Al Qaeda in Iraq's latest offensive

AP/Fox News:

A man claiming to be the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq vowed in an audiotape released Saturday to launch a monthlong offensive against U.S. troops.

There was no independent confirmation that the voice belonged to Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, but it sounded exactly like the one heard on previous audiotapes.

Al-Muhajir has been the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq since his predecessor Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in a U.S. airstrike northeast of Baghdad in 2006.

"We call on our beloved ones ... that each unit should present the head of an American as a gift to the charlatan Bush ... in addition to one of the apostate servants and slaves of the awakening (councils) during a one-month period," he said in the tape, posted on an Internet site known for its militant contents.

He made clear that the 30-day period begins from the day of the audiotape's release.

The release of the tape follows a series of deadly attacks that have raised fears of a possible Al Qaeda in Iraq resurgence. Militants have targeted members of the awakening councils, Sunni Arab tribesmen and former insurgents who changed sides and are now fighting Al Qaeda alongside U.S. forces.

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Saturday's tape quoted heavily from the Quran, Islam's holy book, and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. It contained no announcements on strategy or tactics, offering instead general advice on combat to Al Qaeda in Iraq fighters and urging them to diligently perform their religious duties.

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It sounds like he is auditioning for Fitna. I think this tape probably reveals how poorly the al Qaeda information operation is doing these days. It is probably that the offensive started a few days before the could get the tape released.

The offensive, such as it is, involves random acts of mass murder for Allah witch are not militarily significant. All they do is reinforce the anger Iraqis already have toward the al Qaeda religious bigots. That is is scheduled to last only 30 days also demonstrates their reduced capacity for sustained operations.

Perhaps they are attempting to reassert relevance because of the recent attention on the Sadr forces. They may believe that because of that attention there is a widow of opportunity for them. However they undercut their main allies in the US where Democrats keep insisting they do not exist.