Join jehad or invite wrath,Zawahiri tells Pak

Warning the people of Pakistan that they would face painful punishment from Allah if they failed to back the militants to check the grave threat to their country from the US...

Warning the people of Pakistan that they would face painful punishment from Allah if they failed to back the militants to check the grave threat to their country from the US,al-Qaedas second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri on Wednesday said sincere Muslims have a duty to join jehad.

I believe that every honest and sincere Muslim in Pakistan should seriously contemplate… Pakistans present state and expected future,because the blatant American crusader interference in Pakistans affairs… has reached such an extent that it now poses a grave danger to Pakistans future and very existence, Zawahiri said in the message released on radical Islamist websites. He said it is the religious duty of Muslims to support jehad.

If we stand by passively without offering due support to the mujahedeen,we shall not only contribute to the destruction of Pakistan and Afghanistan,but we shall also deserve the painful punishment of almighty God.

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Stressing the need for funds,Zawahiri also urged Pakistanis to join the fight and contribute money. It is the individual duty of every Muslim in Pakistan to join the Mujahedeen,or at the very least,to support jehad in Pakistan and Afghanistan with money, he said.

This is the seventh message from Zawahiri espousing the views of the al-Qaeda terror network in 2009.

FRESH FIGHTING IN SWAT AS DISPLACED RETURN HOME

Islamabad: At least 13 Taliban and a soldier were killed in fresh fighting in Pakistans Swat valley,raising security concerns for thousands of displaced civilians returning home. The Government had said last week that over two million people displaced from Swat could begin returning as the objective of the operations against the Taliban had been achieved. However,violence has spiked over the past two days.

The Army said eight militants and a soldier were killed in a gunbattle on Tuesday night while troops were conducting a search operation in Kabal. Three militants were killed during a search operation at Reema while Abu Laith,described by the Army as a most wanted terrorist leader was gunned down at Peochar. Another militant was killed during a search operation in Chuprial.

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Nearly 2,300 displaced families have so far been ferried to Malakand division in buses and trucks provided by the Government and security forces. However,many people are apprehensive about their security despite the Armys claims of significant successes in its drive against the Taliban in Swat and nearby districts. PTI

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