Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Denies Second-in-Command Killed

In an April 27, 2007 communiqué, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (formerly the GSPC) denied announcements by the Algerian government that Samir Saioud, recently killed by the Algerian military, was the organization's second-in-command. The message stated that Saioud, known as Abu Mus'ab, was merely a fighter and member of the organization's liaison committee, and that he was not in any way involved in the recent bombings in Algeria. The message also mockingly denied the Algerian government's recent claims that the commanders of Al-Qaeda in Algeria are under siege and that most of them had been killed. Such statements, said the communiqué, make the government look like "a drowning man clutching at straws."

Below are images of Abu Mus'ab which accompanied the communiqué:

Taliban Releases Kidnapped Frenchwoman, Grants Extension on Ultimatum to France

In a communiqué posted April 28, 2007 on Islamist websites, the Taliban announced that it had released the French aid worker Céline, who was kidnapped on April 3, 2007. The message also granted an extension to the Taliban's ultimatum to the French government, saying: "We know that the elections... are underway in France, and that the French people are preoccupied right now. Therefore, we... extend the [ultimatum] by a week... in order to give [them time] to meet our demands, [which are] to withdraw [the French] forces from Afghanistan... [and to] accept our offer of an exchange of prisoners and hostages."

The communiqué also calls on France and on the rest of the world to renew relations with the Taliban, stating that the Taliban's image has been distorted by human rights organizations who accused it of violating women's rights, when in reality the Taliban has been always been committed to peace and to "a dignified existence for women."

To underscore the last point, the communiqué is accompanied by an English message (see below), addressed to Céline but directed to the West in general. This message characterizes the Taliban's operations against the Western forces as self defense, and emphasizes that Céline's release, and the treatment she received at the hands of the Taliban, clearly demonstrate the Taliban's commitment to women's rights.

The following is the English message that was posted with the communiqué:

Sunni Iraqis Avenge Death of Yazidi Woman Allegedly Stoned to Death After Converting to Islam

Over the past week, Islamist websites have been reporting on the killing, apparently on April 14, 2007, of a young Yazidi Kurdish[1] woman in Mosul. According to the reports, a crowd of Yazidis stoned her to death after she converted to Islam in order to marry a Muslim. Many writers on Islamist websites designated the woman a martyr and demanded that her death be avenged.

On April 24, 2007, Sheikh Abu Basir Al-Tartusi (one of the prominent thinkers of the Salafi school, to which Al-Qaeda adheres) posted a fatwa on his website saying: "Anyone who participated in the killing and stoning of this young woman will be killed, no matter how large [the number of people involved]... In [committing] this crime, the heretic Yazidi sect violated its commitment to the Muslims in Iraq, and the Muslims are therefore no longer obliged [to protect it]."

On April 26, 2007, the Al-Qaeda-founded Islamic State of Iraq issued a message stating that its men had killed 26 Yazidis in the region where the incident took place. The message explained that they were killed in revenge for the death of this woman and for the death of all Muslims killed by these "impure [Yazidis]," and as part of the Plan of Honor declared by ISI Commander Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi.