Announcement of Establishment of Al-Qaeda in Lebanon Under Aegis of Iraqi Jihad Groups

On July 8, 2007, Islamic websites posted a communiqué from the Ansar Al-Jihad group in Iraq. In the communiqué, the group announced the establishment of the Al-Qaeda Organization in Lebanon, which will operate under the guidance of, and with the assistance of, the jihad groups in Iraq, and which aims to establish an Islamic caliphate on Lebanese soil:

"In light of the Christian government in Lebanon's continued harming of the Sunnis throughout [Lebanon]… the Ansar Al-Jihad organization in Iraq has decided to establish the Qaedat Al-Jihad in Lebanon Organization, in order to renew the implementation of Allah's religion and the establishment of an Islamic caliphate, and to make the Koran the government's constitution and a way of life. The organization will comprise four main brigades: the media brigade, the military brigade, the preaching brigade, and the training brigade.

"The organization has already been founded, and it may require a considerable amount of time in order to [start] operating, but with the help of Allah, the land of Lebanon will be the land of an Islamic caliphate after the organization begins to operate. The organization will operate after the pattern of the jihad fighters in Iraq, with direct assistance and guidance from the major commands among the Iraqi jihad organizations."