BRIEFS

FORUM PARTICIPANT ENCOURAGES ELECTRONIC WAR AGAINST UNITED STATES

A May 20 statement in the alfirdaws.org forum called on Islamists to conduct an electronic war against the “enemy.” The forum participant prodded the online community with the question: “For how long are we going to be the seated audience?” The author encouraged other forum members to use their computers to provide support to military operations being conducted by the mujahideen in the field. The participant outlined a series of strategies to disrupt the military capabilities of the United States; however, he did not offer any technical details on how to accomplish these strategies. In fact, most of the suggested strategies are completely unrealistic. For instance, the participant suggested that fighters take control of the enemy’s satellite system, which would then allow the mujahideen to control the paths of U.S.-launched missiles and to “tell these missiles to go back to where they came from.” The author also suggested that the mujahideen target the enemy’s “data flowcharts.” He stated, “Do not ask me what flowcharts are. All I know is that they link electronic programming languages and they translate, relay and display data.” If the mujahideen were able to target these charts effectively, then “it would completely paralyze life in the targeted country.” The author admitted that he suffers from a “lack of technical knowledge,” and his posting seemed to be aimed more at encouraging the Islamic community to become involved in the global jihad. For instance, he wrote, “Achieving at least one-tenth of the aforementioned targets is important. Imagine…how much effect this little effort will have on the lions of monotheism in the battlefields when they know that their brothers, who have not engaged in jihad, have actually engaged.”

GOLD BOUNTY OFFERED FOR THE ASSASSINATION OF AL-SADR

On May 29, the Global Islamic Media Front posted a new statement on the website alfirdaws.org. The eight-page article was written by an unidentified author who signed the letter with the moniker, “The Tip of the Mujahideen’s Spear.” The article examined various issues, including the offer of a bounty of 500 grams of gold (approximately $10,000) for the individual that kills Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr. The statement suggested three possible ways to assassinate al-Sadr: by using a sniper round, detonating explosives near him or employing a suicide martyr. The statement called on the mujahideen to assassinate “this tyrant [al-Sadr] who filled the earth with his crimes and filth, murdering Sunni women and children.” The statement also encouraged al-Sadr’s own followers to kill their leader, asserting that this individual would also be rewarded with the gold bounty despite his Shiite connections. It is unclear when the article was written, although it mentioned the reappearance of al-Sadr in Iraq, which occurred on May 25.