered insufficient, then a portion of the Iraqi Air Force could have been temporarily dispersed into Sunni Jordan next door, because King Hussein was very much on Iraq's side. But no, President Saddam Hussein suddenly and inexplicably ordered that the entire Iraqi Air Force be delivered to Shi'ite Iran, an apparent enemy he had fought bitterly for eight long years at the behest of Wall Street.

As American troops remain trapped inside Vietnam-style fortified fire bases in Iraq, their political masters in New York are realising too late that Iran guards the only line of retreat back down the Persian Gulf. The quasi Judeo-Christian 'Coalition of the Willing' is fast becoming the 'Coalition of the Damned'.

(Article above truncated)

See Entire Article Above At This Link

***
"He that is from God listens to the sayings of God..." -- John 8:47

User avatar
Abaddon (Ex. 23:21)
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
Posts: 283
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Founder YORWW Bible Institute & Training Center resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.
Contact:

Blasts Rip Through Egyptian Resorts!

#14 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Fri Oct 08, 2004 9:17 am

BLASTS RIP THROUGH EGYPTIAN RESORTS

Friday 08 October 2004, 11:20 Makka Time, 8:20 GMT

A car bomb and a human bomber have set off twin blasts tearing through a resort hotel in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula where Israelis were vacationing at the end of a Jewish holiday.

Amid the chaos on Thursday night, the toll was unclear. Officials initially reported at least 30 dead, but by Friday morning they said rescuers had located 19 bodies in the rubble - although more were expected to be found.

The explosion was followed by two smaller blasts at other tourist sites in the Sinai that killed at least two Israelis, apparently caused by bombs in pickup trucks.

Investigation

Two bombs exploded in quick succession at the Hilton Taba. A car laden with explosives drove into the lobby of the hotel and detonated, while a human bomber blew up near the hotel swimming pool, an Israeli official said on condition of anonymity.

Egyptian officials were investigating the blasts, but could not confirm witness reports that car bombs were the cause.

The Taba blast collapsed a 10-story wing of the luxury Hilton hotel built by Israel when it controlled Taba from 1967 to 1989. Israelis described a chaotic scene as the explosion brought the top floors of the hotel crashing into the lobby.

Meir Frajun said his three children were playing one floor below the lobby when the blast tore through the building. He went down but found only two of them.

"Everything was filled with smoke," Frajun said after crossing into the nearby Israeli resort of Eilat. "We were hysterically looking for the child. In the end we found him sitting outside with an Arab guest of the hotel."

Israel blamed al-Qaida for the explosion. "According to our first information, it appears to be the an international terror attack with the hallmarks of al-Qaida, Israel's Deputy Defence Minister Zeev Boim said.

Claim

No established groups have claimed responsibility for the bombings, but two previously unknown groups each said they carried it out.

"I think the explosions are very related to what is going on in Gaza"-- Magdy Rady, Egyptian government spokesman

Tawhid Islamic Brigades published a claim on a website that has been used frequently for such claims from Saudi Arabia and Iraq. And Jamaa al-Islamiya al-Alamiya, or World Islamist Group, called an international news agency in Jerusalem to make its claim.

Neither group offered details of how it carried out the attack, as such claims usually do, and there was no way to confirm their authenticity.

Gaza link

Egyptian government spokesman Magdy Rady suggested the blasts were related to the Israeli military operation against the Palestinians in the neighbouring Gaza Strip, where 84 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli offensive.

Tel Aviv began the military raids began on 29 September to stop, it said, resistance fighters from firing homemade rockets into Israel.

"I think the explosions are very related to what is going on in Gaza," Rady said. "We condemn these attacks, which have harmed many people.

"I think it is very probable that there is a link between these three explosions," he added. "It is very unlikely they happened by chance."

Hamas denial

But the Palestinian resistance group Hamas denied any involvement in the blasts.

"Hamas's resistance strategy is very clear. It is in Palestine only," Fawzi Barhum, Hamas spokesman told Aljazeera.

"Hamas's resistance strategy is very clear, it is in Palestine only" -- Fawzi Barhum, Hamas spokesman.

"Our conflict with the Israeli-Zionist entity is because they occupied our lands, tarnished our sanctuaries and killed our people," said Barhum.

The spokesman went on to say that Israel may try to lure Hamas outside Palestine, but "we respect the Arab states and their leaderships, especially the neighbouring countries," he said speaking from Gaza.

"Hamas commitment of fighting inside Palestine is absolute. Hamas will not help Israel to export its security, economic or political crisis outside Palestine."

Israeli security forces had warned Israeli travellers against visiting Egyptian resorts on the Red Sea, saying they might be targeted by "militants". There are some 45,000 Israeli tourists celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot in Egypt.

Source of Article

User avatar
Abaddon (Ex. 23:21)
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
YORWW CONGREGATION MODERN DAY SERVANT
Posts: 283
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 5:19 pm
Location: Founder YORWW Bible Institute & Training Center resides YORWW World Headquarters Jamaica, W.I.
Contact:

Israel Blames Al-Qaida For Egypt Resort Blasts

#15 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Fri Oct 08, 2004 12:16 pm

ISRAEL BLAMES AL-QAIDA FOR EGYPT RESORT BLASTS

28 killed in attacks apparently aimed at Israeli tourists
Sebastian Scheiner / AP


The Associated Press

Updated: 11:43 a.m. ET Oct. 8, 2004

Source of Article

TABA, Egypt - Israel’s intelligence chief on Friday blamed al-Qaida for the bombings at resorts in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula that officials said killed at least 28 people, including many Israelis celebrating a Jewish holiday, and wounded more than 100.

Israeli and Egyptian rescuers dug through the debris of the Taba Hilton — the site of the biggest blast, where at least four people were believed still buried after the bomb sheared off the outer rooms of a 10-story wing. Two smaller blasts quickly followed in Ras Shitan, a camping area near the town of Nuweiba, 35 miles south of Taba.

Thousands of frightened Israeli tourists rushed back home, streaming into Eilat just across the border Friday. Many complained bitterly that Egyptian authorities prevented tourists from leaving the resorts after the blasts and delayed them at the border.

The Israeli intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi-Farkash, blamed the bombings on Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida terrorist network at an emergency Cabinet meeting. Egyptian government spokesman Magdy Rady said it was too early to speculate.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s office said he and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak agreed by telephone that they must fight terrorism together.

At the Hilton, Israeli military rescuer Gefan Naty told The Associated Press it was unlikely any more survivors would be found. “I don’t believe anyone is still alive. We just pulled out one child,” about 10 years old, who was dead, Naty said.

Resorts crowded with Israelis

Sinai’s resorts were particularly crowded Thursday, the last day of the weeklong Jewish festival of Sukkot, when thousands of Israelis vacation there.

The most devastating of the bombings was at the Hilton, where a car laden with explosives crashed into the lobby and detonated, an Israeli official said on condition of anonymity. There were reports of a second or third explosion in the compound, one of which may have been a suicide bomber.

South Sinai Gov. Mustafa Afifi said there were three car bombs — one at the Hilton and two at Ras Shitan. He added that an Egyptian security guard got suspicious and tried to stop one of them at the camping area.

“In Ras Shitan, one of the cars was intercepted, so it blew up away from” the lodgings, Afifi said. He did not elaborate.

At the Hilton, the burned-out shell of a vehicle rested inside a meeting room.

Sheets and blankets tied to the Hilton’s balconies showed the frantic efforts by guests to flee. Stairs of a fire escape were twisted perpendicular to the building. Business cards, CDs, bottles and cans, and personal items were scattered around. Burned cars sat outside the hotel.

There were varying reports on casualties.

Dozens injured

Israel Defense Forces Home Front commander Yair Naveh told Israeli radio that 28 people were confirmed dead. The Egyptian Interior Ministry said 22 died.

An official at Taba hospital, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AP 24 people were killed, including five Israelis, seven Egyptians and the rest foreigners whose nationalities were not immediately determined. Most of the deaths were at the Hilton. Israel radio reported 14 of the dead were Israelis.

An Israeli woman who was injured in the explosions in Taba arrives at a hospital in the southern Israeli city of Eilat on Friday.

More than 100 people were injured, with one report saying as many as 160, and at least two Britons were among the wounded. The Russian Foreign Ministry said an elderly Russian woman was among the dead and eight Russians were wounded.

“A few” Americans staying at the hotel were slightly injured, said John Berry, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

Meir Frajun told of his frantic search for his three children, who were playing one floor below the lobby when the blast occurred. At first, he found only two.

“Everything was filled with smoke,” Frajun told the AP after crossing into the nearby Israeli resort of Eilat. “We were hysterically looking for the child. In the end, we found him sitting outside with an Arab guest of the hotel.”

Amsalem Farrag, whose uncle and cousin own camps in Ras Shitan, said the two blasts there were only five seconds apart. He said the camps were full of vacationing Israelis.

Al-Qaida suspected

Egypt’s tourism minister, Ahmed El Maghraby, indicated the attacks were political: “Look at the timing. Look at the choice of place.”

He didn’t elaborate, but other officials drew links to the Israeli military operation against the Palestinians in the neighboring Gaza Strip, where more than 80 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli offensive that began Sept. 29.

Israelis injured in a bomb blast in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Taba arrive Friday at a hospital in the southern Israeli city of Eilat.

Israel’s deputy defense minister, Zeev Boim, told Israel’s Army Radio that Palestinian militants apparently were not involved and he suspected al-Qaida affiliates: “On the face of things, this is different from what we are familiar with from Palestinian terrorist groups.”

Mushir al-Masri, a Gaza spokesman for the Hamas militant group, denied Hamas involvement but said the bombings were “an expected result” of Israeli operations against Palestinians.

“Our firm stand, our firm position is that the battle is within the occupied lands, and this stand remains the same and has not been changed,” al-Masri said.

Palestinian militants have an interest in staying on good terms with the Egyptians, who are mediating Israel’s planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005. Militants groups have been holding meetings in Cairo to work out an agreement with the Palestinian Authority on power-sharing after the withdrawal.

Meanwhile, three previously unknown groups claimed separately to have carried out the attacks.

Contributors to Islamic Web sites praised the attacks and linked them to a recent audiotape purportedly from al-Qaida’s second in command, Ayman al-Zawahri.

That tape, broadcast by Al-Jazeera on Oct. 1, called for militants to organize and attack countries that had given Israel “means of survival.” The tape also urged holy warriors to fight Israelis and Americans before they enter Egypt.


Terrorism threat


On Sept. 9, the Israeli government urged citizens not to visit Egypt, citing a “concrete” terror threat to tourists. The warning identified Sinai as a potential target.

Egypt has contained the threat of Islamic militants interested in overthrowing the secular government with periodic crackdowns and by allowing Islamists some political activity. The last major attack in Egypt was the 1997 massacre of 58 foreign tourists by Islamic extremists in the southern resort of Luxor.

Four hours after the Taba blast, Israel’s military took command of the scene, according to the army spokeswoman, Brig. Gen. Ruth Yaron. Shimon Romah, an Israeli fire chief, said precious time was lost because it took hours to bring heavy rescue equipment to Taba.

“This was just a travesty, because these were four critical hours,” Romah told Israel Radio.

Naty, the Israeli military rescue worker, said a woman who died when she fell from the seventh floor with her daughter might have been saved if the Egyptians had allowed them onto the scene earlier. The daughter survived.

Rady denied there was any delay. “Don’t believe the Israelis,” Rady told the AP.

Post Reply