In recent days, two al Qaeda affiliates have released statements recalling al Qaeda’s attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.
A statement distributed by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) via its “Muslim Africa” Twitter account on Sept. 10 praised the 19 al Qaeda hijackers as “brave lions” and “heroes.” The statement, which was released with a cover image showing photos of the hijackers and the burning World Trade Center towers, went on to say that the hijackers succeeded in making 9/11 a “black day” for the US.
The statement, translated by the SITE Intelligence Group, further declared that the 9/11 attacks “made the Americans taste bitter humiliation.” “The screams of the Americans and their whining makes our hearts celebrate in yearning,” AQIM boasted.
The communique further claimed that as a result of the attacks, al Qaeda has “put America’s nose into the sand and made their economy embrace bankruptcy.” The message concluded by warning: “[W]e will not stop the raids until you leave our lands.”
And yesterday, Shabaab, al Qaeda’s affiliate in Somalia, issued a series of tweets related to the anniversary of the attacks. “[Twelve] years ago, American exceptionalism was at it’s highest. The #US seemed invincible and was finalizing the framework for a global empire,” Shabaab’s latest Twitter account began its message.
The jihadist group then argued: “But with 911, that view was buried with the debris of Twin Towers & US was revealed to be nothing but a paper tiger. 911 changed perceptions.” “A single attack by the Mujahideen shattered US dreams of global domination, tarnished their reputation and severely crippled their economy,” the group continued.
Portions of the Shabaab statement are reproduced below:
The US wasn’t attacked by a military might matching theirs, but by 19 young men armed with a rigid faith & a firm conviction. They succeeded.
Feeling rather subdued, the US unleashed its venom against the innocent Muslim population around the world but it failed; and miserably so! Today, the spark ignited by those courageous 19 Martyrs has grown into a raging inferno that continues to threaten every Kafir aggressor.
History shall remember this day as the day America was subdued, with both its prestige & pride irreparably dented. It’s an Islamic revival. Throughout the Jihad fronts, the Mujahideen are doing what America’s economic and political rivals could not; challenge #US global dominance.
The Mujahideen dealt a blow to the mighty Kafir, halting the aggressive #US expansionism and its encroachment into the Muslim world.
Shabbab concluded its message by saying: “Insha’Allah the Mujahideen will continue with their Jihad against the West until the world is ruled by one sovereign state; an Islamic state.”
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2 Comments
It wasn’t very long ago that al Zawahiri was exhorting all AQAM branches to attack American and Western interests at every opportunity.
Yet this 9/11 anniversary date passes quietly. I would respectfully submit that AQ central is thinking strategically and did not want to surface at this moment when there was any prospect at all of the U.S. attacking Syria. AQ’s primary Syrian arm, the al Nusrah front, sorely needs that barrage against Assad and would have leveraged it wherever possible. Syria – and the Sinai – clearly constitute pivot points for the movement.
The fact that far-flung AQ affiliates in Africa and other distant locations did not unleash attacks on American targets may well indicate that Zawahiri’s global reach is largely intact. Abu Sayyaf has certainly demonstrated its resurgent capabilities in recent days.
Alternatively, they may all be so filled with grief and anguish at the loss of Omar that they just sat it out . .
Regardless of the group involved (e.g., your favorite sports team, your enemies and their orgnanizations, etc.), the over-used phrase has a lot of meaning:
“What have you done lately?”
In the case of al Qaeda and its offshoots, the answer is a resounding, “not much.”
They have a lot of small efforts and the only significant “success” from their point of view was the Benghazi affair. And that was a success largely because of the bungling on the US end of it.
Syria is lucky enough to be the proxy right now. With all of the parties involved and human rights violations all around, this remains a distraction from the real player – IRAN.