On June 13, 2006, a number of Islamist websites posted the first communiqué to be released in the name of Al-Zarqawi's successor, who uses the name Abu Hamza Al-Muhajir. [1] In this statement, Abu Hamza promises the Islamic nation that the decisive stage has arrived and that the jihad fighters' victory is assured. Abu Hamza threatens to slit the throats of Sunnis who cooperate with the Iraqi government and with the Americans, and says that he will continue fighting the government, which is comprised mainly of Shi'ites, until the Sunnis get the upper hand. As for the West, Abu Hamza assures it that Al-Zarqawi's death will not stop the jihad fighters.

The following are excerpts from the communiqué: [2]

The Decisive Stage has Arrived - The Enemy is Helpless, Defeated, and Begging to Pull Out of the Iraqi Quagmire

"My dear [Islamic] nation, you have not remained oblivious to the cruelty of the war that is waging in the Land of the Two Rivers [i.e. Iraq] between the army of Truth and the army of Falsehood - Crusaders, Shi'ites, and apostates. Three years have passed, years in which your sons the jihad fighters have made the enemies taste the bitterness of defeat and humiliation, and now the decisive stage has arrived and our enemy has no choice but to flee...

"Your sons in the Land of the Two Rivers are well, and they are more determined, resolute, and intrepid than ever before, while the infidels, no matter how united they are or how numerous, are helpless and defeated, and blood flows from their noses, as their [own] commanders have admitted.

"Every day, for the last three years, [our enemies] have been claiming that the war is almost over, causing their people to hope that it is so, [but] then the blows come and the world witnesses the victorious raids of the jihad fighters, which show that the jihad fighters are advancing, one step every day, and that the camp of unbelief is in [a state of] constant retreat and ongoing collapse...

"My dear [Islamic] nation, you have seen how your Crusader enemy has begun to beg its allies not to retreat and leave it alone on the battlefield, and has begun to ask the European countries and the tyrants [i.e. rulers] of the Arab states to help it and pull it out of what has come to be known as 'the Iraqi quagmire.'"

Our Swords are Pointed at the Necks of the Sunnis Who Have Sold Their Souls to the Crusaders

"As for the puppets - the apostates and the hypocrites - [the enemy] is at a loss as to what to do with them. Sometimes they advance them and sometimes pull them back; sometimes they bring us a ruling council that is itself ruled [by the enemy], and sometimes a transitional government. And after that they bring us the democratic game and the deception of the elections which brought their Shi'ite servants [to power], along with those who falsely claim to be Sunnis [but] have betrayed Allah and His Messenger. With this, [the enemy] exhausted all his options, and was left with no choice but to admit that he has gotten into dire straits through the artful craft of our Great Lord.

"My dear [Islamic] nation, your sons today rejoice in Allah's grace and kindness, since He has singled them out for jihad and has given them the honor of harming their enemies: 'Fight them, and Allah will punish them through you, will lay them low and will give you victory, and will heal the hearts of a believing people' [Quran 9:14]...

"My dear [Islamic] nation, we are saying to those who are called Sunnis and who have abandoned you, sold their souls to the Crusaders, and lent their hand to the Shi'ites... under false pretenses: you will [soon] see what we have prepared for you because of your treason; our swords are pointed at your necks and will not distinguish between apostates and others...

"Allah brought shame upon you on the day you extended a rope of salvation to the Shi'ites [even though you] know the extent of their hatred for the Sunnis and the scope of their daily crimes against ordinary Sunnis - women and children, old and young. You caused a grave tragedy and [reached] the depth of dishonor when you proposed the 'butcher' of the glorious city of Falluja for the role of Defense Minister.

"The day of retribution is at hand, and your high towers in the Green Zone will not help you then...

"We say to the descendants of Ibn Al-Alqami: [3]... We will apply to you the law laid down by Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq in his war against the apostates, and we will continue to do what our Sheikh, Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi, may Allah have mercy on him, began to do to you, and we will fight you until the word of God's unity is supreme and the word of your tyrants is brought low."

Al-Zarqawi Left Behind Lions Who Fight for Only for Allah

"As for you, Crusaders - between us and you [there will be] battles that will turn your children's hair gray, battles that will belie your power, reveal the weakness of your soldiers, and expose your arrogant liar [the reference is apparently to President Bush]. Do not let the intoxicating joy at the killing of our Sheikh Abu Mus'ab overwhelm you, for he left [behind him] lions whose education he [himself] supervised, and who trained in his lion's den. They have a program and a set of beliefs, and they fight only for Allah...

"Oh Islamic nation and the mighty armies of jihad: Allah's enemies are making their preparations and are quickening their pace in order to strike the city of defiance and the front of holy war: the noble city of Ramadi, its people and its tribes. Where do you stand concerning what they are planning [to do] to our brothers there? We are utterly worthless if [the enemy] can reach them without any hindrance while our hearts still beat. Let us fight Allah's enemies and respond to their scheming against our brothers, our mosques, and our noble [women].

"Our sheikh and commander, Abu 'Abdallah Osama bin Laden: Allah has graced us and honored us with honorable and courageous brothers who joined us in the Jihad Fighters' Shura Council. They have aided us greatly, and we have reached an agreement to defeat [the enemy] and adhere to the ways of the righteous forefathers [salaf]... We await your word and are ready at your command. We give you the good news that the morale of your soldiers is high, that noble souls have gathered under your banner, and that there are first signs that victory is near...

"[Signed:] Abu Hamza Al-Muhajir, Commander of the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Land of the Two Rivers, The Media Committee of the Jihad Fighters' Shura Council in Iraq, 5/17/1427, corresponding to Tuesday, June 13, 2006."