samir khan al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula “expectations full” jihadi manual

7/31/2019 Samir Khan Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Expectations Full Jihadi Manual

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al-Malahem Media | 2012


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2 Expectations full

FOREWORD

Al-Malahem MediaSpring2012 | 1433

Many Muslims dream of making it to the front lines of jihad. Each one of them havea certain image in their mind of how being in the lands of jihad would be like. Thisimage may vary from one Muslim to another, but this image or that wouldnt be anycloser to the image of someone who had actually made that journey. The writer ofthis document did exactly that, there are things this document that wouldnt havebeen expressed in a particular way if its writer wasnt himself coming from the West.In this document, the writer gives his fellow Muslims a sense of what the live of a mu-jahid would be during the twenty first century. In this time, the intensified intellectualwar waged on ourummahhas reached a point where it has left the majority unap-preciative of their brethren who sat off to defend theummahs principles and honor.

For those Muslims coming from the West, this is a must read document as it includesan invaluable information which will enable them to appropriately understand theimportance of their role in the scale of this battle and provide them with a visibility toaptly choose their next step.

In the Arabian Peninsula, the mujahideens circumstances now are different to some

extent from that described in this document. This is due to the mujahideens recentopening of Abyan, at this time; the mujahideen are managing the affairs of the Mus-lims after having implemented AllahsShariahin most of that region and are in a stateof expansion All praise due to Allah.

Samir khan the writer of this document was martyred along with Shaykh AnwarAl Awlaki after being targeted by An American drones in 30th Sept. 2011. We askAllah to accept them and make their work a benefit for the Muslims.

This is the account of our brother Samir Khan, may Allah have mercy on him.


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Living amongst the heroes o Islam in the Arabian Peninsula has mademe come to many realizations about how guerrilla warare is conducted

by the mujahidun. Beore embarking upon the journey to the ummahsmujahidin, I was always under the impression that ghting either directlyor indirectly was what I would be doing most o the time. Te reality isnot quite like that. I have realized that living with the mujahidin willactually retransorm ones lie style and habits to something that is closerto Allahs pleasure. In this series o notes I have jotted down, I will besharing those experiences. Samir Z. Khan

Introduction:

EXPECTATIONS FULL


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CleanlinessRemaining clean throughout your jihd career should never be overlooked due tothe problems that may arise. In some cases, you will be staying with a ew brothers ina tight room or house. In order to avoid unnecessary problems, encourage yourseland your brothers to clean the room(s) on a regular basis. As or yoursel, a daily

shower is ideal but not possible in many cases. Water supply can sometimes be anissue in the place you will temporarily stay in. Tus it is important to rememberothers beore yoursel in such situations. In other words, i you dont need to usea large amount o water, then dont use it.


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Base-to-base

Most o your time will be spent traveling rom base-to-base. Te bases vary all throughout the region. Some othe rules or most bases include not traveling outside the base whatsoever, speaking in a low voice, not shooting

your gun, and not using the cellphone. In some cases, there are bases which orbid the use o electronic equipment.You will be traveling to these bases with a ew mujahidin; and there will be times where you will be traveling withlarge groups. When living in the base, make your time useul. Te days will go by slowly. I you can speak the locallanguage, try to benet rom the company o the mujahidin. I you are not assigned to any obligations, do your bestto spend a good portion o your time memorizing the Quran and doing other acts o`Ibadah.

Te duration o stay in the bases always vary. It can range anywhere rom a ew hours to a ew months. I suggestyou try and practice this at your house, a riends house, a hotel/motel, the mountains or a masjid. Live in thelocality or exactly one week or however long you can with a riend or two; don't use any electronic equipment. Foryour cellphone, use it only or emergency. Don't leave the locality during this period except or emergencies. Getaccustomed to reading books, memorizing the Quran, pondering over it, making dhikror long periods o time,spending quality time with your companion(s), doing extra salah, making extended du`a, exercising, studying military

manuals (print them out), practicing ghting moves and various military techniques, cooking ood, cleaning yourclothes, cleaning the place o stay, and staying clean. Also get accustomed to keeping your voice low when talking withyour companions. Make sure you bring enough ood or your duration o stay; avoid overeating in order to preventany stomach problems. Finally, bring any necessary medicines or headaches, evers, colds, stomach pains and anyinsect killer sprays. Doing itikaain the masjid or a week is a good practice o this, but it doesn't give the ull eect asdoing it with a ew riends in a non-public place where people don't come in and out daily.

You will begin to realize the importance o having ree time when you lose it. So take advantage o your ree time,and spend that time wisely. Te downtime in jihad is a blessing rom Allah and not a negative aspect. In Iraq orexample, there was a group o mujahideen who stayed inside a house or three months straight and witnessed noghting, even though the ghting was hot and active on a daily basis. Also a brother rom Aghanistan told me that

he remained there or a year and only took part in an operation once. Tese are not unique cases; this is completelynormal. Not witnessing battle or extended periods o time is what many o us go through. Tis is why I stronglyrecommend those brothers in the West to wage jihad inside their countries since they can choose when to ght andwhen not to. In the lands o jihad however, you get to taste the ruits osabr. Te whole purpose o practicing thisis to not only prepare yoursel or the reality o what you will be acing at the bases o the mujahideen, but to alsoseparate your soul rom the materialistic world which most o us get easily attached to.


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Living outdoors

Living outdoors will be the most dicult o bases to stay in. In some bases, it won't be too bad since the mujahideenwill erect tents and there might be some basic comorts. It is possible though that there will be incidents were noneo this will be available and you will have to sleep on sand, rocks or grass. Tey may or may not have blankets andsleeping bags available.

As or the weather, you should do some research into the country beore arriving as to what its like during the dayand night, especially in deserts, mountainous regions and orests.You will want to wear your boots/sneakers/sandalsmost o the time in the outdoors, but you should get used to taking it o everyday or at least every 3 days to avoidrunning into oot problems. A brother in Aghanistan sticked to taking his boots o every 3 days but didnt do agood job o washing his eet thoroughly; afer some time, he developed a strange oot disease where his small toewas pushed underneath his oot. Afer that, he could no longer walk. ake good care o your eet and wash them properly.


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"Its a secret"

One o the pillars o modern day jihad is secrecy. I its members don't practice this amongst themselves,it is possible or the movement to all apart. What is meant here by secrecy is hiding rom the people yourpersonal inormation except or those details which the Amir has allowed. Tis is because i a mujahid

is captured by the kufaror murtadin and is interrogated through torture, he might give away your realname and where you come rom. So or example, i I am British but o Indian descent, I tell the brothersIm rom so-and-so land (a place where you obviously not rom). Or i you tell them "amniyat" whichmeans it's a secret trust, they will understand that it's a secret and will avoid asking again. However, thisdoesn't mean you turn yoursel into a complete robot and not respond to the brothers when they talk toyou. All you need to do is be careul when talking or responding to a question.

In addition, there are certain questions you should avoid asking. Some o these questions include,"Where are you rom", "How long have you been in the jihad", "Where does so-and-so stay", "When is so-and-so going out or the operation" and "When are we going to leave this base". Tis is because we don'twant any possible spies in our ranks to take advantage o this inormation. Also, the more you ask these

kind o questions, the more the mujahidin and its leadership will think o you as a spy and place you ontheir blacklist, keeping a close watch o you.


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Why not the West?I you're coming rom the West, especially America, you might be asked by the leaders o the mujahi-din or those who know where you're rom why you didn't partake in jihad inside your country. I youtell them, "to help the mujahidin, they might tell you that attacking the enemy in their backyard is oneo the best ways to help the jihad. Tey certainly will not orce you to go back home, but they will leave

that option open or you just in case you change your mind and decide to attack the enemy back home.

I strongly recommend all the brothers and sisters coming rom the West to con-sider attacking America in its own backyard. Te efect is much greater, it alwaysembarrasses the enemy, and these type o individual decision-making attacks arenearly impossible or them to contain.


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Aerial bombardment

Facing aerial bombardment rom the enemy is nothing new. Te mujahidin in Aghanistanace its threat on a daily basis as well as in other countries. When acing it or the rst time,it certainly will be a lie changing experience. It is normal or any human being to be shakenup by missiles which are released rom jets, helicopters, spy planes, ships and whatnot. Oneo the methods o the enemy is that they will employ a spy plane to hover over your locationor a period o time. You will be able to hear it rom its loud and annoying bee-like sound.Ten aer the enemy gathers enough intelligence on the target rom both aerial spying andground spies, they will attack the area with dierent types o missiles. Aer the assault, theyuse their spy plane to watch or any movement and they may or may not kill the remainingmujahidin. Tis is the strategy o our enemy when bombing us.

Te explosions come in various sizes. I have seen images in Aghanistan where the explo-sions leave craters that are between 5 to 10 meters deep and 10 to 20 meters wide. In Yem-

en, I aced cluster bombs. Tose missiles le craters that were about hal a meter deep, andmaybe our to ve eet wide. Aer the missile campaign is over and you are told to leavethe area, it is highly possible that the cluster bomb will have le grenades all over the area;so be careul o where you step. What will shock you is the sound o the explosion since it'sintended to surprise the one on the receiving end with a deaening blast. You will obviouslywant to cover your ears as tight as possible when being bombed since you want to avoidhearing problems.

During the blast, you will want to make as much dhikrand du`a as possible. Repeat the ka-limah constantly. I you eel terried, then think about paradise; close your eyes and imag-ine yoursel inside paradise, entering its magnicent gates. Imagine glancing at your beau-

tiul palace where rivers o honey, milk and wine fow underneath. Tink o your hoorthatare awaiting you as well as meeting the prophets, siddiqin, shuhada'and salihin. Imaginesmiling and laughing with our beloved Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wassallam.Imagine seeing Allah and witnessing His pleasure with you. Tink o all the good thingsin Paradise. Constantly ask Allah to accept you as a shahid.I swear by Allah, when one isunder the aerial bombardment o the enemy, there is no time in the world where one eelscloser to their Rabb than this. Tis is because one is smiling in the ace o death, waiting tobe relieved o this world and be transerred to the blessed stations o the Aerlie.

As or protecting yoursel rom the enemy bombardment and knowing what to do duringthe bombardment, this will all be taught to you when you join the ranks o the mujahidin.


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Dealing with injury

Getting injured in jihad is probable and should be expected, whether large or small. Tere are broth-ers though who have ought in jihad or many years and havent been injured. Sometimes an injurywill be totally unrelated to the enemy; it can come rom alling down and getting hurt, getting bit byan animal, or stepping on sharp objects. I you get injured in jihad, you must remain patient. It is pos-sible that through this pain, Allah will take your soul and give you shahada. And i He doesn't takeyour soul, then it is possible that Allah will orgive you or all your sins and grant you tremendousrewards. Remember that i you get injured when not ghting, you are still considered to be on jihad.In act, you are on jihad 24/7 until you die or leave jihad. So the injury will be a source o orgiveness

and reward rom Allah i you remain patient, In Sha'Allah.ake good care o your wounds and never neglect any open cuts since it can get inected and make

the injury worse.Alhamdullilah, the mujahidin have many brothers that are skilled in medicine andhealing wounds. So don't worry and put your trust in Allah. I recommend carrying a ew bandages inyour pocket as well as anything else you eel is necessary and light.


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Te word khidmah means service. When you are with themujahideen at their bases, you will notice everyone striv-ing to do something to serve the brothers whether large orminiscule. You will not see a bunch o lazy people sittingaround, doing absolutely nothing, and wasting their time.Rather, you will see them making use o their time. Forexample, i you see the drinking bottles o the mujahideenempty, don't ask anyone i they want to have it re-lled; justget up and do it or them, seeking the reward rom Allah.Don't seek their praises, but seek the happiness o Allah.

You will nd the mujahideen to be a people o sacrice;so when a brother is thirsty, instead o drinking a glass owater rst, he will pass it around to others who are thirsty.Once everyone drinks to their ll, he will drink last. Tis isa normal practice amongst the mujahideen.Masha'allah,there is one brother whom we nickname 'chai man' since healways oers the brothers chai, even i he is asting! His chai

is always tasty and careully made. Te brothers won't evenask or chai and the brother would all o a sudden appearwith the chai ready and drinking glasses cleaned. You wouldnever see him dragging his eet when oering the chai; he isalways pleased to serve his mujahideen bretheren.

Don't think or a moment that just because you are a oreigneror a guest o the mujahideen that you shouldn't help the broth-ers. You should always oer yoursel to help them whether it bein ood, drink, digging, cleaning, xing and so on.

Khidmah


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raining camps

Te training camps in al-qa'idah are nothing next to easy, even or the experienced. It requires a ulltank osabras well as stamina. In al-qa'idah, we don't care about the size o your muscles, how astyou run, how strong your legs are and so on; although these things will be strengthened, but we puta special ocus on 'lasting long' and outdoing the enemy in patience. So it's not about who runs thetrack the astest, but who can last a jog or miles with all equipment. It's not about who can memorizeall the military teachings the quickest, but who can understand it correctly and perhaps oer a bettersolution i possible.

Te jihad today requires intelligence, patience, stamina, and a great deal oiman andyaqeen in Allah.It is not about just rushing to the enemy bases and attempting to take them over, but it is about whatto do in the long run and how to build upon that. In our training, we attempt to provide the most cor-rect and useul training techniques and strategies and to build our ghters into men o iron and steel.

Te physical training consists o many push-ups, sit-ups, and various exercises on a daily basis.Tere is also a lot o dierent and unique obstacles set up or the mujahideen to go through in or-der to give them the most realistic taste o what it's like to take part in an operation. Tere is also aocus on building natural strength in your body. For example, in the al-arooq training camp insideAghanistan, the trainer ordered all the mujahideen to take o their shoes and socks and to walkbareooted on the mountains, stepping over everything including sticks, thorns, mud, sharp rocks etc.Many mujahideen came back with bloodied eet. Tis was all done so that they could build naturalstrength in their eet, making it rough and tough, because there could arise a situation where themujahid escapes prison and has no shoes to walk with or the mujahideen might lose their shoessomehow and have to walk bareoot on the mountains.

Te trainer o the camp also goes over guerilla warare, its history, its importance, its strategy, andso on, taking it rom an assortment o books rom both jihadi authors as well as non-jihadi works.In short, prepare or the worse, and hope in the best.


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Bringing your amily

I you have a amily that you want to bring to jihad, it may or may not be possible

depending on the logistics o the mujahideen. In Yemen or example, it's extremely

difcult to bring your wie and kids to live amongst the mujahideen. In other lands,

this may not be a problem. So i you know that the land you are going to is tight on

this, then what you can do is bring your amily to the land, but keep them in a city

where they will be sae and protected by riends. You don't want to risk them being

captured by the murtadeen and witnessing them getting raped and tortured in order

to extract inormation about you.


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Domestic politics

You should be aware o the domestic political plight o the people in the country you wish totravel to. Besides being aware o any oppression or aggression rom the government or oreign

orces on the civil population, you should be aware o any major movements, their goals, andactivities. In yemen or instance, we have the houti shi'as ghting the yemeni and saudi govern-ment in the north, and we have the hirak (communist sect) ghting the yemeni government inthe south. You should also be aware o the mindset o the people in order to avoid suspicion.Tis all can be achieved i you ollow the media reports rom that country.


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Te importance oAdhkar

Beore I came to jihad, I knew the importance oadhkarbut not anything in relation to experience.On the rst day I met with the mujahidin, beore sunset arrived, a mujahid told me to make adhkar;he went on to explain that the Apostate Government o Saudi Arabia has individuals that work along-side evil jinns that spy on the mujahidin and give away their position. I was shocked and couldn'tbelieve it. Later, other mujahidin conrmed the same thing to me, including some shuyookh, who

would say that the same thing happens with the Apostates o Yemen. Tey will use sihr(magic) inorder to ght the mujahidin. However, by Allah's grace, there are many good jinns that protect themujahidin and deend us. Tis is the world o the unseen and Allah knows best. Tereore, it is im-perative that you start memorizing the adhkaror the morning and evening and start practicing it ona daily bases, not giving yoursel an excuse to miss a single day. You need to do this in order to protect

yoursel rom shaytan and the evil jinns that work or the shayatin amongst men.


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Tis nishes our brieng on expectations

and everything you should expect when on

jihad. Tere might be a ew things le outboth intentionally and unintentionally; orthose things that are le out intentionally,it is because we don't want our enemy toknow what we do. I didn't write any o thisto scare my readers or to make them thinktwice; rather, I want to prepare them or thereality so that they don't commit the majorsin o leaving jihad when Allah has blessedthem with it. Also, now that you know whatto expect, you can compare that with doing

jihad in the west, weigh the pros and cons,

and make your decision.

samir khan al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula “expectations full” jihadi manual

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