Afghan Rebel Calls for Suicide Attacks on US (unapologetic copy & paste)

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Feb. 23) - Afghan rebel commander Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 
said he is proud the United States has branded him a terrorist and echoed 
Osama bin Laden's call for suicide attacks against Americans, according to a 
statement obtained Sunday by The Associated Press.

Calling the United States the ``big Satan of the world,'' Hekmatyar, a former 
Afghan prime minister, also vowed jihad against U.S. troops in Afghanistan. 
American forces are combing parts of eastern Afghanistan for Hekmatyar, his 
loyalists and Taliban and al-Qaida fugitives.

``I am thankful to Almighty God that the United States of America thinks I am 
a terrorist. It is a matter of pride for me that such a strong country wants 
to punish me for the sake of my holy religion, Islam,'' the statement 
attributed to Hekmatyar said.

``I ask the Muslims of the world to wage a guerrilla war by using suicide 
attacks,'' the statement said. ``Now is not the time for large-scale group 
assaults, but rather for individual attacks.''

The Pashtu-language statement was provided to the AP by a security officer in 
Hekmatyar's Hezb-e-Islami group at an Afghan refugee camp in northwest 
Pakistan. Hekmatyar's signature was confirmed by a former member of his group.

The statement urged Iraq to respond with suicide bombings if the United 
States attacks.

``I say to Iraqi people do not be afraid. I know war is being imposed upon 
you. You should ready yourself to carry out suicide attacks,'' the statement 
said. ``History shall prove that if the Iraqi people remain united they shall 
find honor in conquering the USA.''

The former Hezb-e-Islami member, speaking on condition of anonymity because 
he feared for his life, said Hekmatyar was seen in Afghanistan's eastern 
Kapisa province two weeks ago and has been shuttling between Kapisa and the 
nearby regions of Nangarhar, Laghman and Kunar.

U.S. special forces are stationed in Kunar, where Hekmatyar is believed to 
have a significant force. A Western diplomat in the Afghan capital, Kabul, 
said Kunar was of particular concern because of its proximity to neighboring 
Pakistan and high peaks where fighters can hide.

U.S. troops there have come under regular attack, often the target of 
ambushes.

In the statement, Hekmatyar denies being affiliated with the Taliban and with 
al-Qaida in Afghanistan. U.S. and other Western intelligence officials, 
several Taliban and even members of Hekmatyar's own group have said he has 
ties to bin Laden's terrorist network.

Hekmatyar's men are believed to have hidden several al-Qaida fugitives in 
Pakistan, including Jamal Hasan, also known as Abu Aade, a Palestinian with 
both Jordanian and American citizenship.

During the 1980s Afghan war against the Soviet Union, Hekmatyar received 
Western aid that was funneled through Pakistan's intelligence agency to the 
Islamic insurgents.

``Hekmatyar has many sympathizers inside political parties in Pakistan, 
inside the intelligence. Hekmatyar is not an enemy of Pakistan,'' said Hamid 
Gul, former head of Pakistan's intelligence agency, InterServices 
Intelligence. Pakistani intelligence supported the Taliban when they ruled 
Afghanistan in the 1990s, and many of its officials remain sympathetic.

``You can't ask people to be enemies of men they called friends just the day 
before. They don't see that they have done anything wrong,'' Gul said.

Hekmatyar is closely aligned to Pakistan's oldest and best-organized Islamic 
party, Jamaat-e-Islami which is a leading member of the 6-party Islamic 
coalition that rules the North West Frontier Province along the Afghan border.

02/23/03 13:18 EST

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. 
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