According to an audio statement released by al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri in March 2006: “The first front in the jihad struggle, he said, is to ‘inflict losses on the Crusader West’ through raids on Western cities, the ‘best examples’ being the strikes in New York, Washington, Madrid [Spain], and London [U.K.]. The second front develops when the Crusaders respond and invade Muslim countries, inciting the masses to expel the Crusader and Zionist army from the lands of Islam: ‘They should leave our lands defeated after the collapse of their economies. This way we can set up the Muslim caliphate state on our land.’ “ [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.]
– Bruce Riedel, The Search for Al Qaeda, Pages 33-34