Jazeera: Bin Laden Urges Solidarity with Iraq

Reuters ^ | Tue, Feb 11, 2003

[Republican_Strategist]

DUBAI (Reuters) - Fugitive Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) has issued a statement urging Muslim solidarity with Iraq and it will be broadcast later Tuesday on al-Jazeera television, the Qatar-based satellite TV network said.

Al-Jazeera said the statement "urged Muslims to show solidarity and defend the Iraqi people." It did not say if it was an audio tape or a written statement and just ran one line of the message.

"We have a statement and we will show it later tonight. It has a message," al-Jazeera editor Saeed al-Shouly told Reuters.

The United States has accused Iraq of links with bin Laden's al Qaeda network, a charge Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) denied earlier this month.

Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) told the U.S. Senate Budget Committee Tuesday that he had read a transcript "of what bin Laden, or who we believe to be bin Laden, will be saying on al-Jazeera during the course of the day."

Powell told lawmakers they would "be seeing this as the day unfolds, where once again he speaks to the people of Iraq and talks about their struggle and how he is in partnership with Iraq."

Powell cited this as a reason the United States could rely on just containing Iraq with more weapons inspectors and a greater United Nations (news - web sites) presence.

"This nexus between terrorists and states that are developing weapons of mass destruction can no longer be looked away from and ignored," Powell said.

Statements from bin Laden have often been issued to confirm attacks blamed on his al Qaeda network.

The United States raised its national threat alert level last week to orange -- the second highest -- citing intelligence reports of a threat from groups linked to al Qaeda.

The United States says it does not know where bin Laden is, or whether he is alive or dead, after he evaded capture in Afghanistan (news - web sites) in 2001. But U.S. officials said last year an audio recording broadcast on al-Jazeera in November and purported to be from bin Laden was almost certainly genuine.

The tape was considered the strongest evidence so far that bin Laden survived the war in Afghanistan.

Al-Jazeera has often received audio tapes and statements said to come from bin Laden, blamed for the September 11 attacks on U.S. cities. The United States has accused the Arab TV channel of being a mouthpiece for al Qaeda propaganda.

[Republican_Strategist]

Powell: New Bin Laden Statement Confirms Iraq Link

Note: This site is down to - so many people visiting all once and exceeding the data transfer allotted for it. Bookmark and visit the link later. The Iraqi-Bin Laden Connection

[Rightwing_Libertarian]

I bet Hussein's pucker factor just went up by about 20%. You know he's got to be wishing Bin Laden would just shut the hell up right about now.

[NYC GOP Chick]

I still believe that bin laden is dead, and has been nothing more than a few smears of DNA for 14+ months now. The tape is a fake, just as the other relatively recent ones were.

[alloysteel]

How very soliticious of Osama, to think of his good friend Saddam, in his hour of need. Just when Saddam was managing to tuck that genie back in the bottle, by denying any connection between the Baghdad regime and events of September 11, 2001, here comes a most incriminating association.

How do you say, "Aw, CRAP!" in Arabic?

[ladtx]

How do you say, "Aw, CRAP!" in Arabic?

"Aw Bin Laden!"

[Jeff Chandler]

"Al-Doh!"

[Callahan]

What difference does it make if the tape comes from Osama or from one his henchmen. I can't believe anyone who would want downplay a connection between a rogue WMD-seeking state and a terrorist organization (Al Qaeda or whatever). Both are zits on the face of humanity that need to be popped.

[areafiftyone]

LOL - on the DU the stupid people thought that Osama said Kill Saddam and are ranting about how Osama is on their side. Jeeze they do have pipe dreams don't they?

[Destro]

Al-Qaeda would love to have a sovereign territory allow them in but those days are past. I am sure you read how al-Qaeda transformed itself after the taking of Afghanistan. al-Qaeda --allied with Hezbollah and Chechens has learned a lesson.

Get the Americans inside urban centers and ambush them like their allies did the Russians in Grozny, Americans in Beirut and Israeli convoys along unwatched roads.

Afghanistan has no urban centers fromw hcih to do this and America has tens of thousands of Muslims that would fight al-Qaeda there anyway for their American allies for sheer hatred of the Taliban-al-Qaeda Arabs.

But in Iraq we have no tribal contingents we can trust to do the fighting for us and the Iraqi chaos would allow al-Qaeda to operate near its homeland.

The above is something I have been posting as a warning for a while now.

So be it. We can destroy al-Qaeda when they stand and decide to fight in the urban centers of Iraq.

[Grassontop]

Finally, the East wind is blowing for war! Is our CIA making this up, or is it for real? Wonder if France,Germany, Russia are having a rational moment to think seriously on this new tape evidence? Grassontop

[Stevieboy]

Anyone see/here of the whereabouts of the official transcript location? I was forced to listen to CNN's inept (or misleading) coverage and I just want to read the darned thing on my own.

[Lady Heron]

I wonder what all of those dims who thought the case had not been made for the connection of al-quida and Iraq collaberating are thinking now.

[M Kehoe]

I repeat, Al Jazeera, please provide just one photo of bin Laden with a current copy of the NYT.

Otherwise, bin Laden has bin dead.

5.56mm

[thegreatbeast]

You got it, Chickie-poo! UBL, in microscopic particles, adorns the wall of some cave in Afghanistan. This is undoubtedly his voice but the rest is digital wizardry. Until I see him holding a copy of tomorrow's London Times, I'll remain convinced that UBL is undergoing exquisite tortures in the deepest reaches of Hell. F* him & his!