Background: Ahmad Al-Khalayla (Abu Musab Zarqawi )
(see also other recent articles about Abu Musab al-Zarkawi:
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Video released of American
Hostage (Nick Berg) beheading
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TWR18v18
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al
Qaeda's European 2004 Victory, and
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al
Qaeda Attack Imminent)
Born 30 October 1966 as a Palestinian Jordanian.
 First: Abu
Last: Mussab
Tribal Name: al-Zarkawi
Date of birth: 30 October 1966
Place of birth: Zarqa, Jordan
Hair: Dark
Eyes: Dark
Complexion: Olive
Sex: Male
Passport: Jordanian Z264958
Aliases: Ahmad Fadil Al-Khalailah, Abu Ahmad, and Abu Muhammad, Sakr Abu Suwayd.
Late 1999
Planned a terrorist attack for the millennial celebration in Jordan, including bombings of the Radison Hotel in Aman and other American, Israeli, and Christian sites. The plot was uncovered before it could be carried out, and Zarqawi escaped before he could be indicted.
Zarqawi was part of a 28-member cell uncovered by authorities here in 1999 and that had links to Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden. The cell was planning attacks on tourist and religious sites in Jordan.
He was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison along with 11 other cell members in a trial in September 2000, while six other members were sentenced to death.
Al-Zarqawi has been linked to Ansar al-Islam, the pro al Qaeda militia that operates out of northern Iraq. There are also links
to al Qaeda cells discovered in England. The English cells appeared to be manufacturing
ricin. While it is known that Zarqawi ran a poison-training camp in Afghanistan, his network's relationship with al Qaeda is not clear. European officials believe that money changed hands between the two networks, but they are not sure Zarqawi took orders from al Qaeda leaders. They say he is closely linked with the Chechen rebel movement, which tends to operate independently within the world of Islamist terror. Zarqawi also appears to have close links with Iran and Qatari royalty.
Mid 2000
Traveled to Afghanistan where he supervised a terrorist training camp. Specializes in chemical and biological weapons.
2001
Sentenced to 15 years for his terrorist plots in Jordan but escaped before he was arrested.
October 2001
Fled to Iran with a wounded leg; dispatched 3 terrorists (two Palestinians and a Jordanian) who entered Turkey who were sent to Israel to conduct bombing attacks.
5 February 2002
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell February 5 detailed for the Security Council accumulated evidence of Iraq's unwillingness to cooperate with the U.N. disarmament process, using U.S. intelligence on Baghdad's weapons of mass destruction programs and its links to terrorism.
"Today, Iraq still poses a threat, and Iraq still remains in material breach" of its disarmament obligations, Powell told the council. "Indeed, by its failure to seize on its one last opportunity to come clean and disarm, Iraq has put itself in deeper material breach and closer to the day when it will face serious consequences for its
continued defiance of this council."
"Should we take the risk that (Saddam Hussein) will not someday use these weapons at a time and place and in a manner of his choosing, at a time when the world is in a much weaker position to respond," the secretary said. "The United States will not and cannot run that risk to the American people. Leaving Saddam Hussein in possession of
weapons of mass destruction for a few more months or years is not an option, not in a post-September 11th world."
In a speech that lasted almost one hour and a half, Powell played tapes of intercepted Iraqi military communications, showed surveillance photographs of military sites, and recounted information received from sources "who risked their lives to let the world know what Saddam Hussein is really up to." The secretary gave background on
each piece of intelligence he was revealing, wove together sequences of events , and provided analysis on all the weapons programs -- chemical and biological weapons, long-range ballistic missiles, and nuclear weapons.
"I cannot tell you everything that we know," he said. "But what I can share with you, when combined with what all of us have learned over the years, is deeply troubling."
"Iraq's behavior demonstrates that Saddam Hussein and his regime have made no effort -- no effort -- to disarm as required by the international community. Indeed, the facts and Iraq's behavior show that Saddam Hussein and his regime are concealing their efforts to
produce more weapons of mass destruction," he said.
One example Powell presented was photographs of the Taji weapons facility housing chemical munitions -- the first photograph indicating four of the facility's 15 bunkers active, with special guards, a decontamination vehicle and special equipment present to monitor any leakage. A second photograph taken in December 2002 as U.N. inspectors
were arriving, showed two of the bunkers changed dramatically, sanitized.
He described the inside of mobile biological weapons factories from eyewitness accounts and said that Iraq may have 18 such trucks from which it can produce enough biological agent, such as anthrax or botulinum toxin, in a single month to kill "thousands upon thousands of people."
"Just imagine trying to find 18 trucks among the thousands and thousands of trucks that travel the roads of Iraq every single day," he said. "It took the inspectors four years to find out that Iraq was making biological agents. How long do you think it will take the
inspectors to find even one of these 18 trucks without Iraq coming forward."
The secretary detailed the "potentially much more sinister" connection between Iraq and terrorists, especially leaders of the al-Qaida terrorist network, "a nexus," he said, "that combines classic terrorist organizations and modern methods of murder."
Iraq is harboring the network of Abu Mussab al-Zakawi, an associate and collaborator of Usama bin Laden and his al-Qaida lieutenants, he said. Powell showed a photograph of what he said was a poison and explosive training center in northeastern Iraq that the al-Zakawi network is running.
In addition, al-Zakawi was given safe haven in Baghdad in May 2002 where he went for medical treatment and during his stay established a base of operations with nearly two dozen other extremists, Powell said.
"These al-Qaida affiliates, based in Baghdad, now coordinate the movement of people, money and supplies into and throughout Iraq for his network and they've now been operating freely in the capital for more than eight months," Powell said. "From his terrorist network in Iraq, Zakawi can direct his network in the Middle East and beyond."
May 2002
 Traveled to Iraq, had his injured leg amputated and obtained a prosthetic
limb. Spent time recovering in Baghdad and re-established a base of operations.
While in the al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, al-Zarkawi was reported to have suffered a shattered leg as a result of the post 9/11
U.S./Northern Alliance campaigns. Zarkawi fled to Iran where he spent several months, despite US administration protests. Then al-Zarkawi was identified as entering Iraq, seeking medical treatment for his leg wound. This visit is the basis of the US administration
linking Saddam Hussein's regime to terrorism in general, al Qaeda in particular.
Summer 2002
 Traveled to Lebanon to meet with leaders from Hezbollah.
October 2002
Lawrence Foley, an United States official with the Agency for International Development, was assassinated. Investigation revealed
Zarkawi provided the murder weapons. al-Zarkawi provided a 7mm pistol with a silencer, along with $18,000 in
funds to the triggerman Salem Saad Salem bin Soued.
January 2003
Returned to the Ansar al-Islam camp in northern Iraq, known for work with various toxins used or for use in Britain, France, Georgia, and Chechnya. Several terrorists, all linked to Zarqawi, were arrested in Britain for planning to put ricin in the military food supply.
5 February 2003
United States Secretary of State Collin Powell spoke to the United Nations Security Council and provided information the Zarqawi ties the terrorist group al-Qaeda to Iraq.
January 2004
First Audio Recording By Al Qaeda Leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarkawi
Today, Islamist Internet forums posted an audio recording with the voice of Jordanian citizen and Al-Qa'ida leader Ahmad Al-Khalayla, who is also known as Abu Musab al-Zarkawi.
Al-Zarqawi, who has reportedly been operating from Iraq, is said to have planned the Millennium attacks that were thwarted by Jordan and the attack on the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad, for which the State Department offered a five million dollar reward for information leading to his arrest. The following is an overview and excerpts of his speech, which is reportedly the first time that his voice has ever been recorded
Al-Zarqawi's message is divided into three parts. The first, about 30 minutes long, is devoted to Qur'anic verses and Hadiths extolling Jihad and martyrdom.
In the second part, 18 minutes long, Al-Zarqawi mentions his friend Abd Al-Hadi Daghlas, also known as Abu 'Ubayda, who was killed by U.S. forces in Iraq at the beginning of the war.
Al-Zarqawi says: "I will never forget our brothers, the martyrs, who were with us through good and bad, and first and foremost the dear and beloved brother, the living martyr Abu Al-'Ubayda Abd Al-Hadi Daghlas. By Allah, since I was guided by Allah, I never experienced a catastrophe like the loss of this brother. He was a brother I felt small next to because of his courage, devotion, patience, and modesty. Eyes cry for people like Abd Al-Hadi"
Muslim Clerics 'Did Not Succeed in Bearing the Banner of Jihad'
Later, in the second part, Al-Zarqawi attacks Muslim clerics and accuses them of abandoning the Mujahideen as they "confront the strongest power in the world:
You, our clerics, reconciled with the tyrants and handed over the land and the people to the Jews, the Crusaders, and their hangers-on among our apostate rulers when you remained silent about their crimes, feared to preach the truth to them, and did not succeed in bearing the banner of Jihad and monotheism You abandoned us in the most difficult of circumstances, and you handed us over to our enemy"
In the third part, Al-Zarqawi continues his attack on Muslim clerics: " Hundreds of thousands of Muslims were slaughtered by the infidels because of your silence, oh clerics of Islam Know that you will stand before Allah [on Judgment Day]. Prepare answers for God because He will ask you what you did for the nation. He will ask you about the Mujahideen and whether you supported them. He will ask you about the enemies of the [Muslim] community, and how much you loathed and hated them, [and whether you used] swords and lances, hearts and tongues. Allah will ask you why you did not rescue the prisoners held by the Jews, the Crusaders, and the polytheists. Allah will ask what you did for Afghanistan and for Iraq. Allah will ask why you abandoned Mullah Omar"
Al-Zarqawi further stated, "Oh people, the wheels of war have begun to move; the caller has already declared Jihad and the gates of heaven are open [to the martyrs]. If you are unwilling to be one of the knights of war, make way for the women so they can run the war, and you take the cooking utensils and makeup [brushes] in their stead. If you are not women in turbans and beards, go to the horses and seize their harnesses and their reins
"Oh Allah, America came with its horses and knights to challenge Allah and his Messenger [Muhammad] Oh Allah, rend the kingdom of Bush as you rent the kingdom of Caesar Oh Allah, curse the Arab tyrants and the foreign tyrants; Oh Allah, strike the apostate rulers; Oh Allah, kill them one after the other, sparing none"
Missive
sent by Abu Mussab al-Zakawi to bin Usama Bin Laden talking about what al Qaeda should do in Iraq to foment civil war between the Sunni Shiites and the Kurds to undermine U.S. foreign policy.
15 March 2004
Zarkawi is indirectly linked to Madrid terrorist bombings at the central
Madrid commuter hub.
1 April 2004
Jordanian authorities arrested an unspecified number of suspected terrorists plotting attacks in the
kingdom using chemical weapons and explosives. An elaborate scheme was
uncovered in which funding, weapons and detailed instyructions had orginated
from Jordanian national Abu Mussab Al-Zarqawi, who is also suspected of taking a leading role in attacks in Iraq.
7 May 2004
In Iraq, Zarkawi murdered Nicholas Berg an American civilian hostage, by
beheading Berg alive and filming the proceeding for a later video
webcast.
Statement Made by Zarkawi in Video-Tape of Nick Berg Murder
The praise of Allah for all Muslims with his support and the humiliating of those who attempt to defeat Islam and who attack it and who entice the unbelievers with their cunning.
The one that appreciated the days countries with its justice and the prayer and the greeting on from above the Islam lighthouse by its sword as for after :
The Islamic nation
You rejoice at the first signs of the dawn that have started that have granted the wind of triumph. Allah was benevolent to us in Al Fallujah, granting us victory
On one of the days of Allah and that was known to Allah alone
The Islamic nation
Does any excuse for waiting remain? How the free Muslim sleeps, with his eyelids closed.
And he sees that Islam is slaughtered and can be seen bleeding its dignity
And the shameful pictures and the news of the evil humiliation of the Islam people men and women in Ghareb 's father prison then where the jealousy and where the zeal and where the anger about the Allah's religion and where the jealousy for the Muslims sanctities and where the revenge for the honors of Muslims and Muslims is in the crosses prisons .
As for you are the Islam clerics then to Allah we complain about you, you see that Allah have founded the argument on you by the Islam young man who humiliated the strongest force in the date then broke its nose and destroyed its pride
We came to you that you learn from them the reliance meanings and derive from their doing the lessons of sacrifice and redemption to when you remain as the women you master only the slapping language and know only the way of wail and weeping
Then this appeals the world freemen and this it begs Kofi Annan and a third begs Amr Moussa and fourth he demands peaceful demonstrations and as if they did not hear to his saying ( ( O you the prophet incited the believers to the fight ) )
You were fed up with the fight of the conferences and the oratorical battles ohm came to you that you take the jihad way and carry the sword that sent by it the prophets master
And we beg from you that you do not be involved as usual in the denial of what will do it satisfaction of the Americans
He has ordered the prophet - peace be upon him - and he is master the merciful are with the slitting of the necks of some prisoners and their slow killing
And for us it is an example and a good example
As for you, the Roman dog Bush, I hope you are displeased and we wait for you with God's Help tough days and you and your soldiers today who tred Iraq's land will regret it.
And she dared in it to the Muslims fever
And another message to traitor Pervez Musharraf then we say to him that we in wait for your meeting with your soldiers
We demand of the American and will take revenge for the blood of our brothers in and Iraq and elsewhere
And as for you and the Americans soldiers wife then we say that we offered to the American administration this prisoner in exchange for some of the prisoners in Abu Ghareb prison but they refused
Then we say but if the dignity of Muslims and Muslims in Abu Ghareb prison and others is worth theur blood and souls
we tell you to know that the coffins will arrive to you one coffin after another, as your people are slaughtered in this way.........
Then you kill the polytheists where you find them and you take them and count them and place them where they can be seen.
Allah is the greatest and the honour to Allah and to its messenger and to the militants
And our last claim is that the praise of Allah is the Lord of the Worlds ...
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