The spokesman for the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group, Abu Huzaifa al Ansari, on Thursday called for individual attacks in Europe and the United States to support Muslims in the war in Gaza and congratulated those responsible for last Friday’s attack on in Moscow, informs the EFE agency, quoted by Agerpres.
Islamic State (ISIS)Photo: Pictures From History / Universal images group / Profimedia
In a 41-minute audio message broadcast on Telegram, the Islamic State spokesman sent a “reminder message” to Muslims and said what is currently happening to Muslims in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza is “what the brothers from Syria, Libya, Iraq, Sinai (Egypt) and Yemen suffered twice as much a few years ago”.
“We thank the soldiers of the caliphate for their efforts and pray to God that they succeed in reaching the lands of Palestine to fight face to face with the Jews in a religious war that will end them. In this regard, we encourage the lone lions to target Jews and crusaders everywhere, especially in the United States and Europe,” he said in the Arabic message distributed by Al Furqan, the group’s propaganda organ.
He described the war in Gaza as a “wound of Muslims”, in which there is a need for struggle “and not just slogans and mottos”, according to his address, published among others on the occasion of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and to marks ten years since the establishment of the “caliphate”, self-proclaimed by the first leader of the jihadist group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
“And the fight against the Jews is not achieved unless it is doubled by the fight against their allies: the infidels and the crusaders everywhere. Leaving here, we started the united invasion, launched to support our families in Gaza and which represents the brotherhood among believers”, he claimed.
Al Ansari thus reiterated his message broadcast on January 4 in which he called for attacks against the United States, Europe and the whole world, and in which he asked “not to distinguish between atheists, civilians or soldiers”.
No “justification” needed for the Moscow attack
Al Ansari also said that after the attack in Iran in January, one of the worst in its history, which left more than 90 dead, the Islamic State turned against “Russia, the crusader”, a term used by the group to describe them the Christians.
The Islamic State spokesman described the attack in Moscow as “a bloody attack by a group of lions from the caliphate” to “take revenge on Muslims and discipline the infidels”.
The jihadist group claimed the attack at the Crocus City Hall concert hall, 20 kilometers from the center of Moscow, which left at least 143 dead.
“We don’t have to give legitimate explanations when we attack a country that has always fought against Muslims, before and now. And we continue to capture and kill their soldiers in Syria, and before that we destroyed their plane in Sinai,” he added.
The Islamic State refers to Russia’s intervention in the war in Syria starting in 2015, as well as to the downing – claimed by ISIS – of the Russian Metrojet plane that left the Egyptian city of Sharm el Sheikh bound for Saint Petersburg, also in 2015, the attack resulting in over 220 dead.
Russia claims that not ISIS, but the West and Ukraine were behind the terrorist attack in Moscow.
Islamic State encourages ‘confused youth’ to go to Africa and Asia to ‘wage jihad’
Abu Huzaifa al Ansari also asked “confused (Muslim) youth” from the West to immigrate to the areas where the organization is present, which extend from West Africa to Asia, “to wage jihad.”
“We repeat our call to Muslims around the world to join their brothers in waging jihad (…) I address this message especially to the confused youth of apostate countries, who feel bad because of the misfortune in their nations,” said the bearer of IS’s word, referring to Muslim believers in Western countries.
He stated that if these young people “don’t know where to go”, they have the opportunity to “live” and go to the “battlefields of Islamic State lands”.
He also urged jailed jihadists around the world to have “patience” as he vowed revenge against the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which rule in northern Syria. the east of Syria, the prisons where IS fighters are held and the camps where relatives of fighters from the Islamic State are located.
