 
Shahi Kot battleInterview with Al-Qaeda's field commander Abu Laith Al-Libi ("the Libyan") |   |
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Who is Abu Laith Al-Libi According to http://www.itechnology.co.za web page ( 'Bin Laden alive, well and ready to strike') published July 10 2002 at 06:34AM "A man claiming to be a spokesperson for the al-Qaeda network and identified by the alias Abu Laith Al-Libi, told the Middle East Broadcasting Centre by telephone that Bin Laden, Washington's main suspect in the September 11 attacks on the United States, and his top lieutenants were in good health." At first, knowing that al-Qaeda spokesman was Sheik Suleiman Abu Gaith, I was wondering whether there was a certain mismatch in names. I thought al-Qaida would not have two "spokesmen", particularly because "Abu Ghaith" and "Abu Laith" sounded so similar to each and as it was a transcript from an audio recorded message one could be mistaken. So I asked our interpreter Raad Bilbeisi to listen carefully and translate correctly (as he always does :) the interview with "Abu Laith al-Libi" published at the website www.jehad.net, assuming that it was the same "statement" reproduced later to the Middle East Broadcasting Centre by phone. Excerpts from the interview were also published by Algeria's Arabic daily El-Youm. It turned out that Abu Laith Al Libi is actually a field commander (rank unknown) who witnessed battles, and "Al-Libi", the other part of his name, was his nickname meaning "the Libyan", obviously referring to his nationality or the country of origin. In the interview he talks about the Shahi Kot battle (aka Operation Anaconda), and some specifics like the story that the Taliban were betrayed by the ISI, the Pakistani Intelligence. Here you have that interview translated from Arabic to English by our Spy News OSINT Newsletter excellent interpreter Raad Bilbeisi, who carefuly translated the interview in all details. Some parts of the interview may not make sense but this is exactly the same in Arabic original. Mario Profaca  Shahi Khot: Operation Anaconda Islamist forums with links to Al Qaeda  Ekhlaas ForumAl-Ikhlass ForumAl-Hesbah ForumAl-Boraq ForumAl-Firdaws Forum |
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About this interview
The following is an interview conducted by the website www.jehad.net .
The interview is with one of Al-Qaeda's field commanders Abu Laith AL-Libi.You will notice that the interview has a lot of 'sound-cuts', that is due to the multiple phone calls that were made to conduct this interview, and that is obviously because of security reasons. You will also notice that the interview doesn't have questions, and that's because this is the way the website www.jehad.net published it. It was in the form of a 'winamp' 30-minute sound file. The core of this interview is the story about the Shahi Kot battle, with some incredible stories regarding that incident. Other interesting parts of the interview are those about the situation inside Afghanistan, and about the current Taliban situation and their new strategies. One might ask himself: "Why should I believe what is being said in the interview?" To that question I must say that www.jehad.net is a very popular website especially for Muslims. If you are able to watch Al-Jazeera and some other Arab satellite stations you will notice that it has been mentioned on a lot of popular shows that the Saudi public in particular are being described as "The Adorers of Usama Bin Laden". The Saudi public loves Usama Bin Laden and look at him and at the Mujahideen as their saviors. The Saudis are always following the Mujahideen's latest news, they even declared a sad day when the Russians killed a famous Mujahid in Chechnya, Khattab. So if such interviews on www.jehad.net by Abu Gaith or Al-Libi or by any of the Mujahideen, turned out to be nothing but lies, then that would mean great disappointment for all the Muslims and not just for the Saudi people. Then Al-Qaeda would lose its supporters in the Islamic world. Raad Bilbeisi Friday, July 19, 2002 |
 Interview with Al-Qaeda's field commanderAbu Laith Al-Libi ("the Libyan") |
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The interviewer from the website: (www.jehad.net) In the name of ALLAH, the merciful, The prayers on Muhammed, the Imam of all the Mujahideen. After a long disconnection with the brothers, the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. A lot of questions were raised about the fate of the Mujahideen. But, thanks to ALLAH, the Mujahideen are back in the midst of the misleading western propaganda. This is an interview with one of the field commanders in the war against the infidels to answer a lot of questions, and tell us about the events of the Shahi Kot battle. All of the American media managed to mislead the whole world about the events of that battle. The battle at Shahi Kot is the biggest battle fought on the land of Afghanistan by the infidel forces. This battle showed the infidel forces how ferocious the Mujahideen were, this ferocity made the infidel forces recalculate their calculations, and the American statements to the press kept on getting more contradictory. 
ALLAH said in the Koran that he is the one who ousted the non-believers of the Jews and Christians from
their homes to the beginning of the judgement day. He said that you have never assumed that they will go
out, and the infidels assumed that their fortresses will protect them from ALLAH, so ALLAH came to
them from where they have never expected, and he threw horror into their hearts. And then he said that
the infidels are destroying their own houses with their own hands and with the hands of the believers, so
take a lesson from this. ALLAH is the biggest.
(On the phone) 
Abu Laith Al Libi, (Abu Laith the Libyan): Al Salaam Aleikum, In the name of ALLAH, And the prayers on the prophet Muhammed, There is nothing easy except what ALLAH makes easy, we ask ALLAH to make things easy for us, and we ask ALLAH to accept our deeds. May we meet ALLAH with good deeds. Amen, Amen, Amen. My brothers, the people of goodness, the people of generosity and justice, the people of the good homes that reared the Mujahideen. As for the details of what we are currently experiencing of ALLAH's gifts to us in the beloved land of Jihad, Afghanistan. And the victories that the Mujahideen are having which amazed the world. We ask ALLAH to increase and praise the Mujahideen everywhere. The Mujahideen showed the whole world that the American forces, the so-called the largest and strongest force on earth, the Mujahideen have showed them humiliation and insults. First, I would like to point out to some points that I think are essential to all the Mujahideen outside of Afghanistan; 1- I would like to comfort the lovers of Jihad and the Mujahideen everywhere, that the symbols of Jihad are all fine and at the best possible condition. They are all preparing and planning, we ask ALLAH to help them and may we all be under their command. I would also like to say that Mullah Omar is fine and he has regained control of all the factions that used to be quarrelling with each other, and the Mullah is reorganizing his troops. We ask ALLAH to bless the Mullah' s time and work. As for the other symbols of Jihad, the likes of the brother Sheik Usama Bin Laden, and Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri, and Sheik Suleiman Abu Gaith, they are all in the best condition, thanks to ALLAH. And the rest of the symbols of Jihad of the trainers and those who have great historical record in Jihad they are all fine and the best condition. 2- The next point is about the change that we see in the people of Afghanistan. Many of the Afghans who witnessed the fall of the "Imara", the Taliban regime, have changed a great deal. We noticed that the people were very afraid and very worried when the Northern Alliance troops came ferociously into their cities, then a lot of people thought the situation will never be back to normal again. But, thanks to ALLAH, with the efforts and the blood paid by our brothers in the name of ALLAH, and especially the stubbornness, the patience and the strong will of the Mujahideen, all of those elements, thanks to ALLAH, have changed the spirits and the behavior of the Afghan people. And those elements have made the people believe that the Mujahideen are capable of regaining control again. I would like to mention a certain event that led to a significant change in the way that the people in Afghanistan think. The event is the battle at Shahi Kot. As we have received from our brothers the Taliban that this battle has turned things upside-down, and it
encouraged the Mujahideen who were afraid, and it secured the people who were terrified of the
Americans. Thanks to ALLAH.We are now, seeking to master the following stage of this war. The stage that is called in the science of war: Guerilla warfare. We are trying to improve the war from war at fronts and at lines into scattered-front wars. Wars of ambushes, of assassinations, a war that reaches the enemy from where the enemy does not expect. Thanks to ALLAH, and to the strong relationship between the Mujahideen, whether the Arabs or the Afghans, we managed to carryout such kind of war, and to find bases behind the enemy and inside the enemy's fragile fortifications. We also, thanks to ALLAH, have managed to reach the stage of destroying enemy bases and ammunitions. We have also reached stages of carrying out assassinations. I ask all of our Muslim brothers to support us by one of the most effective weapons that they possess; that is the weapon of praying and invocation. A lot of things got better for us, thanks to the Muslims invocations to ALLAH. And I want to tell our brothers that only a few minutes before you phoned me, the brothers from the inside called me to tell me about many operations that took place today, not yesterday or before yesterday, but today. In this operation the Mujahideen shot down an enemy helicopter, and they surprised some American soldiers and fought with them. Until now we don't know the results of that fight. You will also, ALLAH willing, hear of a new battle that will take place in the next day or two. I tell the brothers that we would have never succeeded in those operations and battles without the support of Muslims everywhere. Today's Jihad is an international Jihad, and a Jihad of nations. The enemy, with all of their power and wealth, says that this war is a crusade. We, with all of our weakness and poverty, say that this war is Islamic on all of the fronts, and without any exception. We ask ALLAH to help us succeed in all what we do. I will wait for your next phone call. Al Salaam Aleikum. (SOUND CUT)
(NEXT PHONE CALL)Abu Laith Al-Libi: Mullah Omar managed to regroup the Taliban after they had split, and after they have suffered a severe blow from the Pakistani government and from the promises from the ISI (PAKISTANI INTELLIGENCE). So the Mullah have placed many trust worthy brothers to regroup and reorganize the students (The Taliban). One of the most important things done by the Taliban, is that they managed to bring a lot of men who have Jihadi traits, those men were neglected during the days of the Taliban government, and that neglecting was a cruel lesson for the Taliban. Especially when the Taliban neglected important Jihad figures such as Sheik Jalaledin Haqqani and others. Now, thanks to ALLAH, we see new improvements in that matter. The Taliban carried out the last operations in Kandahar and in other places. We ask ALLAH to bless them. Mullah Omar has threatened some people. One of those people is Ghul Agha. The Mullah threatened him and told him that if he won't stop abusing the families of the Mujahideen then he will be killed. After that threat, Ghul Agha fled to a place outside of Afghanistan, some say he went to Saudi Arabia, and some say he went to the Emirates, but we are not sure. As for the situation inside Afghanistan, all of the Afghans are regretting the fact that they have lost the days that they were under the rule of the Taliban. Why? Because of the crimes that are being committed currently in the north. Crimes not against materialistic possessions of the people, but crimes against the people's honors. A special envoy was sent to Karazi to tell him about the atrocities that are taking place in the north. But the Kabul government did nothing regarding that matter, for that the government was faced with an assassination attempt on Fahim in Jalalabad, I'm sure that you have heard of it. So the situation, in general, is improving, but only for the Taliban. And all of the analysts, except the analysts at CNN and at other distorting stations, are reporting that the situation in Afghanistan is getting worse. So, thanks to ALLAH, the Taliban are well prepared, and we have direct communications with Mullah Omar. We ask him to do things for us, and he does the same thing with us. (SOUND CUT)
Abu Laith Al-Libi: First I would like to point out that we have talked to the Taliban about some symbols of Jihad like Gulbudin Hekmatyar. We told the Taliban that Hekmatyar showed good intentions and a good position in the last days of the Taliban. So the Taliban told us that they have learned from the previous times and their previous policies that they must reach agreements with the others as long as it does not oppose the Sharia` (The Islamic Rules). So, right now, there are meetings taking place between the Taliban and Hekmatyar. To be fair and honest, Hekmatyar is not a simple man, and that is because of his past. A lot of people follow Hekmatyar, as his party used to be NO. 1 in Afghanistan. He is a very important man for the Taliban to coordinate with him, that is unless he opposes the rule of Islam which the Taliban want. We pray to ALLAH and wish that the Taliban and Hekmatyar have learned from their past mistakes. And Hekmatyar must know that he will not accomplish anything without Islam, and also the Taliban must also know that they won't succeed unless they unite with the different factions in Afghanistan. Hekmatyar has got a lot of specialists, whom the Afghan issue needs, and the Taliban has a lot of expertise in the military field, but their expertise is of a lower standard compared to the expert specialists that Hekmatyar has. We have reported all the detailed facts about the Shai Kot battle to the Taliban, and the editor of the website (jehad.net) promised to publish the details in the next few days. I have sat down with Saif Al Rahman Mansoor, who was in the rear parts of the battleground, and he has communications with all of the centers. So I asked him while he was coming to contact some media outlets, I asked him that how many American soldiers were killed? He told me there was about "400 to 600" American soldiers who were killed in the battle. We fought only Americans down there; they didn't have anyone else with them. That is because we caught more than nine huge transport trucks that carried northern alliance troops before the Americans arrived. We caught the troops and then Saif Al Rahman forgave them and let them go, and that is due to a religious rule that he researched and thought it applied in that situation, we ask ALLAH to accept his ruling. And from that day we haven't seen any of those northern Afghan abjurers. As for what I saw with my own eyes, and for whom we carried out the rule of ALLAH with, are the American dead soldiers that reached "150 to 200" soldiers. We had other news from trusted sources, that General Fahim says in his private meetings that the total number of dead Americans reached "800". ALLAH knows the truth. (SOUND CUT)
Abu Laith Al-Libi: The Taliban say that Saif Al-Rahman is still alive. Saif Al-Rahman is not required by Islam to go and fight. Saif has a handicap, he is not able to use his hands properly. Even with his handicap, he has done a lot of great things on the battleground. One of his greatest deeds is that during the battle he was told to go down to Gardez valley alone and that he will be safe that way. But he refused and said that he will go only with the Mujahideen, especially the Uzbeks, because the Arabs know how to take care of themselves. So they told him that the Uzbeks were about 120 brothers, and that he would be better off alone and it will be safer for him, but he insisted on going with all of the Mujahideen despite of the danger. The last time I saw Saif Al-Rahman, he was with a group of good people who had tried to convince Saif to stop going to the war zone because he couldn't even eat properly with his handicapped hands. They even told him that he was crazy, he answered them by saying: "Yes I am crazy. But crazy for fighting in the name of ALLAH". Then I told him not to go with us to one of the war zones, but he refused and said that at least "I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE MUJAHIDEEN ARE IN GOOD CONDITION". Then the last thing I told Saif is that if it were up to me I would have put you in the back lines so as to be in a safer situation. He smiled at me saying: "We will meet in heaven, ALLAH willing". Personally I pray to ALLAH and wish that he were still alive, because Saif was such a role model for all the people, and a symbol of Jihad who had dug his own grave with his own hands. (SOUND CUT)
Abu Laith Al-Libi: Mullah Omar ordered us to deal directly with the website of the Imara, the website of the Taliban government, because the Mullah directly administers this site. There is also another website that is run by trusted brothers, we ask ALLAH to bless them, and the website is (alneda.com). But we deal mainly with the website of the Imara. (SOUND CUT)
Abu Laith Al-Libi: The countries that were looking forward and helping to oust and bury the Taliban, counties like the wicked Iran and the hypocrite Pakistan and others like Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, etc. All those countries have different reasons and interests regarding that matter. Then came the Americans, and then the Russians and the Europeans. No two countries of those have common interests, not even the Americans and the British; they don't have one common objective, they all have their differences. Such states are trying to bribe certain commanders to work for their own interests, but those states don't know that the commanders themselves have their own conflicts between them, especially between General Fahim and the Pashtun commanders. We have all heard about the hundreds of dead people who were killed because of those conflicts between the commanders, and we also heard of the wickedness of those commanders' troops who have committed ugly crimes against the people, and especially against women. You must know that Kabul became full of prostitution houses and places of corruption. Pornography video stores are more than bakeries. This is the evil that is being spread by the infidels. But such things as crimes, pornography, etc. are all falling in favor of the Taliban. Now the Afghans know that the rule of the Taliban is the fairest government they have ever had. During the Taliban rule there was security, justice, and fairness. The situation in Afghanistan is very bad. If it wasn't for the need for secrecy then I would have told you much more news about that issue. ALLAH willing, you will hear in the near future great news. News that the Afghan abjurers of the northern alliance are cracking and falling because of their fragility. May ALLAH bless you all. ---------------------------------------------- Translated by Raad Bilbeisi for Mario's Spy News OSINT Newsletter |