Al-Qaida's branch in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released the 7th edition of its English-language magazine, Inspire, on Tuesday. In it, the group celebrates the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks while also taking offense at recent remarks by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the attacks were an American conspiracy and not the work of al-Qaida.
"For them [Iranians], al-Qaida was a competitor for the hearts and minds of the disenfranchised Muslims around the world," wrote Abu Suhail. "Al-Qaida, an organization under fire, with no state, succeeded in what Iran couldn't."
According to Abu Suhail, Ahmadinejad's comments reflect the Iranian regime's jealousy over al-Qaida's ability to strike the United States. AQAP sees Tehran's latest attempt "to discredit 9/11" as part of Iran's meager "lip-service jihad against the Great Satan."
This issue lacks the terrorist tips and interviews with martyrs featured in previous editions. Inspire's editors instead complement the article criticizing Ahmadinejad with various tributes to 9/11, which is called "The Greatest Special Operation of all Time."
The cover features one of the World Trade Center towers made from dollar signs, and 10 pages inside are devoted to pictures of the attacks and their aftermath, supplemented with quotes from Osama bin Laden and his successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
It also promotes an upcoming article by American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki called "Targeting The Populations Of Countries That Are At War With The Muslims. The advertisement includes an image of Manhattan's Grand Central Station.
Finally, the issue touches on some of AQAP's favorite propaganda tools, including reaffirming the notion that the U.S.-led West is at war with Islam and accordingly, there is an ad calling for the destruction of the U.S. and its ally, Israel.