LIFG Faction Breaks with AQ; Historical LIFG Statements re: AQ/Taliban Relationship
The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a communiqué from current and former members of the Libyan Islamic Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG)-Britain, in which this faction of the LIFG announced its split with Al-Qaida.
The faction criticized Al-Qaida for "wrongful practices like random bombings, destroying private and public property, and targeting civilians" and announced its support for "the current dialogue between the group's [LIFG] leadership and the Libyan regime."
The NEFA Foundation has also obtained and translated several communiqués previously issued by the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) which shed light on the group's historical relationship with Al-Qaida and the Taliban. In the wake of both the 1998 East Africa Embassy Bombings and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the LIFG leadership issued statements supporting their fellow mujahideen "brothers" and condemning the United States and its allies.
Following punitive U.S. missile strikes on Sudan and Afghanistan for the August 1998 Al-Qaida bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, the LIFG issued an official communiqué condemning "these barbaric strikes" and "announcing its support for Muslims in Sudan and Afghanistan... Simultaneously, we would also like to present some facts to the Islamic nation, in order to prove that America is not only the enemy of the Mujahid Shaykh Usama Bin Laden and Islamist movements, but rather the enemy of the entire Islamic nation... The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group calls upon Muslims to confront this American aggression in order to give the proper response to this bellicose attack against the people of this Islamic nation."
Likewise, in reaction to the American invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, the LIFG released a fatwah from Shaykh Hassan Qaid ruling that, "by declaring war against the Muslims and occupying their countries, the United States of America has made its interests all across the world into legitimate targets for the mujahideen. They should bomb and demolish them with any means available. Those interests include military, economic, social, embassies, cultural centers, tourists, or any individuals in any place upon earth." For more information on the LIFG, see NEFA Senior Investigator Evan Kohlmann's dossier.
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The NEFA Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt, charitable organization created after the attacks of September 11, 2001. The Foundation strives to help prevent future tragedies in the U.S. and abroad by exposing those responsible for planning, funding, and executing terrorist activities, with a particular emphasis on Islamic militant organizations.
