NEFA Foundation: Al-Qaida Faction in Gaza Claims Rocket Attacks on Israeli Targets (VIDEO)
By Evan Kohlmann
The NEFA Foundation has obtained a video recording from an emerging Palestinian Al-Qaida faction based in the Gaza Strip, Jaish al-Ummah ("The Army of the Islamic Nation"), claiming responsibility for rocket attacks on the town of Ashkelon and other Israeli targets on November 14, 2008. The video includes footage of the purported launch of the rockets, and a statement read by two masked militants in front of the official banner used by Al-Qaida's "Islamic State of Iraq" (ISI). The spokesmen indicated that the rocket bombardment, labeled "The Battle of Abdul Rashid Ghazi", had been carried out in honor of the late head cleric at Lal Masjid (a.k.a. "The Red Mosque") in Islamabad, Pakistan. Ghazi was killed on July 10, 2007 during a raid on the besieged Islamabad mosque by Pakistani military forces. During their recorded communiqué, the two Jaish al-Ummah militants also hailed the victories of their fellow "brethren" in various other locales, including Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
The video can be viewed on the NEFA Foundation website.
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