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August 1, 2007
Al-Qaeda Leader In Afghanistan Demands Pakistani Muslims Overthrow Musharraf
Topics: War on TerrorThe effort to open a Pakistan front in al-Qaeda's global jihad following the al-Qaeda backed Red Mosque bloodbath continues uanabated, with an al-Qaeda leader in Afghanistan now calling on Pakistani Muslims to overthrow President Pervez Musharraf, condemning his support for the U.S.-led war on terrorism:
``Go to battle together in order to remove this infidel,'' Abu Yahya al-Libi said in a video message posted on the Internet, according to SITE, a Washington-based group which monitors Islamic extremist Web sites. ``Remove his heretic secular rule.''The 21-minute video issued yesterday is al-Qaeda's second call in less than a month for Muslims to wage holy war, or jihad, in Pakistan, after security forces stormed Islamabad's Red Mosque. Al-Qaeda No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, called the July 10-11 raid, which killed at least 75 pro-Taliban militants, a ``dirty, despicable crime.''
Musharraf has survived at least four assassination attempts by Islamic extremists since 2001, when he ended support for the Taliban regime in neighboring Afghanistan. Islamic parties in Pakistan, the world's second-largest Muslim country, oppose his alliance with the Bush administration, which is pressing him to confront al-Qaeda gunmen sheltering in western tribal areas.
Libi said the militants killed at the Red Mosque were ``martyrs,'' according to SITE, which stands for Search for International Terrorist Entities.
As is pointed out in the article, the U.S. should understand its interests are best served by a democratically governed Pakistan and not by military rule that excludes moderate parties and fans extremism. Musharraf's statement on Tuesday that he had personal relations with Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, which he wanted to sustain, and that he had accepted the Supreme Court's verdict to restore the CJP, is a step in the right direction. Even more promising is the recent agreement between Musharraf and former premier Benazir Bhutto to establish a civilian president with the power to handle national security and foreign affairs and a prime minister as chief executive. Bringing moderate Muslims into a sharing of power is likely the only way that Musharraf can survive politically.
Posted by Abdul at August 1, 2007 6:58 PM
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