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Qaeda Leader Urges Muslims to Boycott and Attack U.S. Qaeda Leader Urges Muslims to Boycott and Attack U.S.
(about 5 hours later)
LONDON — In an audio speech a day after the 12th anniversary of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al Qaeda, called on Muslims to launch a “a few disparate attacks” on American soil and to “bleed America economically,” according to a translation on the American SITE monitoring service on Friday. LONDON — In an audio speech a day after the 12th anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al Qaeda, called on Muslims to launch a “a few disparate attacks” on American soil and to “bleed America economically,” according to a translation on the American SITE monitoring service on Friday.
The speech was first released online Thursday, news reports said.The speech was first released online Thursday, news reports said.
Mr. Zawahiri laid out a two-pronged strategy involving both economic pressures and terror attacks to wage “war on its own land” against the United States and to force Washington to maintain high levels of military spending to weaken its economy, even as militants stage small-scale attacks while awaiting the opportunity for a major onslaught. Mr. Zawahiri laid out a two-pronged strategy involving economic pressures and terrorist attacks to wage “war on its own land” against the United States and to force Washington to maintain high levels of military spending to weaken its economy, even as militants stage small-scale attacks while awaiting the opportunity for a major onslaught.
“We should bleed America economically by provoking it to continue in its massive expenditure on its security, for the weak point of America is its economy, which has already begun to stagger due to the military and security expenditure,” Mr. Zawahiri said, according to the SITE translation quoted in news reports.“We should bleed America economically by provoking it to continue in its massive expenditure on its security, for the weak point of America is its economy, which has already begun to stagger due to the military and security expenditure,” Mr. Zawahiri said, according to the SITE translation quoted in news reports.
The audio speech was broadcast on an Internet forum normally used by jihadist groups and lasted 72 minutes, according to Agence France-Presse.The audio speech was broadcast on an Internet forum normally used by jihadist groups and lasted 72 minutes, according to Agence France-Presse.
“And keeping America in tension and anticipation only costs a few disparate attacks here and there, meaning as we defeated it in the gang warfare in Somalia, Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan, so we should follow it with that war on its own land,” he added, referring to places where Al Qaeda and its affiliates have been active.“And keeping America in tension and anticipation only costs a few disparate attacks here and there, meaning as we defeated it in the gang warfare in Somalia, Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan, so we should follow it with that war on its own land,” he added, referring to places where Al Qaeda and its affiliates have been active.
Mr. Zawahiri said such strikes could be carried out “by one brother or a few of the brothers” in anticipation of a bigger attack.Mr. Zawahiri said such strikes could be carried out “by one brother or a few of the brothers” in anticipation of a bigger attack.
“With these strikes, we must monitor and lie in wait and seize any opportunity to land a large strike on it, even if it takes years of patience for this,” he said, citing April’s attacks at the Boston Marathon as evidence that the United States was facing an uprising by a broad Islamic community.“With these strikes, we must monitor and lie in wait and seize any opportunity to land a large strike on it, even if it takes years of patience for this,” he said, citing April’s attacks at the Boston Marathon as evidence that the United States was facing an uprising by a broad Islamic community.
“The Boston incident confirms to the Americans the extent of their lying and tricking of themselves and their arrogance from accepting the truth that is as bright as the sun, which is that they are not facing individuals, organizations or groups, but they are facing an uprising” by a Muslim world “that rose in jihad to defend its soul, dignity and capabilities.”“The Boston incident confirms to the Americans the extent of their lying and tricking of themselves and their arrogance from accepting the truth that is as bright as the sun, which is that they are not facing individuals, organizations or groups, but they are facing an uprising” by a Muslim world “that rose in jihad to defend its soul, dignity and capabilities.”
The leader of Al Qaeda also referred to the bloody civil war in Syria, urging jihadists fighting President Bashar al-Assad’s forces to withhold cooperation from secular foes of the Damascus authorities, apparently underlining a strategy to turn Syria into a bastion of Islamic militancy at the strategic heart of the Middle East. Mr. Zawahiri also referred to the bloody civil war in Syria, urging jihadists fighting President Bashar al-Assad’s forces to withhold cooperation from secular foes of the Damascus authorities, apparently underlining a strategy to turn Syria into a bastion of Islamic militancy at the strategic heart of the Middle East.
According to the SITE summary, Mr. Zawahiri also urged jihadists in war-torn Syria not to cooperate with non-Islamists.According to the SITE summary, Mr. Zawahiri also urged jihadists in war-torn Syria not to cooperate with non-Islamists.