In an interview held in late February 2009 with Al-Qaeda's media arm, Mullah Nazeer Ahmad, the Emir of the Taliban Mujahideen in Pakistan's tribal district of South Waziristan, stated that the Taliban's jihad will not stop after the U.S. leaves Afghanistan. Ahmad further stressed that the Taliban's jihad is not limited to Pakistan and Afghanistan, as its objectives are global.
Mullah Nazeer Ahmad also warns that there will be vengeance for the deaths of clerics killed during former Pakistani president Gen. Pervez Musharraf's 2007 Red Mosque operation in Islamabad.
The interview was conducted in the Urdu language, and published with English subtitles on the Internet by Al-Sahab, the media arm of Al-Qaeda. A reference to the unity of Taliban groups led by Baitullah Mehsud, Mullah Nazeer Ahmad, and Hafiz Gul Bahadur dates the interview to sometime after late February 2009, when the three commanders announced the formation of Shura Ittihad Al-Mujahideen, with Mullah Omar as Emir. [1]
Following are excerpts from the interview: [2]
On Jihad in the Afghanistan-Pakistan Region After 9/11
"When we came back to Waziristan after the American attack [on Afghanistan after 9/11], the Mujahideen were somewhat worried. One month later, we started again, with a raid on the American camp at Michadad [sic] which lies inside the Afghan border adjacent to South Waziristan. One of our brothers, Sayd Mohammad, was martyred in that operation...."
"[When his body was brought] the people came out in the form of a procession to have a look at him. After this our numbers swelled against the U.S.; people started cooperating and taking part in jihad along with us. Then our operations became more frequent...."
On the Opposition By the Pakistani Government
"In the beginning we had intended to wage jihad against the U.S. We had not intended to fight here, but when the Pakistani government became an obstacle for us, started hindering our passages, destroying our bases, martyring our brothers, and ambushing and arresting them from their routes, we were left with no choice other than to aim our weapons at Pakistan too...."
On Mullah Omar's Sole Operational Command
"The Amir-ul-Mumineen [Mullah Omar] is now the Emir of Jihad. The mujahideen all over the world accept him as their Emir... It is not difficult to meet him through our border along Afghanistan. We meet his representatives and they are our mujahid brothers... [When our fighters go to Afghanistan], yes, they work under them. In whichever province our brothers go to, they work under the Emir of the Taliban in that province."
On the Acceptance of Foreign Jihadists in Pakistan's Tribal Areas
"We have the same relationship as the muhajir and Ansar had in the time of the Prophet: we are brothers to each other and we have served them and provided them shelter because they had left their homes for jihad. We have not let anyone seize them; and have fought against those who try to harm them.”
"And to anyone who tries to hurt or capture our mujahid brothers in future, our call is jihad against them and we will fight against them. We never surrender single one of our Muslim brothers."
"[The people of South Waziristan] are supportive of us. Had they not supported us, we could not have remained here. They are the Muslims who have fought against the Soviets [in Afghanistan in 1980s] and the British before them. And now they are proud to serve the mujahideen today. They are eager to have us at their meals... and feel honored to serve the mujahideen, and believe this to bring great reward to them. Even if they cannot participate in the jihad practically, they want at least to serve the mujahideen. So, all our tribes are with us...."
On the Recent Merger of Taliban Groups in Waziristan
"The distance, the differences between us [various groups of the Taliban in South and North Waziristan] was created by the enemies, especially the ISI [Pakistan's intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence]. They did not want Mullah Nazeer, Baitullah [Mehsud] and Gul Bahadur to unite in an alliance. We made our own efforts and foiled their plot by the grace of Allah. You might have heard, the day before yesterday on the BBC, that we came together in an alliance.
"In future, we will defend ourselves against any enemy as one. About the differences that were created we have reached the conclusion that the differences between us had been caused by the ISI and our enemies. It was the ISI that had inflamed the hatred and hostility between Mehsud and Wazir tribes; this ill-will was created by the ISI; for this reason, we have abandoned all differences and formed the alliance.
"In future, there will be no differences between us; any differences that arise will be resolved by the 13-member Shura [Council] that we have formed. Allah willing, jihad will accelerate [now]."
On the Taliban Response to Possible Future Pakistan and U.S. Operations
"Yes, absolutely [all Taliban groups will fight together in the case of an attack by Pakistan [and the U.S.]. Whatever is going on here is under the command of the U.S., but it is being executed by the Pakistani Army. If the Pakistani Army wants to carry out an operation again, then we shall answer it as one. All the tribes and the mujahideen in South and North Waziristan will retaliate simultaneously; and, Allah willing, the retaliation will be more severe than it was before."
On Objectives of Jihad: Not Limited to Pakistan and Afghanistan - That Division Was Created By the Jews
"No, [we will not stop if the U.S. leaves Afghanistan]; our jihad is against the Kuffar [infidels] in order to get back our lands that the Kuffar has occupied. Our jihad is meant to make supreme the Word of Allah and to establish the system of Shari'a. Our jihad isn't limited only to Pakistan and Afghanistan; this division that 'this is Pakistan' and 'this is Afghanistan' has been created by the Jews; we reject it. We, all Muslims, whether they be in Saudi Arabia, Iraq or Palestine or anywhere in the world, are all brothers. This division has been created among Muslims; we do not accept this division.
"Our jihad is global and we aim to liberate Muslims across the world, to end the divisions and mischief; [we] want a system of Islamic Shari'a; we want the Law of Allah on Allah's Land...."
On Jihad Against the Islamic Nation of Pakistan and Its Army - Which Has Helped the Jews and Christians
"The holy verse [from the Koran] which I recited earlier informs us about the decision of Allah; 'O who you believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors; they are but friends and protectors for each other. And he amongst you who turns to them (for friendship) is of them' (Al-Maida: 51).
"So, it is decided [on the authority of the Koran] that Pakistan has helped the Jews and the Christians and took them for friends, so it has become one of them. 'Verily Allah guides not a people unjust.' This too is true about them [Pakistan]. They have been unjust and cruel; having martyred so many of our tribesmen... they have transgressed, and have aided the Jews and the Christians and have become one of them. This is Allah's verdict.
"So, we do not consider this government [in Pakistan] to be an Islamic government. This government has killed innocent people. This government has sent blameless persons to Cuba [Guantanamo Bay prison] in return for money. Even here, they are martyring Muslims and they haven't stopped. Thus, this is not a Shari'a-based, Islamic government. It has sided with the Kuffar and its laws are laws of the Kuffar. So, we do not consider it to be Islamic government."
On Democracy and Elected Government in Pakistan
"No, we do not accept democracy. It is a code of law formulated by the Kuffar. Muhammad Iqbal [the Islamist poet popularly considered to be one of the ideological founders of Pakistan] too had said that 'it is a system in which men are merely counted, not weighed.' And this counting will include Shi'ites, Christians, and drunkards; and they elect a leader for us! This democracy has been devised by the Kuffar and we can never ever accept it. I have never cast a vote myself... I have declared voting to be illegitimate, and so it shall remain in the future. We utterly reject democracy, which has been formulated by Kuffar and has no trace of Islam in it."
"The Ulema [religious scholars] do support us, but they are few in number. Five hundred Ulema have issued fatwa for us against Pakistan and against the [military] operation in Waziristan. The government martyred such Ulema, Mufti [Nizamuddin] Shamzai among them, because they supported the mujahideen, side with them and issued fatwas for them; they supported the oppressed and demanded the operation to be stopped in Waziristan.... We are grateful to all the Ulema who supported us; this work [of jihad] is in fact the responsibility of the Ulema as they are the heirs of prophets.”
"A few Ulema have still supported us; this is because Pakistan martyrs, arrests, and harasses them. Still, 500 Ulema have issued fatwas in favor of us. The number of Ulema is high in [Pakistan], but they don't come out in open [in support of us]. Those who have come forward are with us in our base camps; and go for jihad, go for operations."
On the Recent Shari'a-for-Peace Deal in the Swat District and Broader Malakand Division
"They [the Pakistan government] are not sincere with those in Malakand about its promise to allow a Shari'a system. The Pakistani government is not sincere in it. It is a war tactic; one is a war by Kalashnikovs and bullets, the other is political war. They will further their mission through politics.... We do not ask for Shari'a only in Malakand or Waziristan; we demand Shari'a across Pakistan.”
"They mislead the mujahideen by asking it to lay down arms; we will never lay down our arms until the mischief ends and Shari'a is established in Pakistan."
The Rejection of Shari'a Administered by Pakistani President Asif Zardari and Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani
"With these individuals remaining in power, what is Shari'a with them? They have supported America; Pakistan has [implemented] British law, with its educational system created by Lord Macaulay. Under such a situation, [their version of] Shari'a is unacceptable to us, with the Supreme Court imposed on us. They say that they give Shari'a to Waziristan and we will work under them; this is unacceptable to us. Rather, we extend our invitation to them: Come with us, enforce the Shari'a system in Pakistan; enter wholly into Islam, we will be with you...
"We are against them because they have supported the Kuffar; their law is law of the Kuffar, while we demand Shari'a; that is why we are against them."
On the Strength of the Mujahideen
"[The U.S. missile attacks] have caused sadness; but the mujahideen network is strengthened by it, not weakened by it. The blood of martyrs will create more martyrs. Because of these attacks, the number of mujahideen brothers has increased, not decreased. The U.S., the enemy, had planned to besiege the Taliban in Afghanistan and terminate the Islamic movement of the Taliban; but after that the mujahideen emerged from this side [in Pakistan]; they could not finish them off. Whenever there is an attack here [in Waziristan], the number of mujahideen swells...
"All the spies that we have caught were sent by Pakistan; the [GPS] chips that they used were given to them by Pakistan. We have made CDs [of their confessions]. All of them are connected to the military....
"We do not spare anyone who works for the Kuffar, who works for Pakistan; we don't spare them."
On the Downing of U.S. Spy Planes in Waziristan
"No, [they were not shot down by Pakistan]; they were shot down by our mujahideen brothers by Shilka [anti-aircraft gun]. Two aircraft were shot down, and we informed the media we shot them down, not Pakistan. It is Pakistan that flies these planes [from its soil]; why would it shoot them down?
"The propaganda created by Pakistan that it has killed so many mujahideen; it is a lie. The mujahideen are gaining strength by the day. More the efforts are made to suppress them, they shine more; the spirits of the mujahideen are high....
"[Across the tribal region] we started first in Wana [district headquarters of South Waziristan], then in Miranshah [district headquarters of North Waziristan]. In addition to this, our mujahideen have now reached Swat. If they attempt to coerce and suppress us again, launch a military operation against us, then these mujahideen will reach Islamabad too."
On the Jihad in Indian Kashmir
"The jihad in Kashmir and those who have offered sacrifices in it have done so with sincerity. But our stand is that we are not achieving our objectives for which we make sacrifices. This [the jihad in Kashmir] is running under the command of the ISI [Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence]; and there is no hope for Shari'a or Islam from it. Therefore the jihad in which the ISI has put people in deception [can bear no fruit].
"Our advice to those of our mujahideen brothers is that they should support us here and come together with us. We offer sacrifices to enforce Shari'a, the law of Allah. The Kashmiri jihad does not help us in achieving our objectives. Because the law in India is law of Kuffar; here in Pakistan too, the law is the one that was created by the British. Which of these brands will prevail there in Kashmir? It isn't Islam that will reign; so, our sacrifices will go in vain. Therefore, we advise those mujahideen to join us and work under the Amir-ul-Mumineen [Mullah Omar]. Turn against the Americans... We tell those mujahideen to stop working under the ISI."
On Jihad in India and the November 2008 Mumbai Attacks
"I do not know the mujahideen who sacrificed their lives in India, but we are sad that we could not also give our lives there. The sacrifice they gave was a big sacrifice. It lifted the spirits of mujahideen. We pray for them... As for India, it should know that we are mujahideen; a great number of us are here in tribal areas and Pakistan. If it attacks; Allah willing, we can fight back against whatever it does against Pakistan, or against Islam; we are ready for offering sacrifices. Our reply will be stronger than the one given by them [during 2008 Mumbai attacks]."
"Theses tribes have waged jihad against the British, against the Soviets, we are mujahideen. The propaganda [that we are supported by foreign nations] against us is absolutely false. We have risen for jihad and we make sacrifices to establish Shari'a. The ISI is behind the propaganda that India and Mossad finance us; we have not received money from any one; we have been mujahideen from the old times. These tribes have been making sacrifices from the British era.... Pakistan has put people in deception that India gives us money, Russia gives us money. We have waged jihad against Russia. We are enemies of India and of the Mossad...."
On the Downfall of the U.S. and Jihad in Afghanistan
"Allah willing, very soon [the U.S. will be defeated in Afghanistan]. After this year, in 2010, America will be torn into pieces. It has already become powerless in Afghanistan. It is confined to its camps in Afghanistan. They come by aircraft to hold meetings, they cannot come out of [the base camps]; the total area is under the control of mujahideen. Allah willing, very soon, you will hear the good news that Afghanistan has been conquered. But we must take advantage of this time and make sacrifices.
"[The defeat of the U.S. worldwide] is very near, very near. Its economy has utterly collapsed. It has met with defeat in Somalia and Iraq. It's about to be defeated in Afghanistan. The thuggery it has started will definitely end."
On Violence in Gaza and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
"Those who have risen over there are our brothers. The sacrifices given by the mujahideen [in Gaza]; and Israel's oppression is a big cruelty. Allah willing, they will pay for what they have done; and Allah willing we will avenge this. We have started our preparations for that [to avenge the killings in Gaza]. Allah willing, after the defeat of America, Israel should consider that its downfall is about to take place. The mujahideen will reach there. They will rise from Khorasan [Afghanistan] and reach Palestine. We want to tell the Palestinians that we are with you. Start your sacrifices. Those who have settled down should rise for jihad.
"The only solution for this [conflict] is to take up swords and wage jihad against the Jews, whether the means be less or more. But the jihad has become obligatory upon us. We are with them; our sympathies are with them. The cruelty of Israel, the massacre of 400-500 children, we are sad over it. Allah willing, we will take revenge for it. We are with mujahideen in Kashmir or Palestine, but they [Muslims] should organize and support the mujahideen. This [our objectives] cannot be achieved, politically, democratically. Our objectives are achieved by sacrifice."
On Barack Obama as U.S. President and Expectations From the U.S.
"One white ass has gone; a black ass has taken over in his place. To have any expectations will corrode our belief. We put our trust only in Allah... We cannot expect from Bush or Obama that they will be relief for us. Instead, our difficulties are soothed by jihad."
On Martyrdom Attacks Within Pakistan
"Actually, it is the ISI that executes operations [suicide attacks] in mosques, not the mujahideen. They are our enemies who frighten people that these are thugs... We are mujahideen; we do not carry out martyrdom attacks on Muslims. We carry out martyrdom attacks on the army; our target is the military that has supported the U.S. We do carry out martyrdom attacks across Pakistan. The attacks in mosques and marketplaces are not carried out by us. It is done by our enemies.
"We are attacked by [U.S.] drones. Even I was under attack by a drone. How can we be Pakistan-serving militia? We are the soldiers of Islam and we are mujahideen; we are not Pakistani militia. In fact we are opponents of Pakistan; we are an Islamic army. Pakistan attacked me and attacks the rest of mujahideen by drones. How can we be Pakistan's men?"
A Message to the Muslim Ummah - Especially the People of Pakistan
"Jihad has become obligatory. When the infidels besiege a country of Muslims, as they have done in Afghanistan and Iraq, jihad becomes obligatory on all Muslims to liberate these countries, in the same way as we offer prayers [five times a day]...
"We never ask permission from our parents to pray, but we still pray. Similarly, jihad too is obligatory. It has become obligatory upon all Muslims. The oppression of the Kuffar has exceeded all limits. Therefore to liberate Iraq, to liberate Afghanistan, to end the Kuffar's oppression, jihad is obligatory on the entire Muslim Ummah.
"We give this message to the Ummah, 'You rise up for jihad.' Fewer people offer sacrifices. Due to the ignorance of the majority, the small number of people too is surrounded in difficulties. If all people rise up for jihad, all problems will be resolved; the rule of Shari'a will be established, our difficulties will vanish; Islamic revolution will sweep the entire world. But for the sake of money, riches and children, people have settled. Therefore, we call upon the Ummah that our predecessors have waged jihad. The Holy Prophet had waged jihad. The Prophet said: 'Jihad shall continue till the Day of Judgement.'....
"The shortest distance to paradise is jihad. It is the journey of the Ummah; [as Prophet Muhammad said] 'The journey of my Ummah is jihad in the path of Allah....'
"Our success lies in martyrdom. Our true victory lies in martyrdom. One should not despair of it. We are with them [those who died during the 2007 military operation in Islamabad's Red Mosque]. Allah willing, we shall avenge them all. We will not spare this [Pervez] Musharraf who has committed this atrocity on the Red Mosque, and killed innocents and students.... The day is not far when Islamabad will be in the hands of Mujahideen...."
Endnotes:
[1] Roznama Khabrain, Pakistan, February 23, 2009
[2] Al-Sahab. "Interview with Mullah Nazeer Ahmad," Internet video clip. Accessed by MEMRI on March 19, 2009.
