Just Following Orders
Another bin Laden audiotape has surfaced. This one praise Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as a "lion" and informs us that the attacks on civilians were ordered by bin Laden.
CAIRO, Egypt - Osama bin Laden defended attacks by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi against civilians in Iraq, purportedly saying in a taped Web message Friday that the slain al-Qaida in Iraq leader was acting under orders to kill anyone who backs American forces.
Bin Laden paid tribute to al-Zarqawi in a 19-minute audio message posted on an Islamic militant Web site. The message has narration by a voice resembling bin Laden's as a video shows an old photo of him in a split-screen next to images of al-Zarqawi taken from a previous video.
In the message, bin Laden demands President Bush hand over the body of al-Zarqawi to his family and effusively praises the Jordanian-born militant, often in rhyming couplets. His voice sounded breathy and fatigued at times.
"We will continue to fight you and your allies everywhere, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and Sudan to run down your resources and kill your men until you return defeated to your nation," he said, addressing Bush.
It was the fourth message purportedly put out this year by bin Laden. All have featured his voice in audiotapes. New video images of him have not appeared since October 2004.
The authenticity of the video could not be immediately confirmed. It bore the logo of As-Sahab, the al-Qaida production branch that releases all its messages, and was posted on an Islamic Web forum where militants often post messages. Typically, the CIA does a technical analysis to determine whether the speaker is who the tape claims and the National Counterterrorism Center analyzes the message's contents.
In the tape, bin Laden addressed "those who accuse Abu Musab of killing certain sectors of the Iraqi people," referring to the campaign of suicide bombings by al-Zarqawi's followers targeting Shiites. Al-Zarqawi was killed in a June 7 airstrike northeast of Baghdad by U.S. warplanes.
"Abu Musab had clear instructions to focus his fight on the occupiers, particularly the Americans and to leave aside anyone who remains neutral," bin Laden said.
"But for those who refused (neutrality) and stood to fight on the side of the crusaders against the Muslims, then he should kill them whoever they are, regardless of their sect or tribe. For supporting infidels against Muslims is a major sin," he said.
So all those kids Zarqawi blew up were just infidel supporters. All those people going to the mosque to pray - just Crusader supporters. All those people just trying to buy some food, sinners.
I think it's pretty clear who the sinners are here.
By Roland Hesz, Friday, 30 June , 2006 @ 7:41 am
Why don’t the FBI, CIA, NSA, CSU and so on, go and kill this bin Laden guy?
They are clever, have a huge arsenal of technical gadget, they know the guy - they have trained him, they must know him, right? -, why don’t they simply find him, and kill him?
That would be a big hit.
By Gaius, Friday, 30 June , 2006 @ 7:45 am
It’s that old needle in a haystack thing. If you think they haven’t been trying like all heck to get him, you’re mistaken. It is going to take an informer or a major security slip to nail him. When it happens, it will be a short but very exciting event. Well, he won’t think so…..
By BubbaB, Friday, 30 June , 2006 @ 1:48 pm
I just hope the last thing Osama sees before he leaves this world is the Stars and Stripes - on the shoulder patch of a United States Marine, like Zarqawi. Or was it a soldier?
Actually, I couldn’t care less if it was a Cub Scout, as long as Osama gets a good, long look at that Flag!!
By Gaius, Friday, 30 June , 2006 @ 1:50 pm
It was a soldier for Zarqawi. But I’d settle for “made in the USA” stamped on the bomb casing!