The international Al-Qaeda terrorist organization slammed the Turkish government Sunday for cooperating with the Israel Defense Forces and killing Muslims in Afghanistan. Turkey is a member of NATO, which has sent forces to the area.
“The Turkish government issues statements against Israel, but at the same time commits the same Jewish crimes but against the Muslim mujahedeen in Afghanistan, burning their houses, demolishing their villages and even assuming the leadership of the NATO there,” said Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al-Qaeda second-in-command.
Al-Zawahiri urged Turks in a 20-minute audio message posted on a Muslim extremist website to force their government to break ties with the Jewish State and stop killing Muslims. He also offered his condolences on the deaths of nine Turkish terrorists who clashed with Israeli Navy commandos in May.
The message was intended to reach Muslims outside the Arab world, generally the group's traditional circle of influence.
The Egyptian-born 59-year-old deputy to Osama Bin Laden accused the Turkish government of betraying Palestinian Authority Arabs by showing sympathy through humanitarian aid shipments on one hand, yet cooperating with the IDF on the other, according to the Associated Press, which obtained a translation of the audio tape.
“The Turkish government shows sympathy with the Palestinians through statements or sending some relief aid, but actually it recognizes Israel, engages in trade, carries out military training and shares information with it,” Al-Zawahiri charged.
He also expressed deep regret for the deaths of the nine armed IHH terror activists who attacked Israeli Navy commandos when they boarded a Turkish vessel sent to break Israel's maritime blockade of Gaza. The flotilla clash occurred May 31 on the Mavi Marmara, one of six vessels that purported to bring humanitarian aid to the Hamas terrorist-controlled region. The Mavi Marmara was subsequently found to be carrying no aid at all.
Al-Zawahiri added in his audio message that he blames the United States, Israel and “treacherous Muslim governments” for the “siege” of Gaza.
The Al-Qaeda leader is allegedly a qualified surgeon and was the second and last “emir” of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad organization, before formally merging the group into Al-Qaeda in 1998.