| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| 6 Jordanian al-Qaeda bios released by Mujahideen Shura |
| 2006-06-02 |
| A 21-page booklet documenting the stories of six Jordanian martyrs in Iraq and attributed to writers from the Information Department of the Mujahideen Shura Council, Abu al-Bara’a al-Sharqi, Abu Abdullah al-Maqdasi and Abu Ayoob al-Najari, was recently distributed amongst several jihadist forums. A preface emphasizing jihad as a religious duty, incumbent upon all Muslims to protect Islamic lands with their souls, money, and progeny, leads into a Table of Contents listing the names of the martyrs: Abu Hammam al-Urduni, Abu al-Bara’a al-Urduni, Abu Radwan al-Urduni, Abu al-Abbas al-Urduni, Abu al-Waleed al-Urduni, and Abu Yihye al-Urdini. The descriptions of the men are in similar fashion to past martyr’s biographies produced by the group, presenting their origin, faith in Allah that lit their jihad spirit, and the location of their death. Coming from myriad backgrounds, one martyr a lawyer, another a martial artist, an engineer, and a former Christian, each man was assigned a task within the al-Qaeda structure that reflected their aptitude, despite their want for martyrdom in the suicide brigades, al-Bara’a bin Malek and Abu Dagana al-Ansari. Abu Hammam, a second degree black belt in Tae Kwan Do, is noted by the biographers of having a wife and daughter, and traveling to Iraq from Jordan for jihad, arriving in al-Qaim. There he was placed in charge of physical training and martial arts for the mujahideen, and eventually joined Omar Brigade to assassinate “spies and collaborators”. He ultimately died in al-Yusefiya in a confrontation with American forces. Another martyr, Abu Radwan al-Urduni, the lawyer, is said to have lived in America for some time and following the September 11, 2001 attacks, became a fervent supporter of religious duties. He traveled to Jordan to spread calls to jihad, receiving inspiration from the books of Abu Muhammad al-Maqdasi. Like other members he went to Iraq and enlisted in the martyrdom groups, but was accepted into it and eventually carried out an operation “deep in the territories” of the enmy, purportedly killing 150 soldiers and wounding 300. The stories of Abu al-Bara’a, Abu al-Waleed, Abu al-Abbas, and Abu Yihye tell of similar devotion to jihad, the latter of which is said to have resided in Canada for six months in an attempt to travel to Chechnya. Some of the martyrs participated in recording and distributing computer encoded video of the group’s operations, Abu Yihye publishing a recorded message in English threatening Americans, which was delivered to an American base in al-Qaim and purportedly caused great fear and anxiety. Individual strength, desire, and capabilities of the men are described, not only to document their lives, but according to the authors in the preface, to give Muslims thought as they consider jihad or actively participate. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |