The Political Conundrum!

Despite initial industry suspicion that the Army would let the effort die a slow death, the service is moving forward with the development of a compact weapon that shoots like a rifle but slings like a sub gun. The search for a so-called "subcompact individual weapon system" is moving ahead in earnest.

Following reports of an alleged connection to NYC terror suspect Najibullah Zazi, attention has focused on Al-Qaida's "number 3" Shaykh Mustafa Abu al-Yazid (a.k.a. "Shaykh Saeed al-Masri.")

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"...The virtuous Shaykh Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, nicknamed Shaykh Saeed, the overall head of al-Qaida Organization in Afghanistan, who Allah favored to come to Jihad in Afghanistan in 1988. He took part in founding al-Qaida in 1989, and is a member of the Shura council of Qaida al-Jihad."

The NEFA Foundation online library contains numerous resources regarding al-Yazid:

- Dossier: Shaykh Mustafa Abu al-Yazid (June 2008)

- Shaykh Mustafa Abu al-Yazid: "Light and Fire: An Announcement to the Ummah" (February 2008)
- Letter from Mustafa Abu al-Yazid confirming the death of Al-Qaida lieutenant Abu Sulaiman al-Otaibi (May 2008)
- Communiqué issued by senior Al-Qaida commander Mustafa Abu al-Yazid claiming responsibility for the June 2, 2008 suicide bombing attack on the Danish embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan
- Transcript of Geo TV (Pakistan) Interview of Shaykh Mustafa Abu al-Yazid (June 2008)
- Statement from Al-Qaida leader Mustafa Abu al-Yazid acknowledging the “martyrdom” of most wanted Egyptian Al-Qaida commander “Abu Khabab al-Masri” (July 2008)
- Shaykh Mustafa Abu al-Yazid: "A Message to the People of Pakistan" (April 2009)
- Transcript of audio message from Shaykh Mustafa Abu al-Yazid pleading for financial support on behalf of Al-Qaida (June 2009)
- Shaykh Mustafa Abu al-Yazid's Al-Jazeera Interview, in which he threatens to use "nuclear weapons" against the United States (June 2009).

Chaplain Emil Kapaun has received many military honors since he died a POW 58 years ago. But Korean War veterans who told stories of a calm and courageous foot soldier thought he was due one more accolade: the Medal of Honor. After years of campaigning, they might just get their wish.

North Korea warned South Korea on Thursday that a rash of "reckless" incursions at their disputed maritime border could spark a naval clash.

Iraq asked Turkey on Thursday to respect its sovereignty and stop cross-border military operations against Kurdish rebels, a government spokesman said.

The secretary of the Navy outlined five energy goals for the Navy and Marines in the next decade. Four involve reducing the consumption of fossil fuels, increasing use of alternative energies and factoring energy costs into the price tag of every new ship, engine or building.

A recent U.S. intelligence assessment has raised the estimated number of full-time Taliban-led insurgents fighting in Afghanistan to at least 25,000, underscoring how the crisis has worsened even as the U.S. and its allies have beefed up their military forces.

The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new communiqué from Al-Qaida's network in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) announcing the foundation of a specialized media wing known as the "Andalus Foundation." According to the statement, "due to our belief that the battle of pen is no less important than the battle of the sword, and in continuation of our development of jihadi media, despite the many tribulations and hardships of imposed by war, we bring the good news to our beloved Muslim nation, and we announce to the public the establishment of a new media foundation, which we have named, 'The Andalus Foundation for Media Production.' And, this establishment will become, with the help of Allah, the only official party to publish all the media productions that are created by your brothers in the media committee of Al-Qaida's network in the Islamic Maghreb."

A translation of the AQIM declaration can be accessed via the NEFA Foundation website.

The NEFA Foundation has obtained a transcript of a communiqué from Shaykh Mustafa Abu al-Yazid (a.k.a. “Shaykh Saeed”) mourning the death of Pakistani Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud in a U.S. air strike. In the statement, al-Yazid said, “Emir Baitullah Mehsud was a model of boldness and unyielding as a leader, who not only prepared the fighters of his caravan against the enemies of the Deen in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and made arrangements to train them, but also possessed the desire and determination to attack the kuffar inside their own houses and territories. I myself witnessed him saying, ‘My desire is to advance at America's heart and strike it, and to destroy Americans' pride and self conceit.’” According to As-Sahab, al-Yazid “took part in founding al-Qaida in 1989, and is a member of the Shura council of Qaida al-Jihad.” Open source media reports indicate alleged NYC bomb plotter Najibullah Zazi was in contact with al-Yazid via an intermediary prior to Zazi’s arrest.

A transcript of Mustafa Abu al-Yazid's remarks concerning Baitullah Mehsud can be downloaded from the NEFA Foundation website.

See also: NEFA Foundation Dossier on Shaykh Mustafa Abu al-Yazid (a.k.a. "Shaykh Saeed")

The NEFA Foundation has obtained a communication from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban) titled “On the Occasion of the Eighth Anniversary of the American Attack on Afghanistan”, in which the Taliban noted, “they were promising they would withdraw within three months, in their words, after eliminating the so-called terrorism. Contrarily, today eight years from that time have passed, but they have built up hundreds of military bases in Afghanistan and Iraq. They say that they will raise the level of their troops to almost 110,000 troops. It is clear from this, that they have occupied Afghanistan for the execution of their expansionist plans in the Middle East, Central Asia and the Southeast Asia.” In their anniversary message, the Taliban likewise insisted, "We did not have any agenda to harm other countries including Europe, nor do we have such agenda today."

The statement continued, “We believed from day one, that this is not a war between democracy and the so-called terrorism but rather a war between the western colonialism and the freedom-loving nationalist and Islamist forces.” The Taliban warned, “if you want to turn the country of the proud and pious Afghans into a colony, then know that we have an unwavering determination and have braced for a prolonged war. Have a glance at the history, the Afghans are the people characterized by historical distinction of always sacrificing in the way of their religion and country. Today, we will not fall short of this.”

A copy of the Taliban anniversary message can be downloaded from the NEFA Foundation website.