The Political Conundrum!

The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a newly-released German-language propaganda video from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) produced in September 2008. During the video, a group of German nationals fighting with the IMU in Afghanistan offered messages and commentary to those living back home in Europe. According to "Abu Adam the German", "more than 20 organizations are fighting here side-by-side with the same goal. All of their members and commanders have given their oaths of allegiance to a man who found its way into the hearts of each mujahid. We speak of the mujahid Amir al-Mumineen Mullah Mohammad Omar. As far as the jihad in Afghanistan is concerned, there are currently about 30 mujahideen operations per day. About 75% of the country is already under our control. My dear brothers and sisters, I do not say to you merely to come to the the land of jihad. Rather, I say to you, you should be racing one another to come to the land of jihad." Another German national, "Abu Abdullah"-shown sitting amongst a group of young children brandishing automatic weapons-explained, "as you can clearly see, praise be to Allah, this has become a very family-friendly place. So, bring your wives and children. Praise be to Allah, there are living quarters here far away from the front. There are hospitals, pharmacies, doctors, and schools-schools in which our children not only learn about Islam, but also all walks of life and obedience. That is why we advise you all to join together, revive, and live the cause of jihad with your entire family." These sentiments were also echoed in the video by IMU commander Muhammad Tahir Farooq himself, who openly welcomed European recruits, "we invite our brothers and sisters. We invite you to our frontline of jihad. We invite you to martyrdom."

An English transcript of the video can be viewed on the NEFA Foundation website.

Today I published an intelligence briefing for FDD that examines the implications of the upcoming provincial elections in Iraq. An excerpt:

• IRAQIS GO TO THE POLLS. On January 31, 2009, Iraqis will go to the polls to select their political representatives in 14 of the country’s 18 provinces. This will mark the fourth time since 2005 that Iraq has held elections. Previous votes include January 2005 elections to select provincial representatives and an interim national assembly to draft Iraq’s constitution (an election that Iraq’s Sunnis largely boycotted); an October 2005 referendum on the national constitution; and parliamentary elections in December 2005. Iraq will also hold elections later this year for the national parliament, and to consider the U.S.-Iraq security pact.
• FEAR OF VIOLENCE. There have always been heightened concerns about the potential for violence when Iraq has held elections, and this year is no exception. However, levels of violence were surprisingly low on all three election days in 2005. This year, U.S. and Iraqi security forces are preparing for possible outbreaks of violence, particularly in the ethnically mixed Diyala province where tensions between the Arab and Kurdish population have simmered. Time reports that “U.S. commanders last week brokered a deal” for Diyala “that will see area security provided by a joint force of Iraqi-army and Peshmerga fighters, with U.S. troops present to make sure everyone stays calm.”
• TURNOUT. There were initially concerns that turnout for the elections might be low since they were scheduled at the time of a traditional Shia pilgrimage to Karbala that typically draws hundreds of thousands of visitors. Shia religious and political leaders have been working with the pilgrims to facilitate voting. But despite the timing of the elections, it appears that there will be a large turnout on Saturday: a recent poll conducted by Iraq’s government found that 73% of Iraqi adults intend to vote.

Click here to read the full intelligence briefing.

On January 28, a group of 19 former government officials with experience in intelligence and national security filed an amici curiae brief with the Supreme Court in the case to provide the court a brief finding that holding Ali Saleh al-Marri in the U.S. as an enemy combatant for seven years on U.S. soil without charge has been dangerously counterproductive in combating terrorism.

As one of the 19 bipartisan group of experts who joined the team on the brief led by Suzanne Spaulding, formerly Assistant General Counsel at the CIA and General Counsel for the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I thought it might be useful to highlight why such a politically-diverse group of people all felt so strongly that the U.S. needs to end the indefinite military imprisonment of a man who if the facts are as alleged by the government was a highly-dangerous terrorist at the time of his 2001 arrest in Illinois.

In a nutshell, terrorism lives off ideological stories. These stories, or narratives, become incorporated in worldviews which however twisted, are constantly incorporating new facts. As stated in the brief:

"Subjecting individuals apprehended inside the United States to indefinite military imprisonment as enemy combatants, instead of putting them on trial, invigorates the false – but widely accepted – narrative that the United States is engaged in a war on Islam, using its vast power to victimize Muslims, and that the terrorist is a noble warrior engaged in a holy war. Such treatment of a terrorism suspect is so far outside the traditions of this Nation that it undermines the credibility of our commitment to equality, justice, and the rule of law. The result is a powerful recruitment tool for violent extremists who claim allegiance to Islam, and greater risk to the security of the Nation."

This video is from a CBS News dispatch as they covered the basic training of the Afghan Army soldiers.

The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a new video excerpt from the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU) in Afghanistan of an IJU militant threatening in German to carry out revenge attacks on Western countries for the recent Israeli incursion into the Gaza Strip. According to the IJU operative, "Dear brothers and sisters, there can be no peace with the enemy... If we are attacked and killed, Allah willing, the Zionists and all of the occupying forces will be attacked and killed. That is the correct balance... Dear brothers and sisters, praise be to Allah, we have prepared some surprise gifts for the occupying powers this coming year." The German-speaking militant also boasted of the origin of his own uniform: "these clothes, what you see here, they are the uniforms of the U.S. military. Praise be to Allah, we seized these military uniforms as booty from U.S. soldiers. Allah willing, we, the mujahideen from the Islamic Jihad Union, will someday reach Tel Aviv, Haifa, Siderot, and throughout all of Israel and Jerusalem. Allah willing, we will seize the uniforms of the Israeli soldiers as booty."

An English-subtitled version of the video can be viewed on the NEFA Foundation website.

Iraq said Thursday it will bar Blackwater Worldwide from providing security protection for U.S. diplomats because its contractors used excessive force, sanctioning a company whose image was irrevocably tarnished by the 2007 killings of 17 Iraqi civilians.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has cut off contacts with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) amid mounting concern about the Muslim advocacy group's roots in a Hamas-support network, the Investigative Project on Terrorism has learned.

The decision to end contacts with CAIR was made quietly last summer as federal prosecutors prepared for a second trial of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF), an Islamic charity accused of providing money and political support to the terrorist group Hamas, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

CAIR and its chairman emeritus, Omar Ahmad, were named un-indicted co-conspirators in the HLF case. Both Ahmad and CAIR's current national executive director, Nihad Awad, were revealed on government wiretaps as having been active participants in early Hamas-related organizational meetings in the United States. During testimony, FBI agent Lara Burns described CAIR as a front organization.

Hamas is a US-designated foreign terrorist organization, and it's been illegal since 1995 to provide support to it within the United States.

The decision to end contacts with CAIR is a significant policy change for the FBI. For years, the FBI worked with the national organization and its state chapters to address Muslim community concerns about the potential for hate crimes and other civil liberty violations in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

But critics said the FBI improperly conferred legitimacy on CAIR by meeting with its officials, even as its own investigative files contained evidence of CAIR leaders' ties to Hamas.

Last autumn, FBI field offices began notifying state CAIR chapters that bureau officials could no longer meet with them until CAIR's national leadership in Washington had addressed issues raised by the HLF trial, according to people with knowledge of the notifications.

CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper declined to comment Wednesday when the IPT called for comment. Before hanging up, Hooper said "We're more than happy to cooperate with legitimate media. But we don't cooperate with those who promote anti-Muslim bigotry."

In one letter obtained by IPT News, James E. Finch, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Oklahoma City field office, canceled a meeting of the local Muslim Community Outreach Program, a state-federal program designed to enlist Muslims in terrorism prevention and investigate reports of civil liberties violations.

"Regrettably, due to circumstances beyond my control, the meeting will be postponed until further notice as a result of the planned participation by the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations," Finch's Oct. 8, 2008 letter to Muslim groups in the Oklahoma outreach program said.

To read the rest of this report, click here.

NATO will need a military presence in the Arctic as global warming melts frozen sea routes and major powers rush to lay claim to lucrative energy reserves, the military bloc's chief said Thursday.

A sofa-sized sculpture - a single copper-coated shoe on a stand carved to resemble flowing cloth - was formally unveiled in the hometown of the Saddam Hussein. Its sculptor called it a fitting tribute to the shoe hurler, Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi.

A Special Operations paratrooper died this afternoon after an accident, according to Air Force Col. Larry Martin. Martin would not name the paratrooper.