Islamist Video Featuring Al-Qaeda Member Abu Yahya Al-Liby

On November 2, 2006, Islamist websites posted an 18-minute video (http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=214&ar=m4-015wmv&ak=null ) titled "Combat Not Compromise." In it, Abu Yahya Al-Liby, one of four Al-Qaeda members who escaped from an American prison in Baghram, Afghanistan in July 2005, eulogized Farouq Al-Iraqi, another of the escapees who was later killed in Iraq. In the film, Al-Liby went on to urge the mujahideen not to lose hope but to be patient and to join forces, and called on the Muslim 'ulama to join the ranks of jihad. The film, with English subtitles, was produced by the Al-Qaeda production company Al-Sahab.

In eulogizing Al-Farouq, Al-Liby calls him "a hero of Islam and knight of jihad" who fought on various jihad fronts, including Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Philippines, and Indonesia. After escaping from Baghram prison, he adds, Al-Farouq went back to wage jihad in Iraq, and there he was martyred, as he had always wished. "One who has had a taste of jihad," says Al-Liby, "can never give it up."

Next, Al-Liby addresses the mujahideen, saying that in spite of the sorrow of losing such heroes, they must not despair, and certainly must not abandon the jihad, since "this form of worship [i.e. jihad] can only exist through the blood of those who sacrifice their souls for [Islam]... Throughout the history of Islam, many heroes have been killed by the infidels and criminals, but [in spite of this] the flame of Islam will never be extinguished... Be careful not to despair. Be strong and know that Allah is with you... Know that signs of victory have already begun to appear in Afghanistan and Iraq, in Chechnya and Palestine. Know that the strength of this infidel enemy has begun to crumble..." Al-Liby adds that the U.S. now admitted that entering Iraq had been a mistake. He added that it would, in the same way, come to admit that its decisions to enter Afghanistan, to support Israel, and to enter the Arabian Peninsula were also mistaken.

To the 'ulama, Al-Liby says: "The fronts of jihad await you. You have not yet missed your opportunity. Hurry! Join the ranks and lead the convoy, [for] you are the leaders and commanders of the nation... If you tarry, who will lead the way?"

Open Letter on an Islamist Website Recommends Seizing Bodies of U.S., NATO Troops

On November 6, 2006, an Islamist website posted an anonymous open letter to the commander of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Hamza Al-Muhajir. The letter urges Abu Hamza and his mujahideen to seize the bodies of the American soldiers killed during their attacks. It says that the bodies, and the soldiers' personal documents, should be filmed and then buried in a designated area. The videos should then be released, and used to compel the Americans to release Muslim prisoners - including imprisoned Muslim scholars such as 'Abd Al-Rahman and Abu Qatada Al-Falastini - and to surrender the body of Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi to the mujahideen. The bodies should also be used to pressure the Americans into withdrawing their military forces from Iraq.

This method, says the letter, was used successfully by Hizbullah in its war against Israel, and should therefore be used both against the Americans in Iraq and against NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Finally, the letter calls on the mujahideen "to turn the [soldiers'] bodies into Pharaonic mummies… that can serve as a warning to [other foreign] soldiers."

Mujahideen Discuss the Construction of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

On November 3, 2006, Islamist websites posted information on constructing UAVs. In the message that prefaced the information, the writer apologized for relying on an illustrated manual for building remote-controlled model airplanes that was written by an apostate, but explained that he had decided to use this manual because the mujahideen still lack capabilities of their own in this field. As for what led him to take an interest in UAVs, he explains: "Assisting jihad is not [achieved] only by [wielding] a pen and sitting at a computer screen."

Forum participants on the websites debated whether the UAVs should be used to spy on the enemy, or should be loaded with explosives and used to target the enemy.

The following are photos from the manual.