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Al Qaeda vows to fight White House

CAIRO: Followers of Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi would attack the White House or the Vatican if their leader chose to target both sites, the group’s deputy chief said in an Internet statement posted Monday.

The written statement, signed in the name of the group’s purported deputy, Abu Abdel-Rahman al-Iraqi, also threatened to attack Iraqi security forces and officials, including incoming Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari.

“We are after you as long as we are alive,” said the statement in relation to Shiite leader al-Jaafari. The authenticity of the statement, which appeared on an Internet site known for carrying extremist Islamic material, could not be immediately verified. The statement appeared to be the first attributed to al-Iraqi, whose name has not previously surfaced as terror chief al-Zarqawi’s deputy.

“We have taken our decision, depending on God, to fight the infidels, the hypocrites and the villains,” the statement said. “Even if you (al-Zarqawi) take us to the White House and the bastion of the Vatican, we will stick close to you until you achieve your aim.” Al-Iraqi vowed to fight Iraqi police and national guard units, who he described as “the tail of the Crusaders ... the paws of the Americans and the evil Rafidah (Shias) and we will show no mercy toward you.” ap

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