The global jihad hitherto waged by Al Qaeda has metamorphosed into a Jihadi Intifada, in which individual Muslims will fight for the cause of Islam. The role of jihadi organisations has become secondary. Destruction of such organisations will not have any impact on the Jihadi Intifada being waged by individual Muslims.Mullah Mohammad Omar, the Amir of the Taliban, will lead this global Jihadi Intifada. The Muslims of the world should unite under his leadership.
That is the substance of the message conveyed by Ayman al-Zawahiri, the No. 2 to Osama bin Laden, to the Muslims of the world on February12, 2007. This message has come in the wake of his earlier message of January22, 2007, disseminated coinciding with President George Bush's State of the Union address to the newly-elected Congress.
In the portion of the message of February 12, 2007, addressed to the American people, Zawahiri says: