DUBAI, 30 July 2004 — A purported Al-Qaeda statement has threatened Europe with a “bloody war” following the expiry of a July 15 deadline set by Osama Bin Laden for European states to pull troops out of Muslim countries.
“Today, we declare a bloody war on you. We will not stop our raids until you return to reason,” said the statement posted yesterday on a website and signed “Abu Hafs Al-Masri Brigades — Al-Qaeda”.
An audiotaped statement issued April 15 by the Al-Qaeda terror chief gave European governments three months to withdraw their troops from Muslim states. The ultimatum was later authenticated by the US Central Intelligence Agency.
The Abu Hafs Al-Masri Brigades claimed responsibility for the March 11 train bombings in Madrid, which left 191 people dead, as well as for the November 2003 bombings in Istanbul that killed 25 people.
Abu Hafs al-Masri headed Al-Qaeda military operations until he was killed in the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
The latest statement particularly targeted the Italian government and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
“Wait for us Berlusconi, with your other allies and supporters. Wait for the threat which we addressed to you (earlier) and that we address to Europe today,” it warned.
“We will make sure that a bloodbath sweeps you away.
“It is you that will punish your people... we will strike the towns of Europe and we will start with you, Berlusconi,” the message said, warning European leaders that war “will be bloody until you return to reason.”
“Withdraw your troops from Iraq,” it demanded, telling European countries to follow the example of other states that have withdrawn their forces from Iraq.
Italy still maintains troops in Iraq, where it has been a staunch supporter of the US-led invasion.
On July 16, the same group had threatened the country with a bloodbath on the scale of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States if it allowed Prime Minister Berlusconi to remain in power.
In a major report on the war on terrorism, the foreign affairs committee of the British House of Commons yesterday said the lack of law and order had created a “vacuum” for criminals and militias in Iraq, with appalling consequences for the people.
It added that Iraq’s own police and armed forces are still “a long way from being able to maintain security,” and warned that ongoing violence could mar elections planned for early next year.
“We conclude that the violence in Iraq stems from a number of sources, including members of the former regime, local Islamists, criminal gangs and Al-Qaeda,” the committee said.
“Iraq has become a ‘battleground’ for Al-Qaeda, with appalling consequences for the Iraqi people,” it added.
“However, we also conclude that the coalition’s failure to bring law and order to parts of Iraq created a vacuum into which criminal elements and militias have stepped,” it said.
It blamed an “insufficient number of troops” for contributing to the breakdown in security, adding that it was “disappointing” that some countries — which it did not name — had not committed forces to Iraq.
“It is therefore of the utmost importance that current problems are resolved in favor of the forces of order and that those who seek to impede Iraq’s transition to a free and democratic state are defeated.”
