Islamists Post Internet Video Urging Obama to Abandon War on Terror Friday, November 07, 2008
BAGHDAD — Two Iraqi insurgent groups called on President-elect Barack Obama to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan and abandon the war on terror, an Internet monitoring service reported Friday.
Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, self-styled head of the Al Qaeda front group the Islamic State of Iraq, said in a speech posted on an extremist Web site that it would be better "for you and us" to "withdraw your forces" and "return to your homes," according to the SITE Intelligence Group that monitors militant Web sites.
Al-Baghdadi blamed the global financial crisis on the wars "launched in Muslim countries" and said he was issuing the call on behalf of "my brothers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Chechnya," SITE said.
The U.S. military says al-Baghdadi is an actor who provides a voice for Al Qaeda in Iraq propaganda.
In a separate statement, the Mujahedeen Army, a Sunni insurgent group, urged Obama to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq or face "days that will be more difficult than the nightmare experienced by his predecessor."
According to SITE, the statement said both Democrats and Republicans share attitudes hostile to Muslims and both support Israel, which means there will be little change in U.S. policy in the Middle East.
"The one who won the presidential election won the approval of the Jewish lobby, which controls, to a large extent, the administration of American foreign policy," the Mujahedeen Army statement said.
The Islamic State of Iraq purports to be an umbrella organization of religious extremist groups including Al Qaeda in Iraq.
The Mujahedeen Army emerged in late 2004 and has distanced itself from al-Qaida because of opposition to the terror movement's attacks on Shiite civilians.
It looks like the radical factions of the Muslims are going to see if Obama has the testicular fortitude to keep Iraq democratic or give it back to al-Qaida and Afghanistan back to the Taliban.
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