Counterterrorism Blog

The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a statement dated June 4 from Shaykh Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud, the top commander of Al-Qaida’s Committee in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), titled, “Here We Come, O’ Sister!” In his statement, Wadoud swore revenge on the governments of North Africa for a violent confrontation between local security forces and a Muslim woman in Morocco. According to Wadoud, “We have witnessed images published on several jihadi Internet websites which appear to show a deviant apostate trampling over a pure sister, along with her child, with his shoes… O’ Muslim youth of the Islamic Maghreb: we call upon you to take up arms, to prepare steeds of war, and to join hands with the mujahideen in order to cleanse the Islamic Maghreb from the stooges of the Jews and Christians who are stealing our wealth and spilling our blood. And as for those of you who are unable to reach the fronts of jihad and make preparations [for battle], you should not wait for anyone’s permission to target the Jews, the Christians, and the apostates in your own regions—for they are the cause of our pain and disasters.”

A translated copy of Wadoud's message can be downloaded from the NEFA Foundation website.