"I ask all Muslims to strike the countries of the coalition without hesitation. We must bring the war to the heart of the cities of the Western crusaders, particularly in America." The leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, invited in a audio message published on Mail On Sunday all the young Muslims of the world to carry out attacks in enemy territory, in the cities of the "crusaders", hoping for greater synergy among the militants.
"Take for example the brothers Tsarnaev and Kouachi who have successfully carried out attacks on the Boston marathon and the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo."
Considering references to former Taliban leader Mullah Omar, the message may have been recorded no later than two months ago. The death of Omar was announced by the Afghan government in late July.
Zawahiri also reiterated al-Qaeda's position on the Islamic state, as was the case in a previous registration published a few days ago. Al-Qaeda considers the caliphate to be illegitimate, but it would have confirmed its support in the fight against Western and secular forces in Iraq and Syria.
The former Egyptian doctor urged greater synergies between Islamic militant factions in Syria and Iraq, suggesting the establishment of an independent Sharia tribunal to resolve disputes.
