Is the Battle Field Moving to Europe?

On 29 Nov 07 Bin Laden released his lastest audio tape.

Walid Phares makes the observation that Al Qaeda is "preparing the psychological terrain for an escalation on European soil". The Washington Times carried his OpEd article titled Osama Targets Europe on the 6th of Dec 07. Its worth a read because it makes the case for a shift in Al Qaeda's efforts from Iraq to mainland Europe.

Click here to read the full translation of Bin Laden's message courtesy of the http://www.nefafoundation.org/.

Here are some highlights from the Phares article:

"In this tape, he is asking the Europeans to leave the battlefield of Afghanistan now, as events are expanding further on their continent. The hidden message in his speech is by far greater than the words aired on al Jazeera."

"The message says the Soviet occupation has failed, and so will Americans and Europeans in Afghanistan. He "reminded them" of the tremendous mistake they made by assisting U.S. troops in dislodging the Taliban in 2001. "I am responsible for the attacks of 9/11," said bin Laden, thus "he" was the man behind the massacre of Manhattan, not the Taliban. He added — the classic refrain — that "it was in response to aggression in Palestine and Lebanon." U.S. spokesmen rushed to "explain" that the Afghans are "happier now because they are better administered."

"The regime was removed because it was responsible for the massacres of al Qaeda in New York and Washington. The Taliban had the opportunity to dismantle the group but didn't. The Greater Middle East must hear solid counterarguments coming out of America and the free world, not "explanations" about the coalition's governance in Afghanistan."

"A strong response to these false arguments, delivered in Arabic via satellite channels, should have been the appropriate response. What is important is not how we satisfy our perception of good image, but how we affect the perception of those who are about to be recruited on the other side. "

"The forthcoming attacks are being prepared now with al Qaeda propaganda mentioning former and current British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. What links all these leaders in the mind of bin Laden? It is not only the past; rather it is the future. The supreme commander knows global jihad has begun in that continent. Salafists have already waged violence in Europe and the so-called youth gangs in France's suburbs — manipulated by the radical clerics — are at war with the French state. Al Qaeda wants to claim it, own it and boast about it. That's what is on bin Laden's mind."

Snop's Commentary:

From a Cognetic point of view, Bin Laden is setting the stage to pit the strength of media amplified violence against a weakening Europe. A Europe that lacks a central unifying principle or ideology needed to counteract the determined Salafist's and their bloody interpretation of Islam. Osama wants to peal back the onion and pit Europe against America, European nations against one another and the islands of Muslim angst against a sea of secular indifference throughout the continent. See Dawn of the Cognetic Age: Looking through the lens page 104 for a better explanation and Bin Laden Attempting to Strip US Allies from the Anti-Terrorism Coalition.