Qaeda Maghreb leader slams Libya intervention

Leader of al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb, Abdelmalek Droukdel, delivered on Saturday an online speech calling upon Libyans to fight foreign intervention in their country and to crush the “new crusades.”

“Beware the suspicious actions of the United States and its allies. They are the enemy and Libyans have to get ready to fight them,” Droukdel, nicknamed Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud, said, in a 12-minute voice recording posted on the internet.

The emir of the Algeria-based radical militia, which calls for the toppling of “apostate” regimes and the establishment of an Islamic state, said the NATO and the United States are “the source of all calamities” and that is why Libyans cannot trust them.

Droukdel said that the Libyans’ war against foreign intervention is equivalent to al-Qaeda’s war against the tyrants, and Muslims’ war against the crusaders.

“This is a new crusade against Islam, and freedom fighters have to engage in a long war against Americans and the NATO until they are defeated.”

This statement was interpreted by several observers as a call for jihad and an indication that al-Qaeda militants may intervene in Libya and fight alongside the Libyans against foreign troops.

US defeated

Droukdel argued that the United States has already suffered so many losses at the hands of Muslims who rose against the tyrants that adopted the agenda of imperial powers, a clear reference to the recent revolutions against Arab leaders, two of which succeeded to topple the regime of Tunisia and Egypt.

“We managed to defeat the United States, the head of apostasy and its allies, and their agents in the Muslim world are now falling one after the other because Muslims rose against them.”

The radical top militant called the Libyans he addressed “revolutionaries” which made it unclear whether he is referring to the leaders of the revolution or the pro-Gaddafi militias. However, his praise of revolutions taking place in the Muslim world against pro-Western regimes makes it more likely that he is referring to the protestors.

“Americans steal revolutions and that is why you should never trust them,” he added, making it clear that he is referring to the revolutionaries.

Droukdel instigated Libyans to fight Western powers through asserting that the main reason behind their intervention is stealing the wealth of the Libyans.

“We are not going to leave oil, which belongs to our people, for the United States, Britain, France, or other Christian countries to steal,” he concluded.


(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid)