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They may have prepared for a day of “direct confrontation” with America, but another Day of Direct Confrontation is coming that no amount of planning will ever prepare them for …

Revelation 6:12-17, “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth … And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'”

• Flashback: American ISIS Fighters Are Coming Home – And US Intel Can’t Find Them
• Flashback: ISIS Fighter In Iraq: We Pledge Allegiance To Our Leader And ‘Shall Conquer Jerusalem From You, Oh Jews!’

By Robert Spencer, Jihad Watch – “‘The sons of Islam have prepared for such a day’? Surely, if there was ever a time when our sterling moderate Muslim leaders — Faisal Abdul Rauf, Ibrahim Hooper, Nihad Awad, Reza Aslan, Ahmed Rehab, Salam al-Marayati and all the rest of them — to straighten out the many among their coreligionists who misunderstand their peaceful, tolerant religion, it is now. Surely they must be on their way to Mosul now, where they can get a meeting with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi — Dr. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who has a doctorate in Islamic studies from Baghdad University — and explain to him how he is getting Islam all wrong, wrong, wrong.

‘ISIS Leader to USA: ‘Soon We Will be in Direct Confrontation,’’ by Terence P. Jeffrey, CNSNews.com, June 13, 2014 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

(CNSNews.com) – Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), issued a rare audio message back on January 21 in which he flatly stated his group’s intention to march on Baghdad and move into “direct confrontation” with the United States.

“Our last message is to the Americans. Soon we will be in direct confrontation, and the sons of Islam have prepared for such a day,” Baghdadi said. “So watch, for we are with you, watching.”

When the House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing on February 5 on al Qaida’s resurgence in Iraq, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iran and Iraq Brett McGurk presented written testimony explaining the agenda of ISIS (also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL), and discussed Baghdadi’s audio message to Americans.

ISIL, McGurk said, focuses on “an aim to carve out an Islamic caliphate stretching from Baghdad to Lebanon.”

“ISIL has also made its intentions clear: move from a new base of operations in Fallujah to Baghdad–a distance of under 30 miles,” McGurk said in his written testimony. “Its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, had this to say in a rare audio statement issued on January 21: ‘As for ISIS in Iraq: Be in the frontlines against the Shia, and march toward Baghdad and the South, keep the Shia busy in their own areas. Know that the entire Sunni population and the brothers in Syria are watching you.’”

McGurk then noted that Baghdadi went on to conclude his audio statement by issuing a direct threat to the United States. Specifically, Baghdadi said: “Our last message is to the Americans. Soon we will Read more…

“I am very optimistic about Iraq. I think it’s gonna be one of the great achievements of this administration.” – Vice President Joe Biden in 2010 …

• Recommended: Obama 2007 Interview: The Day I’m Inaugurated Muslim Hostility Will Ease
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By Jeromo R. Corsi, WND – “About 200 Americans under contract with the Department of Defense at Balad Air Force Base in Iraq are trapped by the al-Qaida-inspired jihadists who have seized control of two cities and are now threatening Baghdad, according to WND sources.

For the glory of the Dragon who gives authority to the Beast …

Qur’an Sura 2:256a, “Let there be no compulsion in religion …”

Qur’an Sura 8:12b, “… terrorize and behead those who believe in scriptures other than the Qur’an [and anyone else who gets in your way] …”

By Robert Spencer, Jihad Watch – “‘So when you meet those who disbelieve, strike necks…’ (Qur’an 47:4) But of course any Muslim who takes such a verse at face value is [a] misunderstander of Islam, unduly influenced by greasy Islamophobes. Somehow this aggressive organization of misunderstanders of Islam has been able to gain sufficient support and power to wreak havoc in Iraq.

‘‘They lined the streets with the decapitated heads of police and soldiers’: Iraqi refugee reveals the horrors of the jihadi takeover as Baghdad vows to fight back,’ by Jill Reilly and Kieran Corcoran, Daily Mail, June 12, 2014:

The decapitated heads of policeman and soldiers are lining the streets of Iraq’s second biggest city, a displaced Iraqi woman has revealed today.

Speaking from a refugee camp to which she fled after jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (also known as ISIS) invaded the northern city of Mosul on Tuesday, the woman told of the horrific treatment meted out to those who do not bow to their rapidly expanding rule.

It would appear the occupation of Mosul was made easier by the fact a reported 30,000 soldiers fled, leaving behind tanks and firearms as just 800 fighters approached.

Less than 24 hours later the oil-rich city of Tikrit was captured by the militants, who then turned their attentions to the capital as it pushes ahead with its aim to overthrow the western-backed government as part of its goal to create an Islamic emirate spanning both sides of the Iraq-Syria border.

As jihadists now march on Baghdad after capturing swathes of northern Iraq male supporters of the government turned out today to enlist.

The recruits will expect to fight back against the ISIS militants, who impose a brutal brand of Islamic law in their territory, characterised by amputations, beheadings and crucifixions. The refugee woman, speaking to the BBC, told how decapitated victims’ heads were in placed in rows – a trademark, trophy-style execution which ISIS favours.

Government forces have so far managed to stall the militants’ remarkably rapid advance near Samarra – a city 110km (68 miles) north of Baghdad – and are now bombing insurgent positions in and around Mosul. Some 500,000 residents are estimated to have fled, which still leaves a civilian population of 1.3million behind….

Source – Jihad Watch.

Flashback: Saudi Arabia ‘Justice’ Minister: Beheading Is Enshrined In Divine Islamic Laws, ‘We Cannot Change Them’ – “Saudi Arabia’s Justice Minister has defended tough Sharia punishments such as beheading, cutting off hands and lashing, claiming they ‘cannot be changed’ because they are enshrined in Islamic law. ‘These punishments are based on divine religious texts and we cannot change them,’ Mohammed Al Eissa reportedly said during a recent speech in Washington. The minister said Islamic law had helped to reduce crime in the conservative kingdom. Capital punishment was carried out in many other countries, including the US, and was not isolated to Islamic states, he said.” Read more.

For peaceful purposes. As was mentioned here yesterday, Baghdad is but a stepping stone on the road to Israel …

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Zechariah 12:2-3, “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah [and] against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.”

Kosovo Volunteer Fighting with ISIS in Syria, 5/17/2014: “In the name of Allah, blessings and prayers upon the Messenger of Allah [Muhammad]. Thanks be to Allah who enabled us to travel on his path, and join the Islamic state in Iraq and Syria. We praise Allah who has joined us with the lions of ISIS everywhere. We bless Allah who has enabled us to pledge allegiance to the Emir of the Believers, Abu Bakr Al-Qurayshi Al-Baghdadi. Oh our Emir, we have pledged to obey you, we have pledged to die. Lead us to wherever Allah commands you. To the tyrants and infidels wherever they may be, we say the same thing that Abraham said to his father: ‘Indeed, we disassociate ourselves from you, and from whatever you worship other than Allah … ‘ We say to you, as the Prophet Muhammad said: ‘We have brought slaughter upon you.’ Know this, oh infidels: By Allah, we shall cleanse the Arabian Peninsula of you, you filth. We shall conquer Jerusalem from you, oh Jews! We shall conquer Rome and Andalusia [Christianity] …” Watch more.

Revelation 13:4, “And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?’”

By Soeren Kern, Gatestone Institute – “The threat to Europe and the United States from Islamic terrorism is serious and growing, and new attacks with unexpected targets and timings are increasingly likely, according to two new reports that provide insights and predictions about the threats posed by al-Qaeda and other Salafi-jihadist groups.

The reports — one by the US-based RAND Corporation and another by the EU-based Europol — show that al-Qaeda and related jihadist groups are evolving, splintering and morphing, and that the number of Islamic militants, especially from Western countries, is growing apace.

Taken together, the two reports thoroughly dispute claims by members of the Obama Administration and other policymakers that al-Qaeda has been severely weakened and no longer poses a major threat to the West.

The first report, entitled, ‘A Persistent Threat: The Evolution of al-Qaeda and Other Salafi Jihadists,’ was prepared for the U.S. Defense Department and published on June 4 by the RAND Corporation, a public policy think tank based in California.

As the title implies, the report focuses on the Salafi-jihadist movement, a particular strand of militant Sunni Islamism which emphasizes the importance of returning to a ‘pure’ Islam: that of the Salaf (an Arabic term which means ‘ancestors’ or ‘predecessors’ and refers to the first three generations of Muslims, including Mohammed and his companions and followers).

Salafi-jihadist groups are actively seeking to establish an Islamic caliphate — a theocratic Muslim empire governed by Islamic sharia law — to bring about the unification of the entire Muslim world, and, according to their writings, ultimately the subjugation of the entire globe. These groups believe that violent jihad to achieve this objective is a personal religious duty for every Muslim.

The report documents how the broader Salafi-jihadist movement has become more decentralized among four tiers: 1) core al-Qaeda in Pakistan; 2) formal affiliates that have sworn allegiance to al-Qaeda; 3) Salafi-jihadist groups that have not sworn allegiance to al-Qaeda, but are committed to establishing an extremist Islamic emirate; and 4) inspired individuals and networks.

Between 2010 and 2013, the report says, the number of al-Qaeda-sympathizing Salafi-jihadist groups has increased to 49 from 31; the number of jihadist fighters has doubled to 100,000; and the number of attacks by al-Qaeda affiliates has tripled to roughly 1,000 from 392.

The most significant threat to the United States, the report warns, comes from terrorist groups operating in North Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq and Syria, the location that has seen the greatest growth in the numbers of jihadist groups and militants.” Read more.

Flashback: Boston Bomber: Muslims Are Rising, ‘You Are Fighting Men Who Look Into The Barrel Of Your Gun And See Heaven’ – “‘[Muslims] are beginning to rise. … Know you are fighting men who look into the barrel of your gun and see heaven, how can you complete with that? We are promised victory and we will surely get it,’ a report says Tsarnaev wrote. ‘Tsarnaev reaffirmed his commitment to jihad and expressed hope that his actions would inspire others to engage in violent jihad …’”” Read more.

Flashback: ‘Islam Is Coming’: Jihadist Leader Warns U.S. That Foreign Fighting In Syria Could Be In America Next – “During a radio interview Sunday, a representative of al-Qaida in the Gaza Strip sent a message to the United States: ‘Islam is coming and there is no other choice.’ That sentiment was expressed by Abu Saqer, leader of Jihadiya Salafiya in the Gaza Strip, speaking on ‘Aaron Klein Investigative Radio’ on New York’s WABC Radio. Jihadiya Salafiya represents al-Qaida in the Gaza Strip. Saqer further stated that after battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the thousands of foreign jihadists currently in Syria could turn their ire on what he called the many other ‘enemies of Islam,’ including Israel and the United States.” Read more.