Posted on 04/13/2006 12:36:39 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -
Al-Qaida's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri urged all Muslims to support insurgents fighting in Iraq "for the dignity of Islam" and said the "enemy has begun to falter," according to a video posted Thursday on the Internet.
The video was dated with an Islamic month corresponding to November 2005 - and al-Zawahri mentions an Oct. 23 earthquake that hit Pakistan and Afghanistan. But it appeared to be the first time the 28-minute video has been made public.
In the footage, al-Zawahri appears sitting, wearing a white turban and a gray robe with a microphone pinned to it. An automatic weapon is leaning against a brown backdrop behind him.
"The Islamic nation must support the heroic mujahedeen (holy warriors) in Iraq, who are fighting on the very front line for the dignity of Islam," al-Zawahri said.
"And to my brother mujahedeen in Iraq, I say, Stay firm. Stay together. Your enemy has begun to falter, so don't stop pursuing him until he flees defeated," he said.
He called on Muslims to support his "beloved brother" Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who heads al-Qaida in Iraq. "I have lived with him up close, and have seen nothing but good from him," al-Zawahri said.
Two U.S. counterterrorism officials declined immediate comment.
It was not clear if the video was made before or after a Nov. 9 triple suicide bombing against hotels in the Jordanian capital Amman that killed at least 60 people, mostly Muslims.
Al-Qaida in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack, but the civilian deaths brought widespread criticism of al-Zarqawi, even from some Islamic militants. In the wake of the backlash over the Amman bombings, al-Zarqawi joined his group to a wider coalition of Iraqi insurgent groups and has not issued his own statements since January, apparently seeking to lie low.
In Thursday's video, al-Zawahri did not mention the hotel bombings and, since the timing was unclear, it could not be known if the comments aimed to show support for al-Zarqawi amid the criticism.
Al-Zawahri - an Egyptian who is Osama bin Laden's deputy in al-Qaida and is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan or Pakistan - said he was making the video to mark the fourth anniversary of the December 2001 battle of Tora Bora, in which U.S. forces besieged bin Laden and al-Qaida fighters in mountainous caves of Afghanistan.
It was not clear why the video was not released soon after the date it was allegedly filmed. Al-Zawahri has appeared in at least three videotapes filmed since November, all of them aired on the Al-Jazeera news network. Thursday's video was posted on a Web forum used by Islamic militants to issue public statements and videos.
On the tape, he denounced Bush as the "caesar of Washington" and accused him of lying about progress in the war on terror.
"Bush, son of Bush, eliminating Israel is the duty of every believer," al-Zawahri said.
"If we commit to peaceful action, they will demand we adhere to international laws and treaties that mean nothing to them. If we adhere to that, they will ask us to impose constraint on what they call terrorism and war on Israel. Then if we adhere to that, they will demand we recognize Israel and establish normal relations with it," he said.
He pointed to Israeli opposition to the Islamic militant group Hamas' entering Palestinian elections. He did not mention Hamas' victory in the voting, a possible indication the video was made before the January elections.
In the last al-Zawahri video to be aired - on March 4 - he congratulated Hamas on its victory and offered support.
Al-Zawahri appeared in two other videos in January. On Jan. 19, bin Laden released an audiotape, parts of which were aired on Al-Jazeera - the first message from the al-Qaida leader in more than a year.
--
Al-Qaida No. 2 praises Al-Zarqawi, calls on Muslims to support Iraqi insurgents in videotape
Since it's quiet in Baghdad I guess that decided to go back and revisit yesterday's news.
They are revisiting yesterdays news because their TEAM Al Qaeda is kicking its collective ass kicked across the Mideast and Southeast Asia.
bttt
Didi you mean is getting its collective ass kicked?
Yes i did.
The MSM giving the enemy as much PR as it can with a 6-month old video.
The headline just as easily could have said, "Desperate Al Queda releasing old Videos"
I mean, besides all the bombings and beheadings . . . besides those little things he is one peach of a guy! You're gonna love him!
One can only wonder how many thousands of the camel humping al Qaeda pigs have really faltered, ie, got killed since the Z son of a pig made this faltering video.
"The MSM giving the enemy as much PR as it can with a 6-month old video. The headline just as easily could have said, "Desperate Al Queda releasing old Videos"
Or: "Desperate al qaeda pig sons release the summer season reruns in April. Now viewing the lies of Z the big pig $crewer, videoed in Nov. 2005.
It might be interesting to see what could be produced for marketing if say Zawahri and Baggy Dad Bob where permitted to get together as a tag team.
Custer: "Go get 'em boys, they're running."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.