On February 23, 1998, “bin Laden and [Egyptian Islamic Jihad leader Ayman al-] Zawahiri decided to declare war on America unambiguously and publicly. The two were joined by three other prominent jihadists: Rifa’I Ahmed Taha, who led a splinter group of al Gamaa al Islamiyya that had merged with Islamic Jihad; Sheikh Mir Hamza, secretary […]
Category: quotes
2/23/1998
On February 23, 1998, Egyptian Islamic Jihad leader Ayman al-Zawahiri “and bin Laden merged their organizations with groups from Pakistan and Bangladesh to form the World Islamic Front for Jihad against Jews and Crusaders, creating the organization now known as al Qaeda. The new front promised to wage jihad against all Americans–civilians and military alike–until […]
2/22/1998
“On February 22, 1998, Osama bin Laden issued his most aggressive fatwa to date. Under the banner of the ‘International Islamic Front for Jihad on the Jews and Crusaders,’ his edict, published in Al-Quds al-Arabi, stated that ‘Muslims should kill Americans–including civilians–anywhere in the world where they can be found.’ The fatwa was endorsed by […]
2/22/1998
Journalist Peter Bergen wrote: “On February 22, 1998, bin Laden upped the ante considerably when he announced the formation of the World Islamic Front for Jihad against the Jews and the Crusaders. Cosignatories of the agreement included Ayman al-Zawahiri of Egypt’s Jihad Group, bin Laden’s most trusted lieutenant; Rifia Ahmed Taha of Egypt’s Islamic Group, […]
2/22/1998
On February 22, 1998, bin Laden announced the formation of the World Islamic Front. In it, he said: ” ‘Since about seven years ago, America has been occupying the most sacred lands of Islam: the Arabian Peninsula. It has been stealing its resources, dictating to its leaders, humiliating its people, and frightening its neighbors. The […]
2/22/1998
From Osama bin Laden’s February 22, 1998, statement of jihad against Jews and Crusaders: ” ‘…in compliance with Allah’s order, we issue the following fatwa to all Muslims: The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies–civilians and military–is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it […]
2/20/1998
“In February [20] 1998, a small group of national security thinkers who were outside government sent an open letter to the Clinton White House suggesting ‘a comprehensive political and military strategy for bringing down Saddam and his regime.’ Among the signatories were [Elliott] Abrams, Richard Armitage, John R. Bolton, Douglas Feith, Zalmay Khalilzad, [Richard] Perle, […]
2/19/1998
“…according to documents [dated February 19, 1998] found in the bombed-out headquarters of Iraqi intelligence [Mukhabarat] in April 2003, a senior official in Saddam’s Mukhabarat circulated a three-page memo that would finalize plans for meetings in Baghdad between a representative of Osama bin Laden and Iraqi intelligence. The pages, each marked ‘Top Secret and Urgent,’ […]
2/18/1998
In remarks made at the Town Hall Meeting at Ohio State University on February 18, 1998, Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright said: ” ‘Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or […]
2/18/1998
In a Town Hall Meeting on Iraq at Ohio State University on February 18, 1998, former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger said: ” ‘The U.N. inspectors who have been in the country since 1991-92–despite the fact that Saddam has tried to conceal, hide, divert–have been remarkably successful. They’ve destroyed more of his weapons of mass […]