Phil Taylor's papers
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BACK TO : TALIBAN & AL QAIDA PROPAGANDA (including the 'bin Laden Tapes' & AQ statements) with analysis
January 2004 'Bin Laden tape' urges uprising against US troops David Teather in New York Monday January 5, 2004 The Guardian A voice on an audiotape purporting to be that of Osama bin Laden yesterday urged Muslims to rise up against American forces in Iraq and disparaged the US-backed "road map" for peace in the Middle East. The tape, aired on the Arabic television channel al-Jazeera, made direct reference to the capture of the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, suggesting the tape was recorded recently. If authenticated, it could offer further compelling evidence that the al-Qaida leader is still alive despite a two-year manhunt. Unlike previous recordings, the voice introduces itself as Osama bin Laden at the beginning of the tape. It was particularly critical of the rulers of Saudi Arabia, Bin Laden's birthplace, but also attacked other Arab governments for supporting the US invasion of Iraq. It called on Muslims to "continue the jihad to check the conspiracies hatched against the Islamic nation". . The voice warned that the Americans would not stop with the fall of Baghdad. "The occupation of Iraq is the beginning of the full occupation of the other Gulf states," he said. "The Gulf is the key for control of the world in the point of view of the big powers, because of the presence of the biggest deposits of oil." The tape was the first message supposedly from Bin Laden since an audiotape broadcast in October. CIA analysts who examined that tape concluded it was probably authentic. "The CIA and appropriate intelligence authorities are reviewing the tape to check for its authenticity," said Allen Abney, a White House spokesman. Ibrahim Hilal, al-Jazeera's editor-in-chief, told the Associated Press that the network had received the latest message on Sunday. He declined to say how it had been delivered. About 14 minutes of a meandering 47-minute tape were aired. In the past, this kind of broadcast has preceded al-Qaida attacks, and US intelligence officials believe they could be used as a signal to cells around the world, or as an attempt to gain credit for attacks by showing prior knowledge. Two weeks ago another audio tape was broadcast, fea turing remarks attributed to Bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. He warned that al-Qaida operatives were "chasing" Americans and their allies "even in their homeland". Three days later, the US raised its state of alert to orange - the second highest status after red - and spoke of intelligence pointing to a new terrorist spectacular, possibly involving aircraft again. The new alert has brought with it a spate of cancelled transatlantic flights for security reasons. Al-Jazeera has run eight al-Qaida tapes since September 2001. The channel has been criticised as a propaganda tool for terrorists, but it recently said it did not rush to go on air with Bin Laden's recordings. The Arabic news channel claimed it has at least half a dozen more video tapes from Bin Laden's al-Qaida network that it has never broadcast because it deemed them too fanatical or not sufficiently newsworthy. From footage of Bin Laden produced in the past two years, intelligence officials have concluded he is holed up somewhere in the remote region straddling the Afghan-Pakistan border. Al-Qaida and Taliban elements are believed to be behind regular clashes there with the US occupying force and its Afghan allies. Afghan ethnic rivals agreed yesterday on a new constitution that will create a strong presidency, in the hope of uniting the country. |