Al-Qaida chief called for Islamic Caliphate in East Asia prior to Indonesia attacks

Bin Laden's successor calls for jihad in Indonesia hours before deadly terror attacks. Is there a connection?

By MAAYAN GROISMAN
Updated: JANUARY 14, 2016 13:13
Indonesia explosion killed six people, suspect still in chase
On Wednesday, a few hours before Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, witnessed multiple explosions, al-Qaida's media institution, Al-Sahab, released a video of al-Qaida's leader, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, urging jihadists in Nusantara (an Indonesian term used by jihadists to describe East Asia) to "exert efforts to eliminate the secular regimes in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines and replace them with Islamic regimes based on Sharia." 
Al-Zawahiri emphasized the importance of participating in the "war of armed jihad against the biggest enemy [The United States] who supports Israel and acts decisively to assure that the oppression and killing of Muslims in East Asia continues."
Threatening the government in East Asia, al-Qaida's leader stated that "this war will eventually lead to a clash with US agents in the area, who deprive Muslims of their freedom."
Al-Zawahiri called on Nusantara jihadists to "walk in the way of Osama Bin-Laden, the mastermind of the Bali and Jakarta attacks [the terror attacks committed by al-Qaida in Indonesia on October 2002].”
Al-Qaida's leader stressed the urgent need to "gather the Islamic nation around the idea of forming an Islamic Caliphate in East Asia, explaining that a main goal of the war against US interests in the region is to "protect Muslims' territories and deter the biggest criminals."
The timing of the comments may indicate that the series of explosions that took place in Indonesia on Thursday morning were committed by an al-Qaida affiliated organization in Indonesia which tried to follow Al-Zawahiri's orders and carry out an impressive operation that will strike fear in Indonesia.


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