8/12/1998

“In an attempt to diffuse responsibility [for the African embassy bombings on August 7, 1998] and further confuse public opinion, Al Qaeda issued another communiqué, on August 12 [1998], using another front organisation, the Islamic Liberation Army: ‘Because the Americans and the Jews occupy the surroundings of the Al Aqsa mosque, because of what the Jews do in Palestine such as destroy their homes, because one million Iraqis died and religious leaders in America and other countries are subservient to America, because of the fortunes gained by oil revenues that belong to the Muslims, we are forced to wage jihad anywhere in the world at any given moment. The fight against the US and its allies, the Jews of Israel, is a fight between life and death. Before the Nairobi [Kenya] bombing we warned Muslims not to visit anything that is American and we repeated this warning. We are forced to wage a jihad anywhere in the world at any given moment.’ “

 – Rohan Gunaratna, Inside al Qaeda, Page 162