February 16, 2007

Exclusive Video: as Sahab 'Holocaust of the Americans in Afghanistan' Exposes al Qaeda Misinformation Campaign

******Jawa Report Exclusive******
(click the pic for video)

An unreleased English subtitled video produced by as-Sahab, the al Qaeda production company, has been obtained for The Jawa Report by Laura Mansfield. The video is titled "The Holocaust of the Americans in the Land of Khorasan (Afghanistan)". The video may be downloaded here.

The 24 minute video of al Qaeda & Taliban fighters in Afghanistan begins with footage from a recent speech by Ayman al-Zawahiri. The video then goes on to show the planning and execution of an al Qaeda operation against what it says is an "apostate" (Afghan army) and American base of Arghandab, in the Southern Afghani province of Zabul. In September of last year Taliban forces claimed to have captured the district after Afghani forces withdrew fearing an offensive.

The video was given to The Jawa Report after it was intercepted by Laura Mansfield before its public release. Normally, these videos are first announced and then released at Islamic forums. However, this video was intercepted before any public announcement.

Portions of the video seemed to have been taken from footage aired on al Jazeera television last week. Other portions, such as of Zawahiri speaking, have been previously released on the internet. The bulk of the video, though, is of unreleased material.

The Arabic narrative of the video suggests that the Taliban and al Qaeda forces had "liberated" what was once a base of operations used by the U.S. Army and which had been abandoned after the offensive. Two abandoned "compounds", both of which seem to be constructed of mud brick, are shown. One is claimed to be American and the other Afghani. But other than some very sketchy night time video, there is no evidence as to why the compunds were abandoned.

In one building which is called a "baracks" there is some grafitti which appears to have been carved into the mud walls by American military men. One reads, "CPT Ashworth, UTAH NG, ETT, '06".

The narrative and the way the video is cut suggests that the attack against the compuond had happened very recently. But from the looks of it, the compund had been abandoned for some time. The fact that no equipment is left behind also suggests that when the American forces left, they did not do so hastily.

The only thing left behind? GARBAGE. In fact, an empty bag of chips is used to prove a conspiracy. This trash is used as evidence that, and I quote:

"We find that the primary financiers of this Crusade are the puppet regimes of the Gulf.

"Look, made in the Kindom of Saudi Arabia -- the Lays Company"

"From the Arabians, also?"

"Aha, they back the Americans."

Seriously, you can't make dialogue like that up.

The propaganda video contradicts earlier press releases by Taliban spokesmen Qari Yousuf Ahmadi who claimed the entire district was captured without any resistance. Ahmadi had claimed that large caches of weapons and equipment had been captured, but the video shows no equipment and only trash and rubble left behind. That earlier account was backed up by Afghani officials who said that all government agents had withdrawn from the area in light of a build up of Taliban forces in the area.

In fact, the video shows the "barracks" in a segment taken before its "liberation" from the U.S. troops. The barracks appear to be empty. A very small checkpoint with a single truck seems to be the only evidence offered that any Afghani or any other troops are in the area.

It would seem, then, that the entire narrative of the offensive is a sham. There was no major fight here.

Further, while the "mujahideen" are all seen with covered faces, the locals are not. Three locals, all men, are interviewed welcoming the "students" (Taliban) back. They recount how the Afghani troops had not treated them well and had accused them of helping the Taliban, which they seem to claim is an injustice. Oddly, it would seem that the video shows that they were, in fact, helping the Taliban and that the accusations were true.

Further the "Taliban" fighters all speak Arabic, and not the local Pashtun. A clear indication that these are al Qaeda fighters and not "locals" engaged in a war of liberation.

Images from the video below.

Update by Howie: Google Video copy here. Embed below the fold.