The Islamic State has issued a statement claiming responsibility for yesterdays’s terrorist attacks throughout the city of Paris. The message is titled, “A Statement on the Blessed Onslaught in Paris against the Crusader Nation of France.” The statement was issued in several languages, including Arabic, English, French and Russian. The English-language version can be seen below.
In addition, the group has released audio readings of the message. In the English-language reading, the man appears to speak with an American accent.
“In a blessed battle whose causes of success were enabled by Allah, a group of believers from the soldiers of the Caliphate (may Allah strengthen and support it) set out targeting the capital of prostitution and vice, the lead carrier of the cross in Europe — Paris,” the body of the statement begins.
The message continues: “This group of believers were youth who divorced the worldly life and advanced towards their enemy hoping to be killed for Allah’s sake, doing so in support of His religion, His Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him), and His allies. They did so in spite of His enemies. Thus, they were truthful with Allah — we consider them so — and Allah granted victory upon their hands and cast terror into the hearts of the crusaders in their very own homeland.”
The Islamic State does not provide precise details concerning the attackers. Its description matches, more or less, the information that can be gleaned from press reporting. Eight attackers wearing suicide vests assaulted targets throughout the city, including the Bataclan theater (where a band was playing), the Stade de France (a stadium where a soccer match was being played between France and Germany), as well as restaurants and other targets. The terrorists took hostages at the Bataclan, killing more than 100 people before police raided the building.
“And so eight brothers equipped with explosive belts and assault rifles attacked precisely chosen targets in the center of the capital of France,” the Islamic State says. “These targets included the Stade de France stadium during a soccer match — between teams of Germany and France, both of which are crusader nations — attended by the imbecile of France (Francois Hollande). The targets included the Bataclan theatre for exhibitions, where hundreds of pagans gathered for a concert of prostitution and vice. There were also simultaneous attacks on other targets in the tenth, eleventh, and eighteenth districts, and elsewhere.”
The Islamic State says Paris was “shaken beneath the crusaders’ feet, who were constricted by its streets,” and the attacks resulted in “the deaths of no less than two hundred crusaders and the wounding of even more.”
Officials have confirmed that at least seven of the eight attackers detonated their suicide belts before they could be apprehended or killed. “They detonated their explosive belts in the masses of the disbelievers after finishing all their ammunition,” the Islamic State says.
The statement ends with a warning: “Let France and all nations following its path know that they will continue to be at the top of the target list for the Islamic State and that the scent of death will not leave their nostrils as long as they partake in the crusader campaign, as long as they dare to curse our Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him), and as long as they boast about their war against Islam in France and their strikes against Muslims in the lands of the Caliphate with their jets, which were of no avail to them in the filthy streets and alleys of Paris.”
The phrase “dare to curse our Prophet” may be a reference to Charlie Hebdo magazine, which was attacked by brothers backed by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
“Indeed, this is just the beginning,” the Islamic State says. “It is also a warning for any who wish to take heed.”
23 Comments
Same as the Metrojet take credit statement.
Gatwick Airport near London now has one found grenade, two found pistols and one found fuzzy. Could they have been attempting coordination with their French brothers?
Shock and awe terror attacks is almost all the Islamic state has left in its tank. The collapse of this non state is underway.
Let us remember that 1.6 billion muslims have rejected the ersatz caliphs call to either emigrate or make jihad. Millions of muslims are arrayed at the same time with what some would call christian nations-western nations, some working together in the same battle space, others not but all fighting the islamic state. The islamic state is being squeezed from everywhere.
2016 looks to be a terrible year for the islamic state.
It is time (past time) for an international focus on pressuring ISIS intensively on multiple fronts. They don’t have the capacity to fight on multiple fronts simultaneously and as Irebukeu asserts can be made to collapse — perhaps very quickly.
I agree. The Islamic state can’t fight on several fronts at once. I think the militias have finally stiffened up resistance for the Iraqi government. They may soon be a threat to that government, but for the time being they are ‘saving’ that government.
IMO the IS will try to first dislodge the Kurds from Sinjar. If the Syrian front is quiet they will again try to take Baiji to take some wind out of the Shia’s sails.
Still ISIS is very dangerous. they have mestasized. So surgically cutting out the largest tumor does not denote victory.
I can see this putting AQ in an awkward position when they want to come out with a video praising the attacks but can’t because ISIS is their rival. A house divided against itself cannot stand!
@Arjuna,
This is all like “monkey see, monkey do”. Maybe we should just call it “copycat terrorism”. It’s time we held these major websites accountable for promoting (whether they’re willing to admit it or not) these kinds of attacks. They pay lip service to freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Yet, here they are furthering the cause of the very entities that will kill to eliminate freedom of speech and freedom of religion. The way I see it, is that the internet has become the biblical equivalent of the Tower of Babel.
My take on the matter is that this ISIS group (at least the core of it) had no idea these attacks were about to take place. Yet, here they are taking credit for them. This is all part of their strategy, to sow anarchy and chaos in the nations of those they perceive to be their enemies. And to also encourage further (copycat) attacks. These major websites are only serving to advance their goals.
The first thing that we need to do is to not panic. The killing fields have begun, the global holocaust has begun. If we let these thugs have their way, only the divine intervention of God will save this world.
Hmmm… Putin and Assad and the Kurds are fighting them hard.
I suppose if you measure them (IS) against Genghis Khan, they’re weak. As opposed to old (pre-9/11) Al Qaeda, they are about 100 x as large. And they want to die just as badly as any mad martyr in history. Look at the geography of just the past month’s attacks. I am a bit pessimistic after a quarter century of watching Islamists destroy civilization with their bombs and barbarism. I sure hope it’ll be a bad year for them before there’s nothing left to blow up in the Muslim world and all the non-Muslims have emigrated or been killed.
I’m sorry, I’m not as optimistic as those commenters before me. Peaceful Islamic believers think that there is little to no support for ISIS, even within the territory they control in Syria and Iraq. But the Muslim world is split into many parts, some of which are close to ISIS on the spectrum.
Look at Saudi Arabia – they’re currently funding the Nusra Front, and a significant portion of their supporters split to ISIS. Qatar funds Hamas, as do several other Islamic countires. Hamas seems less extreme only because ISIS is in the picture. If they had the military capability, they would kill every Jew in Israel. And the “moderate” PA is currently running a campaign to stab a Jew (or more if possible) every day!
Islam is a cancer on the face of the world. How can a religion that claims that Jews are descended from apes and pigs be regarded as anything but an extreme danger to the West?
It is past time to pull out stops to destroy these bastards. Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan……Paris. We are next, I hope we are ready.
Let’ s hope so.
Mao said …”the guerrilla is to the people as the fish is to the sea”. It is so true. They must swim undetected amongst them.
The Uma that lives within western countries borders and within the protections of our laws, folkways and mores must now pay-with giving up their radical jihadi neighbors, relatives and acquaintances or face our rath! Vlad the Impaler will return and teach them lessons in the employment of terror to achieve your goals.
We know that Islam is not a religion of peace and Muhammad spread it with the sword and violence.
The infantry of the free world will kill these bastards engaged on the battlefield using maneuver and tactics as old as Alexander the Great and George Patton.
We know where there are, let’s go kill them. Simple, crude and effective.
Expect a certain number of relatively peaceful years, then repeat the cycle. It’s as old as mankind it’s self. Call it history.
Yikes, another divinely-inspired observer! Can’t we stay on Earth and leave Heaven to Hollywood? I think Baghdadi was intimately involved in choosing Paris (along w London and DC per their warnings). Discussed it w his generals and propaganda chiefs, told someone like Salim Beghalem to execute and Salim put together a travel team (not a JV team) comprised of Syrian Arabs, N Africans and French folks.
The reason they hit the targets they did? Baghdadi would say it is in direct response to the French bombings in Syria and Iraq which of necessity are causing “innocent” civilian casualties on their side. They went for the French President, just as the French hunt Baghdadi. Luckily they didn’t make it into the stadium. They took hostages because that is pure terrorism theater. Sadists, killing the wounded one by one. Someone needs to raze Raqqa.
Hurrah, another realist. To that great comment I would say that Shia Islam is probably the lesser of two evils Sunni/Shia and we (USA, USA) are on the wrong side in Syria and throughout the Arab world! Iran is infinitely better than Pakistan in terms of national misbehavior (parts of one bomb vs dozens?) and Saudi Arabia is the fountain of jihad’s evil money and doctrine. We should quickly switch sides and unite w Xi and Putin against the Saudi snakes and Pakistani proliferators (and IS too!). Only with a united front can these recalcitrant frenemies be brought onside.
The irony is that the blueprint adopted by the terrorist organizations around the world was designed by the ISI (mumbai 2008). ISI helps ISIS attack France. Sums up the messed up situation right now.
While some of the other posts are trumped up fanatical fanfare, there is some truth.
ISIS( or ISIL or IS) is feeling the pressure from multiple fronts. I feel these types of attacks will become far more common, as it may be one of only the ways they can exert themselves with their failing front-lines.
Also, while these attacks may seem terrible, this is basic terrorism at work. These attacks spread the uncertainty and fear they were designed to do. When they cannot succeed in a classical military style, this will be their bread and butter.
Twenty bombs should be twenty-five thousand…
http://news.sky.com/story/1588256/france-drops-20-bombs-on-is-stronghold-raqqa
Well Assad is fighting them hard, yes. The Kurds are certainly fighting but Putin has committed only a small fraction of his forces to the effort. Some of the nations against the islamic state have done almost nothing while others have done some but all still have such huge reserves of forces that have not even been tapped into while the Islamic state is fighting at 100%. For them it’s total war.
With total control of the skies for the allied and unallied anti-IS forces, there is no maneuver room on the battlefield for IS. The number of drones, satellites and aircraft is increasing. The square miles of IS land is shrinking and shrinking fast. The caliphate will be the shortest in islamic history. Bakr will be found. The outcome seems clear and certain. The danger comes later as cornered rats flee and try to go underground.
Don’t mean to twist the knife, James, but you’re dead wrong. Orders came from on high. Independent says: Iraqi intelligence officials warned France and other coalition countries of an imminent attack by Isis just a day before the Paris attacks, according to a dispatch seen by Associated Press. It said the Isis leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, had ordered attacks “through bombings, assassinations or hostage-taking in the coming days”.
Without the Saudi, Qatari and Western funding and arming of an amalgam of extremist Sunni groups across the Middle East, used as proxies to strike at Iran and its allies, there would be no ISIS. Let’s go back further. Without the direct, extensive and deliberate creation by the USA, their regional partners and Western allies of extremists during the 1970’s and 1980’s there would have been no so-called “War on Terror” and no terrorist attacks in Paris.
We cannot trust our governments to be moral and ethical. Islamic terrorism and indirect imperial dominance (hegemony) are products of our political and social elites.
Only in retrospect can we find answers, ..they (daesh) do this because these are easy targets of sheep (to them) .they are in the final throes of defeat. Will they turn back the Kurds with their American (coalition) air power? No…will they advance on russian/Assad/hezbollah/Iranian forces? No…not likely. So what will they do? They will spread out like a matastisizing cancer.Obvious answers won’t do it due to liberal idiots who still believe WE are the problem,when in fact,..their inability to stand up to these animals is the core problem.
Time to send in La Legion Etrengere. This kind of stuff is why France has them. The ranks are probably full of former Eastern Bloc vets who seek a real paycheck.
So are we supposed to believe that this press release from an undisclosed site is really isil factions? The same factions we have been told that use social media so well? Where is a video from Al-Baghdadi claiming responsibility? Where is the damage from the suicide bombs? We have all seen the damage suicide bombs do in other country’s. Why would a terrorist that was an European citizen be carrying Syrian passport. Where are the pictures of the fragmented bodies of the bombers? Who conveniently caused almost no injuries to others when they blew themselves up. You would think in a crowded city they would have been more successful. How convenient that emergency services were holding an exercise and a possible terrorist attack as one happened. Except for what the media is telling us, I really can’t find the evidence to support it. In a crowded modern city with all of todays cell phones and internet ….. There is almost no evidence to be seen on line.