Rendering №6 (new)

     The article published on the website of the newspaper "The Guardian" on October 3 is headlined "Russia accuses al-Qaida of "forest jihad" in Europe". The article reports at length that Russia's top security official Alexander Bortnikov has alleged that al-Qaida was waging "forest jihad" in Europe by sparking the wildfires that have ravaged the continent in recent summers. In this respect it is worth while mentioning the fact that fire outbreaks in forests across Europe have become a yearly phenomenon, often blamed on human negligence. This year tens of thousands of hectares of land were set ablaze across Spain Portugal, the Balkans and southern Europe.
     Speaking of this situation it's necessary to point out that Bortnikov cited talk of "forest jihad" on various extremist websites and forums as evidence of the strategy. Giving appraisal of the situation it's necessary to point out that Nikolai Shmatkov, a forest expert at the Moscow office of the World Wildlife Fund dismissed Bortnikov's claim, saying "how involved al-Qaida is in this, how much they need to focus their forces not against the Americans, but against the Greeks and Spaniards, I can't say. I'm sceptical."Besides, Anton Orekh, a journalist at the liberal radio station, Ekho Moskvy also reacted with shock: "And when Russia's forests and peat bogs were burning in 2010, what was that? Also al-Qaida? And this summer in Siberia – was that also part of this 'thousand cuts' strategy?"
In resolute terms the author mentiones the fact that while Bortnikov provided no proof, his theory reflects public discussions among Islamic extremists in the summer issue of Inspire, the online propaganda publication run by al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
     The author concludes the article with the quotation on al-Qaida representatives:"Fire is one of the soldiers of Allah," it said."Imagine that, after all the damage is caused, if a jihad organisation were to take responsibility for the forest fires," it said. "You can imagine the dread it would cause people in the United States, Europe, Russia, and Australia."
     As for me,  I think it is strange to blame only al-Qaida on their responsibility for the wildfires in Europe and Russia. I think that the key factor of wildfires in Mediterranean is the human one. In this case,  I agree with  Nikolai Shmatkov who says that it is strange that al-Qaida focuses their forces more againsts Greeks and Spaniards than against Americans who  made more harm to Muslims than the others. Finally, it is common knowledge that the real causes of forest fires in Russia (2010) were draught, heat and human factors.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/03/russia-al-qaida-forest-jihad