Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Claims Responsibility for 18 Attacks on March 6, 2007

In a communiqué posted March 8, 2007 on Islamist websites, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for "18 large-scale simultaneous attacks" on various military and police targets, carried out on March 6, 2007. The message lists the attacks, in some cases specifying casualties suffered by the Algerian troops and police. It concludes by stating that the "Crusaders'… security plans have failed… Neither fortresses nor security measures will stop the youth of the Islamic Maghreb from attacking [them] in [their] own homes..."

Islamist Video Shows Attacks on U.S. MPVs

On March 5, 2007, Islamist websites posted a 26-minute video titled "Sayyadu Al-Kasihat" (The Hunters of the Mine-Protected Vehicles), produced by Al-Furqan. The video boasts of the jihad fighters' success in destroying the mine-protected vehicles (MPVs) used by the U.S. military in Iraq, and shows a series of attacks on MPVs of various models.

The film begins with the caption, "A field commander explains the development of explosive charges in Iraq." A masked individual then reads out a written message, saying that the Americans are constantly developing their military gear, but that nevertheless the jihad fighters are managing to cause them numerous fatalities and extensive damage, especially with explosive charges. In the beginning of the war, he says, the American Hummers were "weak," and "Allah enabled us to use [them] as 'guinea pigs' to test our explosive devices. The situation was such that the Americans [had to] install a device on the front of the vehicle to disrupt the radio signal [that sets off] the explosive charge… [But] the jihad fighters developed a more sophisticated apparatus that destroyed hundreds of the Crusaders' Hummers… This forced the Americans to spend a fortune developing what they call the "mine-protected vehicle." [However], the expert engineers of the Islamic State in Iraq learned the vehicle's [specifications and capabilities]… and managed to develop an electronic circuit whose signal it could not disrupt." The announcer concludes his message by saying: "We dedicate this activity to Commander of the Believers Abu Omar Al-Baghdadi."

The video then shows a series of attacks on MPVs, mostly in the Al-Anbar and Baghdad provinces, and also in Diyala province.

The next caption, which is read out by an unseen announcer, describes the structure and specifications of several MPV models: Meerkat, RG-31 Nyala, Cougar and Buffalo. The announcer concludes: "Allah enabled the jihad fighters to destroy these vehicles and to drag America's honor through the mud."

The last part of the video shows another series of attacks on MPVs. In one case, the camera focuses on the anti-IED device on the front of the vehicle, and a caption says: "A state-of-the-art disruption device recently installed on [U.S. MPVs]." A few seconds later, the vehicle explodes. In another sequence, a group of jihad fighters are heard setting an ambush next to a road. A convoy of U.S. military vehicles passes by unharmed. Then one of the mujahideen announces "Here comes a MPV!" and shortly thereafter the vehicle explodes.

The video, with graphic images removed, can be viewed at:

http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=666001&ak=null.

Below are images from the video:

Imminent Publication of Second Issue of Technical Mujahid E-Magazine

On March 9, 2007, the Al-Fajr Information Center, the mouthpiece of the Islamic State in Iraq, announced on Islamist websites the imminent release of the second issue of its e-magazine Al-Mujahid Al-Taqni (Technical Mujahid). Information in the first issue implied that the second could discuss avoiding detection online and launching a jihadist website, and could include an inside look at the "Mujahideen Secrets" software for secure online information exchange. [1]

Below is the title page image of the journal's first issue.