ISIS Leader to USA: ��Soon We Will be in Direct Confrontation



(CNSNews.com) - Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), issued a rare audio message back on January 21 in which he flatly stated his group’s intention to march on Baghdad and move into “direct confrontation” with the United States.

“Our last message is to the Americans. Soon we will be in direct confrontation, and the sons of Islam have prepared for such a day,” Baghdadi said. “So watch, for we are with you, watching.”

When the House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing on February 5 on al Qaida’s resurgence in Iraq, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iran and Iraq Brett McGurk presented written testimony explaining the agenda of ISIS (also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL), and discussed Baghdadi’s audio message to Americans.
ISIL, McGurk said, focuses on “an aim to carve out an Islamic caliphate stretching from Baghdad to Lebanon.”

“ISIL has also made its intentions clear: move from a new base of operations in Fallujah to Baghdad--a distance of under 30 miles,” McGurk said in his written testimony. “Its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, had this to say in a rare audio statement issued on January 21: ‘As for ISIS in Iraq: Be in the frontlines against the Shia, and march toward Baghdad and the South, keep the Shia busy in their own areas. Know that the entire Sunni population and the brothers in Syria are watching you.’”

McGurk then noted that Baghdadi went on to conclude his audio statement by issuing a direct threat to the United States. Specifically, Baghdadi said: “Our last message is to the Americans. Soon we will be in direct confrontation, and the sons of Islam have prepared for such a day. So watch, for we are with you, watching.”

“We take such threats seriously and through cooperation with this committee and the Congress, we intend to help the Iraqis in their efforts to defeat ISIL over long term,” McGurk told the committee in his spoken testimony.

The day before McGurk appeared in the Foreign Affairs Committee, CIA Director John Brennan testified at the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’s annual hearing on “Worldwide Threats.” Discussing Jabhat al Nusra, which is the al Qaeda affiliate in Syria, and ISIL, Brennan warned that al Qaeda may develop the capability to “use Syria as a launching pad” for attacks on the West, and that al Qaeda already had training camps both in Syria and Iraq where it was developing capabilities that could threaten the West.

“There are three groups of people [operating in Eastern Syria] that are a concern, from an extremist standpoint; Ahrar Asham, Jabhat al-Nusra, which is the Al Qaida element within Syria, and the Islamic state of Iraq and Levant,” said Brennan. “It's those latter two I think are most dedicated to a terrorist agenda.

“We are concerned about the use of Syrian territory by the Al Qaida organization to recruit individuals and develop the capability to be able not just to carry out attacks inside of Syria, but also to use Syria as a launching pad,” he said.

“So it's those elements--Al Qaida and ISIL--that I'm concerned about, and especially the ability of these groups to attract individuals from other countries, both from the West, as well as throughout the Middle East and South Asia, and with some experienced operatives there who have had experience in carrying out a global Jihad,” Brennan continued.

“There are camps inside of both Iraq and Syria that are used by Al Qaida to develop capabilities that are applicable, both in the theater, as well as beyond,” the CIA director testified.

House Intelligence Chairman Mike Rogers asked Brennan: “Do you believe that that ungoverned space presents a real threat to the United States of America, via al Qaida operations, or the West?

“I do,” said Brennan.

On Feb. 2, al Qaeda had issued a statement on inline disassociating itself from ISIL, which had tried to take over al Nusra Front, which al Qaeda had designated as its official affiliate in Syria. In his Feb. 5 testimony, McGurk discussed this break between al Qaeda and ISIL.

"ISIL and al Nusra were both kind of came out of Al Qaida in Iraq," said McGurk. "ISIL, basically, is al Qaida in Iraq. It's leader was the al Qaida and Iraq leader since 2010. Nusra was a bit of an offshoot and is focused more on Syria. As you said, there's now this message, which seems from [al Qaida leader] Zawahiri, saying that ISIL is no longer affiliated with Al Qaida central."

Bbbbbut don't worry, Obama will protect us.

Yea right.

Odumbo is drawing up a sanctions package as we speak. He is going to be sending more weapons through Turkey so those bad Syrians don't get out of control.

He is also drawing up plans to cripple Iran.

You mean president "I stand with Islam"?

Seems only the terrorist factions of Islam like him

That will end tho as soon as he stops... correction.....we stop him.... sending them our guns and money

You know, when all is said and done, should have left Saddam Hussein in power.


Oh well.

If Saddam Hussein hadn't tried to bluff when it came to WMDs (wanting Iran to think that he had them), then he'd probably would still be alive and in power.

Yep, brother Bush called his bluff. Dough!

Saddam and his boys were butchers, but he did keep Iraq in control with a firm hand and there were no Al Qaeda there to worry about.... he hated competition! At least when he was in power the world wasn't at risk of a murderous caliphate controlling the ME.

The bankers couldn't have him selling Iraq's oil in anything other than US dollars tho..... so screw the consequences

Not really, WMD was just smoke and mirrors and the whole government knew it. It was all about the banks and the almighty petro dollar that Saddam stopped accepting, went to Euros.

Oh, couldn't have Saddam, he took his oil off the dollar standard, had to be overthrown.

President Obama said that he would make a decision about whether to use American military power to help the besieged Iraqi government stave off collapse at the hands of Islamist insurgents. "This poses a danger to Iraq and its people and, given the nature of these terrorists, it could pose a threat eventually to American interests as well," Mr. Obama said. The president cautioned against expecting quick action, saying the planning would take "several days" to make sure any airstrikes were effective.
Iraqi people hope QUICK action.

The advance of the terrorist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) -- an offshoot of al-Qaeda -- in Iraq has left Iraqi Turkmen (speaking Turkish language) facing danger. The Turkmen population lives most densely not in the city center but in towns such as Telafer, near Mosul. Terrorists tried to penetrate into the entrance of Telafar ( small town) from three axes after shelling with mortars and cannons for 7 hours. Terrorists met stiff resistance from forces of Federal Police and the people of tribes that ended their attack.