By Sheikh Abdullah Saeed

Director of Military Affairs of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan

Allah says:

All praise be to the One who brought victory to his slave Muhammad, honored his army, and defeated the [various] parties [which gathered to annihilate the Muslims] Alone. May peace and blessings be upon Muhammad – His slave, messenger, beloved and chosen – upon all his family and companions. To proceed:

Anyone following the Jihad in Afghanistan can clearly see the signs of victory looming over the horizon. They have become apparent and clear to the eyes. What has also become clear is the defeat and loss, both physical and moral, of the US forces, NATO and the puppet Afghan army.

Day by day, more and more of the general population supports the Taliban, while on the other hand, the anger and hatred felt towards the Americans and NATO has reached its limits, especially after the repetitive and revolting indiscriminate bombings which result in the injury and death of tens, rather hundreds of innocent Muslim men, women and children who have nowhere to run or escape, not to mention the increase of arrests, torture, and humiliation of the general population for the silliest of reasons and the least suspicion of aiding the Taliban and supporting them.

Even the capital of Kabul, whose majority once gave preference to the puppet Afghan regime, now outwardly shows it anger and hatred of the Americans, NATO, and the apostate government and their puppet army openly without fearing to pronounce and show it. Lately, much of the general population is now convinced that the puppet Afghan government is incapable of protecting them from the tyranny of America, and that they can do nothing to stop the repetitive, deliberate, barbaric and devastating airstrikes which they carry out, hunting them down in their cities, towns and remote villages, and that Karzai has no control except over a stone‐throw’s distance from his American‐guarded Kabul palace.

Thus they are now certain that they only way they can save themselves from the Crusader Hell and continuous butchery is to aid and support those who they have tried before: those who proved to be people of mercy and love, discipline, and lofty virtues – the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan – especially after they saw their strong return in the rest of Afghanistan, seizing control of its majority. Humans by nature feel inclined to the strong, and they love justice. These are both characteristics of the Islamic Shariah, and generally, it is the Taliban, by the Grace of Allah, who has the upper hand.

As for the special operations which the Taliban carry out, such and ambushes, mines, and martyrdom operations, we see a substantial increase in their number and quality in many areas of Afghanistan, especially lately, as we see that they have reached even the northern areas, such and Qundooz and others. In the latest operation carried out by the Taliban on the border of Badghis, they destroyed over 30 vehicles, taking an additional 25 as spoils, and killed or injured almost 40 of the apostate army, taking an additional 20 as prisoners.

Lately, the Taliban have employed more bold tactics in their operations, especially ambushes and martyrdom operations. The general population has become more supportive of them; rather, those who supported and provided them shelter in the past are now the ones who carry out operations in their own areas. A field report of one of the field commanders in Afghanistan states the following:

As every day passes, the situation gets better and better. Those who plan and implement operations today are those who provided us shelter yesterday. The general population helps the Mujahideen and renders them their services, and they are no longer in the state of fear they were before. This is all due [after Allah] to the strength of the Taliban and their total control over the area.

Eide told the UN Security Council in New York that at present, insurgents are carrying out their military activities outside their strongholds in the south and west. On the other hand, weakness and has filled the ranks of the Americans and the alliance of their puppets; there movement between cities and villages is limited, and they are no longer present in areas which they previously had control of. America has now sheltered itself in Kabul, basing more and more of their troops there. The Mujahideen day by day are closing in on Kabul, especially from Wardak. Now that America has seen the might, viciousness and courage of the Taliban in fighting and their increase in numbers, the definitive military defeat and eradication of the Taliban which they once often repeated is no longer a reality.

The security situation is increasingly delicate, and the imminent danger faced by the occupying forces is no longer limited to the Taliban; today the general population is fighting alongside the Taliban due to their continual suffering under repetitive airstrikes carried out on civilians. This leads people to sympathize with and aid the Taliban, not to mention the fact that it is a religious obligation on every Muslim in Afghanistan.

The morale of the Taliban is continuingly rising, and all praise is due to Allah, while we see that a breakdown of the morale of the NATO troops and their lack of desire to continue to engage in this long war which no one knows when and how it will end, especially now that after more than seven years, they have gained nothing. They have not made any progress nor have they quickly ended their battle with the Taliban. They have neither put an end to the Taliban nor have they caught the leaders of the Mujahideen, these being the very reasons they launched their war on Afghanistan. For this reason, their morale in battle has broken, and they no longer have the motivation which once encouraged them to continue their lost war, paying its price day by day with the loss of lives. They continually taste its bitterness, broiling in an ocean of fire, while their politicians proudly, haughtily and falsely boast and lie that they are achieving victory in the battle against the Taliban.

The Taliban threaten to break the strength of America and oust them from their land, and their motivation and determination to fight and repel the occupiers and re-establish the Islamic Emirate is continually on the rise, as clearly seen in the statement issued on Eid al-Fitr, signed by Mullah Muhammad Omar Mujahid himself:

The occupiers came to our lands with the hopes of removing the Mujahideen, capturing the Islamic leaders and establishing a safe station in Asia, taking control of the main resources of Asia and spreading false religion. But after seven years, they still have not achieved their goals, and they will never achieve them even in the next hundred years.

He added:

The popular resistance is now a reality, and every day it becomes more impossible to pacify it. This is something which analysts themselves have repetitively acknowledged.

He continued saying:

We say to the occupiers: in the beginning, you were fooled by the strength of your technology, and you immediately attacked our land without coming to any understanding nor logical proof. Now, in light of the severity of the situation, re-examine your unjust and incorrect decision to occupy our land, and search for a safe way to withdraw your forces.

This is the stance of the Ameer Al‐Mu'mineen (Leader of the Believers), while on the other hand we see America and NATO behind the puppet government desperately trying to come to terms with the Taliban, even proposing a power‐sharing agreement with them. Even more, they are willing to give clemency to the leaders of the Taliban, including Mullah Muhammad Omar himself, may Allah protect him.

An official in the US Foreign Affairs announced that American is willing to negotiate with those Taliban leaders who are willing to compromise, renounce violence and respect the Afghan Constitution. The most important goal which Patraeus is focusing on in the coming stage is to compromise with moderate elements within the Taliban, as he said:

I do think you have to talk to enemies… You want to try to reconcile with as many of those as possible… the key there is making sure that all of that is done in complete coordination, with complete support of the Afghan government ‐ and with President Karzai.

This new strategy of America is a reflection of the conviction that the current military strategy of NATO in Afghanistan is not bearing fruit, and that the use of heavy military force has started to bring totally opposite results after the huge and persistent losses suffered by NATO.

Lately they planned a conspiracy, blatantly lying that they are carrying out negotiations with what they call “moderate elements” within the Taliban. The first goal of these rumours is to shake the trust in the leadership of the Mujahideen, to try to divide the Taliban, and to spread strife in their ranks. But this is a foiled and exposed plot, and all the statements of the Taliban reject the very notion of negotiations with the Karzai government. The deputy of the Ameer Al‐Mu'mineen, Mullah Berader, may Allah protect him, stated that there is no basis for this, and that no one has the right to represent the Taliban and speak on its behalf except for its well‐known leaders who have been granted this authority directly. He also said in a telephone conversation with Reuters. “We reject an offer for negotiation by the Afghan puppet and slave President Hamid Karzai.”

He also said Karzai had no right to negotiate, "He only says and does what he is told by America. With this denial, Mullah Berader foiled the plans of anyone who wished to take advantage of the situation and fulfill a role they were not given. Those who the media mentioned to have negotiated and held talks do not represent the Taliban; in reality, they only represent themselves, even if they were once previous members of the Taliban movement.

Sheikh Muhammad Yasir, may Allah free him from prison, said in an interview with As‐Sahab Media:

Ahmed Muwwafaq Zaidan said:

He also said:

1) The increasing strength of the Taliban which now threatens the authority of Hamid Karzai. A few days ago, hundreds of Taliban fighters attacked the capital of Helmand, Lashkar Gah, and almost overtook it, leading one of the British commanders in the region to admit that the morsel of Helmand is too big to be digested by the British forces. The operations of the Taliban are still on the rise, as well as the fact that they are closing in on Kabul, not to mention that the increased American airstrikes in Pashtun territories which leads to the death of tens of thousands of civilians, whose relatives turn into new Taliban bombs joining their ranks.

2) The open rise of Russia as a formidable force in the region, especially after the events of Georgia, and their threat of not lending assistance to NATO in Afghanistan, which may influence the decision of the countries of Central Asia to work with Washington in their war against what they call "terrorism", as they provide logistical support to the NATO forces against neighboring Afghanistan.

3) The choking economic crisis which has weakened America and the West internationally as well as their military operational level. America was not even able to provide funds for 2500 American soldiers which it sought to send to Afghanistan. This factor threatens the continuation of American presence in the region. Usually, no great empire falls militarily, financially, ethically and as well as in their morale… no large tree falls except that it shakes the earth underneath, its impact being felt on the smaller trees and plants around it.1

This change in policy is an indication of their defeat by the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. In an article written by Abdul‐Bari Atwan entitled Taliban Close to Achieving Victory, he stated:

All praise be to Allah, the Mujahideen have the upper hand in this stage, waging an organized guerilla war which America and NATO have never faced before, by the Help of Allah. It is a well‐known fact this type of war is demoralizing to any organized army, draining and consuming it over time, even if America and NATO were together. NATO has no idea where the Mujahideen come from, where the next explosion will be, where the next operation will be, nor where the Mujahideen reside, and this leads to their continual fear and fright, resulting in many cases of suicide and mental illness, much less their demoralization, nervous breakdowns, and chronic paranoia due to the surprise attacks which the Taliban carry out against their convoys, military bases, and residential compounds. They await death each day. They no longer feel secure, whether in their well‐fortified bases, such as Bagram, or on the streets. Every one of their soldiers longs for the day they will return home, even for vacation, to get away from this continual fear which lasts throughout the day and night.

If we were to study the statistics they mention about the number afflicted with psychological problems, we would find that the majority of American and NATO troops suffer from nervous breakdown. Only a few have not suffered from this, and even then those who have not directly fought and tasted its bitterness. The number cases of suicide amongst the US, British, and Canadian occupying forces in particular have reaches its peak. The London newspaper, Times, exposed in a private survey that hundreds of the British occupying forces who returned from Afghanistan and Iraq suffer from a severe loss of hearing due to the loud sounds experienced every day in the battles with the resistance in both countries.

Radio Canada, a public TV station exposed that the number of suicide cases in the Canadian army was on the rise in the past few years, and in 2007, it reached its highest in more than 10 years. This rise in the number of suicide cases was also experienced by the US army, in that the number of cases reported in the last few years reached its peak in 2006, seeing more cases of suicide than even in more than 25 years, according to Pentagon reports.

According to US officials, there were 102 cases along with more than 2000 attempts of suicide in the US army in 2006. In a recent report, the percentage of suicides in the US army reached its peak, their number surpassing those in the civilian population. Even those who were transferred from Iraq [to Afghanistan] due to the severity of the fighting found that the situation there was much worse. In an interview with an American newspaper, some troops who were transferred from Iraq said that the war in Afghanistan is ten times worse than Iraq. Something even the enemies acknowledge something, it must be true.

At a time when the Taliban numbers increase day by day, we see that the losses suffered by occupying forces is also continually on the rise, an indication that they are about to lose this war. They are about to be defeated and retreat from Afghanistan with destroyed hopes, Allah willing. The Large number of losses suffered by US and NATO forces is clear to all and does not need any proof.

The Taliban is fighting on a land which they have experienced for many years against the Russians which increased their faith, patience and trust that Allah will grant them victory, and their certainty that the occupying forces will retreat and the Islamic state will return.

Everyday, the government loses another area, especially in the south, most of which has been liberated by the Taliban from the occupation, implementing the Shariah and administrating its affairs. Only a few main cities remain under occupation, but even those are surrounded by the Mujahideen in all directions. In a report of one of our field commanders, he states:

I write this report while we are planning to head towards enemy lines where they are surrounded by the Taliban and their supporters. I saw the whole enemy line, we did not pass any area except that there were Taliban and their supporters there.

Along with the weakness of the puppet government, its loss of control over much area, and the hints of some of its allies’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, Taliban is gaining more and more support, and more and more people are joining its ranks, from outside Afghanistan and within.

General David Mckiernan, a US official, said that there is a need of more resources due to the increase of foreign fighters. He also said:

Along with the increase in flow of fighters into Afghanistan and the ranks of Taliban in number and unity, we see the extent of division amongst NATO forces and their anger over the length of this unending lost war which sees no end in near. In the end, the US will be left fighting alone in Afghanistan at which point we will see its end, Allah willing.

One by one, the allies will leave, Allah willing, as they did in Iraq. They are more public in their statements, which indicates that they will not continue in this lost war which sees no end in near. They are starting to acknowledge their inability to continue military operations under this stiff resistance from the people on one hand, and the rise of differences amongst the allies on the other. This statement was made by the Commander of the Canadian forces whose troops are tasting their death in Kandahar. The Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on CBS Public Television that Western forces cannot remain indefinitely in Afghanistan, and that foreign forces cannot "spread peace" in all regions of the country. According to a British newspaper, one of the leading British commanders in

Afghanistan warned that the war cannot be won, saying that they should be prepared to negotiate a deal with the Taliban instead of thinking about a definitive military victory. The Sunday Times newspaper that the evaluation of the Commander of the 16 Air Assault Brigade, Brigadier Mark Carleton‐Smith, following the leaking of a memo from a French diplomat who claimed that [Sir Sherard Cowper‐Coles,] the British ambassador in Kabul, had told him the current strategy followed by NATO in Afghanistan was "doomed to fail".

Carleton‐Smith said it was necessary to “lower our expectations”. He said: “We’re not going to win this war. It’s about reducing it to a manageable level of insurgency that’s not a strategic threat and can be managed by the Afghan army."

The Commander of the British Special Forces resigned to protest what he called “chronic underinvestment" of securing necessary equipment for his troops in the conflict zone. But in reality, his resignation came as a result of the huge losses suffered by his troops based in Helmand at the hands of the Taliban, as this statement and resignation came only after a significant rise in their ranks. In a general opinion poll carried out in the UK, more than 66% want a withdrawal of British forces from Afghanistan, only 24% supporting the continued presence of British forces in Afghanistan.

In Helmand, more than 60% of Dutch troops expressed their belief that their country should withdraw their forces from Afghanistan if they lose more than 25 soldiers. The German Foreign Minister Frank‐Walter Steinmeier expressed his desire to end Germany’s participation with the US in their occupation of Afghanistan due to his fear of the of the Taliban and the rise of attacks against the foreign occupation forces.

In a press conference, Steinmeier admitted that the German [special] forces which number [about] a hundred have never been deployed a single time in the last three years, despite the fact that they are attacked by the Taliban from time to time.

Steinmeier called for the end of German participation of its special forces, sufficing with the German occupation force within ISAF and air reconnaissance. The minister stated that the reason for this was improve the legal base for keeping its troops in Afghanistan.

The German Defense Ministry confirmed it will no longer make troops from its elite KSK special forces available to support US‐led counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan. This decision came when people’s support for the German mission in Afghanistan was falling and an increase opposition from the leftist politicians in the country.

Also, the additional troops which the Obama administration will send to support US troops in Afghanistan will not change the ground realities or tip the scales to their side. Taliban operations are continually on the rise, and an increase in their troops means an increase in their death, and they will never benefit from it, Allah willing.

In a statement issued by the Taliban, it states:

Who could ever think that one day, the US Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, would welcome negotiations with the Taliban or their sharing power? Who could ever think that Canada, Britain, Germany, and even the UN would acknowledge that the war cannot be won militarily, calling for a political solution? And who could ever think that the Taliban would reject negotiations?

But one who follows history knows that no force invaded Afghanistan except that they were broken, defeated and fled. Today history repeats itself, for the Taliban are at the gates of a pulverizing and devastating victory against America, Allah willing, on all fronts, military, political and economical, a defeat which will remind us of the British defeat in the Khyber Pass.

Sheikh Osama bin Laden, may Allah protect him, said:

The Ameer Al‐Mu'mineen, Mullah Muhammad Omar, may Allah protect him, gave us the good news of the victory which will be achieved against the enemies in the statement issued on Eid al-Fitr, saying:

I give comfort to all the sad families that your pure blood must produce fruit, and that even though the blood of your loved ones is not worth anything to the self deceived and insensitive enemy, it is worth much to Allah. Allah will defeat the transgressing enemy in return for this blood, and because of this pure sacrifice, He will gift us with pure and just Islamic government.

He also said:

The current situation in our land is a sign of the Help of Allah. None could imagine the defeat of America with all its technological might, but here we see it today receiving the coffins of its troops, suffering severe military and financial losses.

We close this article with a report of one of our brother Mujahideen in which he summarizes what he and his brothers saw and experienced in the summer months in Afghanistan, saying:

This is what I have to say. We ask Allah to give honor and might to Islam and the Muslims, and to make the Word of Truth and Religion supreme.

1 Slightly edited.
2 Slightly edited.

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