Financial Crisis: Al-Quaida Too Broke To Continue Jihad?

Boy, the recession really does hit everyone, doesn’t it?

Counter Terrorism Blog:

The NEFA Foundation has obtained a new audio message from Shaykh Mustafa Abu al-Yazid (a.k.a. “Shaykh Saeed”), during which Al-Qaida’s No. 3 in charge desperately begs for cash donations in order to fund continuing jihadi operations in Afghanistan. In May 2007, Al-Qaida’s official As-Sahab Media Wing identified al-Yazid as “the overall head of al-Qaida Organization in Afghanistan.” According to As-Sahab, al-Yazid “took part in founding al-Qaida in 1989, and is a member of the Shura council of Qaida al-Jihad.” In this message, Abu al-Yazid stated, “Jihad needs a lot of money, and the Jihad battlefields need much money.” He continued, “Jihad with money is also an obligation. And here we, in the battlefield in Afghanistan, are lacking a lot of money and a weakness in operations because of lack of money, and many mujahideen are absent from Jihad because of lack or absence of money with which they can carry out Jihad. Even many brothers…who want to sacrifice themselves for the cause of Allah, we cannot prepare them because of lack of money.”

During the recording, Abu al-Yazid also spoke highly of “our Turkish brothers” and their growing role in the mujahideen in Afghanistan — noting that several Turkish nationals have recently been “martyred” during jihadi operations along the Afghan-Pakistani frontier.

An English transcript of Abu al-Yazid’s remarks can be downloaded from the NEFA Foundation website.