A former Taliban military commander has claimed that Al Qaeda had 3,501 members spread all over the world.
In an interview at a secret location on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, commander Ghazi Mulla said that the Al Qaeda activists were pursuing their objectives in an organized manner.
"Our enemies should stop indulging in wishful thinking that the Al Qaida is finished. It is alive and kicking," he said, according to The Gulf News on Sunday.
Ghazi Mulla disclosed that Al Qaeda's full name is Al Qaeda Al Jihad.
"This was the name given to the organization formed following the formal merger of Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda Ansarullah and Dr. Ayman Al Zawahiri's Jama'at Al Jihad in a secret place in eastern Afghanistan on 16 Rabiul Awwal, 1422 Hijri, or in late August 2001 about 45 days before the start of the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan," he explained.
He said bin Laden and Al Zawahiri signed an agreement merging their groups in presence of members of their Majlis-i-Shura, or consultative council, and finalized the 45-page Al Qaeda Al Jihad manifesto.
According to Ghazi Mulla, the names of Al Qaeda's 3,501 members worldwide were listed along with the manifesto.
The ex-Taliban commander conveyed that Al Qaeda would not have been formed and there would have been no declaration of "jihad" had the U.S., Britain, Russia, Israel and India refrained from committing excesses against other people and nations.
"These countries are bent upon destroying the world for the sake of their vested interest. The Al Qaeda members aren't terrorists. The only fault of Al Qaeda is that it wants justice in the world as well as an end to the policy of exploiting and making poor nations hostage," he stated.
Ghazi Mulla said the "jihad" would continue until the liberation of Bait Al Maqdas (Jerusalem), withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Middle East and Afghanistan, and an end to Indian occupation of Kashmir. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
