Interview of Shaykh Mustafa Abu al-Yazid by Geo TV

Al-Qaedah Commander of Khurasan and Afghanistan with a Pakistani News channel

15-11-08

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I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast, in the Name of Allah the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

Today for Geo, the Central Commander of Al-Qaeda is giving us an exclusive interview at an unknown location. First I would like to give a brief background about Sheikh Saeed. His full name is Mustafa Abul-Yazeed, more commonly known as Sheikh Saeed. He is from the eastern provinces of Egypt, and he was born in 1955. He has 2 wives and 14 children. Previously he had been a member of Jamat al-Jihad in Egypt, and in 1981, he was accused in the assassination of Anwar Al-Sadat and was arrested. He was released in 1982, and in 1988 he participated in the Afghan Jihad, and since 1988 he has been a member of Al-Qaedah. He was responsible for finances, general administration, and general relations, and also a member of the Shura Council. Today under Mulla Umar, he is the Amir of Al-Qaedah in Khurasan and Afghanistan.

Q. Some people amongst the masses in Pakistan think that Al-Qaeda was formed by the US to expel the Russians from Afghanistan. So they sent Usama bin Ladin to Afghanistan to use him against the Russians.

A. In the name of Allah. All praise is due to Allah, and may the peace and blessings of Allah be on His Messenger.

Concerning this question we say that it is a lie and false accusation. A long time has passed since the falsehood of this accusation has been exposed. This false accusation was totally discredited at the time when Sheikh Usama declared jihad against the United States, and after this a series of attacks was initiated against the US. The first of these attacks were the attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Then it continued with attacks on American targets in Yemen and Somalia. And finally it reached its climax with the blessed attacks on September 11th. This whole series of attacks against the US is clear evidence that the accusation against Al-Qaeda of working for US interest is just a total lie and slander. The famous names who were associated with establishing Al-Qaeda included Shaikh Usama bin Ladin (may Allah protect him), Shaikh Abu Ubaidah Panjshiri (May Allah have mercy on him), and the field commander Abu Hafs Misri (May Allah have mercy on him). These people founded this organization so that it would be a base for the mujahideen who came from all over the world to Afghanistan. Consequently, Shaikh Usama and his companions founded "Qaidah al Jihad" to gather these emigrant mujahideen.

A. The reason Al-Qaeda is fighting Jihad against the US is because it is the leader of world Kufr (infidelity) in this age. It is the Pharoah of this age. It is the US that is bearing the cross, leading the crusades against the Muslim Ummah today. We are at war with the US because it is standing side by side with Israel, providing it with all sorts of assistance and military power, even though the US knows that Israel is unjustly occupying the lands of the Palestinian Muslims. It is not hidden from anyone that the US is the best friend of the Imam of Kufr, Israel.

We are fighting against the US because it has occupied Muslim lands, whether it be the land of Israel or Afghanistan, or the blessed land of Makkah and Madinah. Today, its military bases are not restricted to the land of the Two Holy Mosques, but rather they can be found all over the Muslim world. We are fighting against the US because it besieged the Iraqi Muslims and prevented food and medicine from reaching them, a result of which hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children were martyred.

Q. Is there any difference between the US government and its masses, or do you consider its masses as your enemy?

A. The current situation is such that we consider no difference between the masses in the US and the government. If we look at this from the point of view of Shariah, both the US government and the people are disbelievers and at war against Islam. Hence in the eyes of Islam, there is no difference between the government and the people. After all it is this population that elects its governments through its votes. And it is this population that elected Bush for a second term, even though his Anti-Islam agenda was known to all. After seeing so much injustice towards Muslims, the people of the US voted for Bush himself again. This same population strengthens the US government through its taxes enabling it to fight wars and shed Muslim blood. Yes, it is possible that there are some sensible people among the US population ,who are not happy with the actions of their government. We say to these sensible people that it is obligatory on you to stop the wrongdoings of your government and to prevent the election of such unjust rulers.

Q. The US claims that it has successfully occupied Afghanistan and brought the resistance under control.

A. This statement is a link of the chain of lies that they themselves continuously refute. Their liar president claimed a few years ago that the war in Iraq had ended. But after this announcement, the attacks of the mujahideen continued, rather they kept increased. And now after more than 4 years, the shedding of US blood has still not ended by the grace of Allah. It is indeed strange how they play with the minds of ordinary Americans and make fools of them. The specific claim that you are asking about is also a total lie. Just last month they acknowledged that 47 US soldiers were killed in Afghanistan. By the Grace of Allah the killing of US soldiers is continuing, and the mujahideen are fighting against the Americans and their slaves with steadfastness.

They have tried to assemble some tribal militias and use them against the mujahideen. And their failure in Afghanistan is even more evident. The proof of this is that after every few days they hold an emergency meeting of NATO and request each other with great pleading to increase their forces in Afghanistan. But very few are ready for this great sacrifice. Similarly, the Canadian Army has suffered in Kandahar and other southern provinces and is now screaming that if more NATO forces do not come to its aid by the end of this year, it will withdraw its contingent. By the grace of Allah, as soon as the summer months began, the attacks of the mujahideen increased, and the Americans themselves claimed that the attacks in the last two months were 50 percent greater than the previous year. Definitely you must have heard of the devastating Martyrdom operations in Khost, Jalalabad, Kabul, and Helmand in the last few days. Similarly you must have heard of the helicopters which were shot down in Khost and Helmand. By the grace of Allah, in Afghanistan the attacks of the Mujahideen are increasing, their spirits are high, and they have the support of the masses. The attacks of the mujahideen have spread to the northern provinces, and Allah willing, the time is not far when the whole of Afghanistan will be in the control of the mujahideen.

Q. America says that the main planner of 9/11 was Khalid Sheikh. What do you say about this?

A. Khalid Sheikh is a fearless knight of this Ummah. He is a Mujahid and among those young men with a very bright mind. This Ummah has every right to be proud of this hero. He is a very brave and expert military commander. I pray to Allah that he obtains freedom soon and that those who arrested him and turned him over to the Americans are punished, disgraced and dishonored. Regarding your specific question, Khalid Sheikh will give the answers himself during this unjust case that is currently being conducted against him.

A. The future of the Karzai Government will be the same as every traitor and proxy government has always been. The name of Karzai has now become a metaphor for traitors and betrayers of trust. When someone's treachery is being described, it is said that so and so is the Karzai of Iraq and so and so is the Karzai of Somalia. Just a few days ago a blessed operation in Kabul took place when the mujahideen targeted Karzai and his assistants on the day when they were showing all their power and strength.

Q. Does Al-Qaeda have the support of any government in the Muslim world? If not, then why not?

A. There is no so called "Islamic" government that supports Al-Qaeda. The reason for this is very clear and simple: All of these governments are tools in the hands of the West and traitors of the Ummah and they have sold their religion Islam so that they can get worldly benefits and wealth. As a result of this sale, they have left the fold of Islam and become disbelievers. After this, how is it possible that any of them will be standing shoulder to shoulder with the mujahideen. None of these self claiming "Islamic" governments is supporting Al-Qaeda.

Q. Is there any government in the Muslim world that has greatly damaged jihad and the mujahideen?

A. We have to say with regret that the government that has damaged the mujahideen the most is the Pakistani government. The government of Pervaiz was the first to betray the neighboring Afghan mujahideen, the same mujahideen who fought to defend the whole Muslim Ummah, especially the Muslims living in Pakistan, and sacrificed everything. They were a solid wall in the face of the Russian army, and as a result of their sacrifices the Russians could not enter Pakistan and had to retreat from Afghanistan also. But Pervaiz and his fellow commanders took filthy steps against the Afghan Mujahideen, the Taliban, arresting them, torturing them in secret jails and then delivering them to the Americans. Pervaiz and his government have committed such crimes that have no other equal in the whole world. My indication is to that crime that the Pakistan government committed against the ambassador of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Mullah Abdus-Salam Zaeef, by delivering him to the Americans. Even if we were to disregard Islamic law for a moment, it is still a matter of diplomatic etiquette to protect an ambassador and ensure his safety under all conditions. Could there be any greater service to Kufr? Then this government started arresting those mujahideen who had come from Arab and Non Arab lands after their migration, those who came to answer the call of jihad in Afghanistan, leaving their homes entering the battlefield against the American crusaders, as well as those who came to Pakistan after the fall of the Islamic Emirate because they were given help and refuge by the people of the land of the faithful. But when they arrived, the secret agencies arrested them and delivered them to the infidel Americans. This is a disgrace in the history of Pakistan that will never be forgotten until the Day of Judgment. Then these enemies of Islam took another step and started arresting the people of Pakistan, filling their jails, torturing them and then delivering many of them to the Americans. Then this same Pakistani government, with whose assistance the Americans were able to overthrow the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, opened their land and air military bases to the Americans, and even today convoys of huge containers come from Karachi to supply the Americans in Afghanistan so they have no difficulty fighting, and this movement of supplies is conducted under the supervision of the security apparatus of the Pakistan government.

Q. How many mujahideen from Al-Qaeda took part in the 9/11 attacks and who was the mastermind?

A. By the Grace of Allah in the operation of 9/11, 19 of our companions took part. By the grace of Allah many of our companions were involved in the planning of the operation and in the preparation of the people who were to carry it out. Due to security reasons, I cannot mention their names.

Q. Are you receiving help from the Pakistani tribal areas in the jihad against America in Afghanistan?

A. Yes, by the grace of Allah, the Pakistan tribal areas where there is a share for Pakistan and the people of Pakistan, similarly it is not possible to separate them from Afghanistan and the people of Afghanistan. So by the grace of Allah the help from the tribal areas for their Muslim brothers in Afghanistan is continuing. And in fact this assistance is a duty on them and an obligation imposed by Islam and this is not only on the people of the tribal areas, but on all the people of Pakistan because they are the nearest to Afghanistan.

A. Yes, by the grace of Allah, it is a matter of honor and pleasure that the attack on Denmark in Islamabad was done by Al-Qaeda. We issued a statement in this regard that has reached the entire world through the internet and other sources. In this statement we have congratulated the Muslim Ummah on the successful implementation of this attack. This operation was done against an infidel nation whose enmity for Islam and Muslims is boundless. This nation disgraced the most revered personality for Muslims, that is the person of the Prophet peace be upon him. We have also said in this statement that the series of operations against the nations that defame Islam will continue until they stop their actions and ask for forgiveness from the Muslim Ummah with regard to their actions. Here I would like to mention that I have heard that the media has claimed that most of those killed in the attack on the Denmark embassy were innocent Muslims. This is a total lie and an attempt by the enemies of Islam to reduce the esteem of this operation. It is also common knowledge that most of the world media works on the orders of America and other crusader nations and publishes news that pleases them. Those companions who observed the Denmark embassy took a very detailed analysis of the target, and by the grace of Allah they selected the day when the embassy conducted its internal working and no common people were there to obtain visas. Hence the time of the operation was chosen so that no common Muslim was near the embassy. The location of the embassy was in a high security area where it was not possible for common people to enter. The street on which the embassy was situated had a police checkpoint on both sides and no one could enter. After all this how is it possible for a common Muslim to be killed in the operation? If, however, the media is referring to those people who call themselves Muslims and were working in the embassy or were standing to protect the embassy, then it is a disgrace to call them Muslims or Pakistanis. How is it possible for any person to call himself Muslim and keep serving a country and protecting the enemies of Islam belonging to this country that disgraced the Prophet (r).

After this nation has disgraced the Prophet (r), those who still keep serving them have not even an atom’s weight of belief left in their hearts. In fact they have washed their hands of any relationship to Islam. I would also like to tell you that the young soldier who conducted the operation against the Denmark embassy was a hero of Al-Qaeda, and he was from the land that was the most beloved and respected in the eyes of the Prophet (r). The land where the Prophet (r) received revelation from the heavens and where he was born - The land of Makkah. This young soldier left his home to fight in Afghanistan or Kashmir against the infidels, but when the infidels dishonored the Prophet (r), he preferred martyrdom over a life of dishonor. He said that martyrdom in the path of Allah is more beloved to him than to remain living while the Prophet (r) is insulted. Hence on this occasion, he insisted to be part of this operation, and Allah granted him success in this great deed. We pray to Allah that He accept his martyrdom and grants him a place in the heights of paradise.

Q. What is Al-Qaeda's stance regarding suicide operations. Are suicide operations allowed in Islam?

A: By the grace of Allah, many sincere and truthful scholars have given the ruling of the permissibility of martyrdom operations, and they are all agreed to their permissibility. Those who have made their permissibility suspect are only the weak or traitors. With respect to those scholars who, due to weakness, could not find enough courage to declare the truth openly then it was obligatory on them to stay silent. But how was it permissible for them to allow the traitor governments to use them for their interests and obtain rulings against the truth from them. Tomorrow when they stand in the court of Allah, they will have to answer about every person they misled. In regards to the government servant scholars, it is known that they are useless for the Ummah. They only give those rulings which are orated to them by the governments. Therefore I would like to stress that martyrdom operations are permissible by consensus, and we have taken up this tactic because the difference in material resources between us and the enemy is very great. We have no other means of causing such great harm and getting near to the enemy. In principal, we always try to fight using conventional methods, but in many places it is not possible to get near the enemy using conventional methods. Here I would also like to stress that in all such operations we choose targets that are far from common Muslims, and on many occasions we have cancelled operations due to the presence of common Muslims near the target. We are fighting for the defense of this Ummah. Killing the sons of this Ummah is not what we do. This is propaganda of our enemies. Therefore, after these precautions, martyrdom operations are permissible beyond doubt.

Q: There was an attack on the former Pakistani interior minister Sherpao in a mosque. Do you consider this attack correct?

A. By the grace of Allah we issued a statement immediately after this incident, and in it we strongly refuted the claim that we had carried out this attack, and that we were neither pleased with it, nor considered it correct. We also indicated to all our members that such operations are not allowed by the Shariah, and that it is obligatory on the mujahideen to avoid operations in areas where the common Muslims gather, especially mosques, because they are our respected and holy places. Therefore, operations in such locations must be totally avoided. We issued this statement and then sent it to Pakistani Newspapers for publishing, but the newspapers did not publish it properly and only published one or two sentences from the complete statement. I would also like to mention here that it is possible that such operations carried out in mosques and places where common Muslims gather together are carried out by the secret agencies to defame jihad. They want to give Muslims the message that the mujahideen are murderers of common Muslims. Hence we ask Muslims to cease believing in such false claims. The mujahideen who are fighting in the path of Allah are more deserving that Muslims should believe the news published directly by them, not the news given by Americans and their agent governments.