UPDATE 1: Steve Corman over at ComOps Journal has a great follow-on post, “Gadahn Signals Gi-normous Extremist Say-Do-Gap.” Money quote:
“So the good news is that this video seems to confirm that the Bad Guys have opened up a say-do gap of stupendous proportions.”
Maybe as-Sahab heard my crickets and felt compelled to get something out, but this?? Seriously, Adam Gadahn makes the argument that al-Qaida doesn’t kill Muslims – with a straight face. I’ll sum up the video in one sentence: “we don’t kill innocent Muslims, you do!” It’s defensive, reactionary and just reeks of desperation. And more than anything, it’s wildly disconnected from reality. I mean, this is Saddam Hussein level absurdity, Ahmadinejad absurdity, even.
Here’s what else I notice. First, he’s on the move. The mic job is awful in comparison to previous Gadahn vids. Does that mean that he’s embattled and on the run? Or is he just uploading some thoughts while hiking?
Second, the speech itself is just absurd in terms of content. He’s totally off-kilter, relying on old standby arguments and turns of phrase. Third, it’s poorly delivered: he’s all over the place. It’s sooo 2005 Gadahn. Fourth, the As-Sahab logo in the corner is not of typical as-Sahab quality.
This is a complete hack job on all levels. If I were as-Sahab, I’d rather say nothing than put out such nonsensical stuff.
Is this guy not dead yet??? Had reports that he was killed in a drone attack??? Think that you are doing a good job informing us about them.
Great point. From what I understand takfiri terrorists like Gadahn have killed far more Muslims than non-Muslims — all while in the name of defending Muslims. With protectors like that, who needs enemies?
Jarret, just curious to know, but what are the specific stats on Muslim victims of takfiri terrorists versus non-Muslim victims? Prof. Rik Coolsaet has it at 175,000 vs 4,000 since 1992. (Not that any of these deaths are morally justifiable by any means.) Are these numbers accurate or do you think they’re even higher?
[...] Brachman just did a post on a new video by nice-Jewish-boy-turned-AQ-mouthpiece Adam Gadahn (a.k.a Azzam al-Amriki, video [...]
http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/index.cfm?page=gadahn&language=english
WANTED ADAM YAHIYE GADAHN
Up to $1 Million Reward
Iraqi Shia are not muslims
A few thoughts.
1. AQ’s PR nightmare is on absolute display, and especially now that Gen. McChrystal has demanded as close to zero-casualties as is possible to imagine in population-centric COIN. Killing Muslims, intended or not, has never sold legally, and is not now selling strategically for AQ.
2. The denials required to sustain Adam the Jewish Goatherd’s narrative are undercut by three realities:
a. the Taliban’s own explicit ownership of the present terror campaign designed to force suspension of the Waziristan operation.
b. the very anti-Western, ‘anti-imperialist’ ‘Third Worldist’ press will find it ridiculous that they are ‘lackeys’ and ‘stooges’ bought off by a few cool Crusader billions. i.e. kill the messenger to kill the message.
c. The Goatherd KNOWS that AQ/Haggani/Mehsud etc. have completely blown it, that they own the carnage and loss of jihadi cred, yet still looks into a camera and stumbles through his . . . ahhh. . . . ahhh. . . . narrative. He is not deluded by the AQ responsibility and instead of owning the killing on sharia grounds, is running faster than a cheetah with an IED up its butthole to somehow appear ‘enraged,’ and ‘disraught’ and ‘in solidarity’ with the Umma’s victims of ‘Crusader’ violence. VERY 12th century.
Final thought to Jarret.
The hundred times the Goatherd references the barbarity, horror, and inhumanity of these murders–the moral valence given, despite the Goatherd’s absence of genuine affect due to hatred/poisoned soul–can be dialectically developed to explode on their lap. This is like the GIA mid-1990s coming out to blame the Swedes, better the Lapps, for conspiring to discredit them. This requires erasing overt declarations that made virtually the entire Muslim and non-Muslim world’s blood forfeit. Their very ‘shariah scholars’ provided the rope that merciless ‘revolutionaries’ are now trying to avoid strategically hanging by.
“Iraqi Shi’a are not muslims [to takfiri swine]“
what about all the muslims that were killed in mombassa attack? more muslims died there then israelies.
they just kill and dont care who is around.
What about Adam Gadahn, he is an American and the U.S. is trying to kill him.
So whatever you wish to do to Adam Gadahn — we’ll do it to Afghan and Iraqi puppet forces and collaborators.