Al-Qaeda in Yemen urges to supporters to kill Americans throughout the world

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has urged its members, associates and supporters to attack the American government and its citizens whether in the United States or in other parts of the world.

---

American-Yemeni radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi’s call to action was posted on the Internet's Jihadi web sites this past weekend. Awlaqi reportedly described American government officials and American citizens as the "imams of kufr (leaders of disbelief) in this day and age." "The American people who vote for war-mongering governments are intent on no good. Anyone who inflicts harm on them in any form is doing a favor to the ummah (Islamic nation)," he added. According to a report obtained by the Terrorism Committee of the National Association of Chiefs of Police from the U.S.-based SITE monitoring agency, Awlaqi called on Muslims to use money stolen from its enemies to fund a holy war. U.S. intelligence, law enforcement and security agencies have been looking for the American-born cleric since November for allegedly murdering American nationals. In a 23-minute video released last year, he told supporters not to consult anyone in killing Americans. In October, he was accused of having links with al-Qaeda and of encouraging the killing of foreigners. Washington, meanwhile, has increased pressure on Yemen, where AQAP’s headquarters are situated, to hunt down Awlaqi. Yemen is also the ancestral home of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Awlaqi’s latest diatribe occurred about a week after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton paid an unanounced visit to Yemen to push for progress in the country's fight against al-Qaeda and to resolve its conflicts. She told Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh that both Washington and Sana’a had similar threats from terrorists. YEMENI IMAMS THREATEN U.S. Yemen, located on the Arabian peninsula, has become a hotbed of Jihadi activity over the last few years. In January, 2010, following the failed Christmas bombing attempt in a plane landing at Detroit's International Airport, a group of Imams from mosques in Yemen sent a message to President Barack Obama threatening to declare Jihad (holy war) if any foreign troops attempt to assist Yemeni forces in battling the growing number of al-Qaeda terrorists operating and training in their country. The announcement was believed to be directed specifically at U.S. government officials who are assisting Yemen in its counterterrorism operations. The Islamic leaders said that their call for Jihad will be initiated if any troops land in Yemen or are present within that nation's territorial waters. Yemeni al-Qaeda members claimed responsibility for the unsuccessful bombing of a Northwest Airlines plane landing at Detroit International Airport on Christmas Day. As a result, the United States and Britain increased military aid to Yemen in order to fight the terrorists and stop foreign fighters from entering that impoverished African nation.. Yemen's recent history is one of violence and civil wars. The central government does not control several regions of the country and armed warlords and their militias are a source of instability within the central government. According to intelligence sources, the Yemeni government observes an unwritten policy of ignoring the activities of terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda which, after being pushed out of Afghanistan, has taken a foothold in Yemen and practically duplicated what the terrorists once had thanks to the Afghan Taliban rulers. While there are no indications that the U.S. is planning to "put boots on the ground" in Yemen, the government has increased its anti-terrorism assistance to its military. Britain has also indicated it too would provide assistance to the Yemeni military and security forces. Last year, the U.S. increased counterterrorism assistance to Yemen with $67 million in military aid. In addition, the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's office unveiled a plan to provide development assistance in the amount of more than $60 million to that impoverished nation in the fiscal year 2010. But intelligence, security, and military experts believe the amount of money being spent is inadequate to fight the terrorists and prevent the creation of a new "Afghanistan."