Bin Laden urges for Jihad

[Moddy]

Bin Laden urges Muslims to defend Iraq, not Saddam
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A taped message believed to be from fugitive militant Osama bin Laden urged Muslims yesterday to fight America and repel any war against Iraq - but also lashed out at Baghdad's leaders as "infidels".

U.S. officials said the audio tape, broadcast on the Al Jazeera television network on the day of the Eid al-Adha Muslim festival, was probably genuine. They said it showed there were links between Iraq and bin Laden's al Qaeda network, blamed for the September 11 suicide attacks on U.S. cities.

But although the taped message urged Muslims to support the Iraqi people it said the secular "socialist" government of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had lost credibility.

"Socialists are infidels wherever they are - whether in Baghdad or Aden (Yemen)," it said, but added: "It does not hurt that in current circumstances, the interests of Muslims coincide with the interests of the socialists in the war against crusaders."

The United States has used its allegations of a link between al Qaeda and Iraq to support its case against Baghdad as it prepares for possible war over Iraq's alleged banned weapons.

But Bin Laden has often criticised Saddam, whose rule has been marked by purges of Islamists. Saddam said earlier this month he had no links with al Qaeda.

The tape praised suicide attacks as important in fighting for the Muslim cause, and warned that any Arab ruler who supported America or provided backing to the U.S.-led war on Iraq would be "an apostate whose blood should be spilled".

"We are following with great concern the preparations of the crusaders to launch war on the former capital of Muslims...and to install a puppet government," it said. "Fight the allies of the devil. I remind you that victory comes from God alone..."

[Calkoon]

Bin Laden gave some amaizing statistical data on their loses during the tora bora war. He said 6% of those outside were killed and only 3% of the people in the cave were killed!

He said Smart Bombs or Stupid Bomb, it's still a random strike in the mountians, quoting from a saying of Omar Bin Al-Khatab (RA) calling on Muslims to take the earth as a shield against enemies.

He said if those were the kill percentages the greatest war machine could muster on a one square mile area and only 300 Mujahids. What would the American forces achieve against the whole Islamic nation.

[Don Khaled]

AMAZING speech! I loved the message behind this speech in waking up the muslims!

The best part was when he mentioned how small his quantity was, and USA couldn't do anything to him.

I wish more arabs would realise the true message behind it!

God bless him!

[Ugly_Truth]

There's a thing called bribery and politics. Both were great hinderances. The area of Tora Bora is really nasty terrain. The fact that he could hide out there, with relative impunity, is evidence.



When heat is properly disipated, those smart bombs have a hard time tracking, because the targeter is the weak leak. Not the bombs themselves.



There are lots of shadows that can be confused.



My personal feeling, is that OBL is in Pakistan right now.



<font color="red">The tape praised suicide attacks as important in fighting for the Muslim cause, and warned that any Arab ruler who supported America or provided backing to the U.S.-led war on Iraq would be "an apostate whose blood should be spilled". <!--color-->[/color]



I have a hard time asking God to bless someone who would say such words.

[Miraj]

From the tape.

"I will recall one part of such a great battle to prove how much they (American soldiers) are cowards, in one side, and how effective are these trenches in depleting them from another side. We were 300 mujahideen (holy fighters). We were digging 100 ditches spread over an area of one mile only. The range is one ditch for every three brothers. To avoid grave human losses during the air bombing as our centres were exposed - in the first hour of the American warfare in October 7, 2001 - to a heavy concentrated shelling, which then turned sporadic during the middle of Ramadan. Then on Ramadan 17, the shelling turned to a very heavy one, especially after the American command was certain that some of al-Qaeda leaders are in Tora Bora, including the poor slave (talking about himself) and the holy fighter doctor Ayman el-Zawahri.

The bombing lasted 24 hours a day. No second passed without aircrafts passing over our heads day and night, as the headquarters in US Defence Ministry with all other allies had nothing to do but to bomb and destroy that tiny spot and clear it from existence. The aircrafts were spilling bombs over us, especially after it finished its main mission in Afghanistan.

The American forces were bombing us with smart bombs, cluster bombs, and bombs which invade caves. B-52 aircraft were flying every two hours over our heads and throwing each time, 20 to 30 bombs. The modified Sinmo 13 aircrafts were bombing us daily with new bombs. Despite such a heavy shelling with the horrible propaganda, the first of its kind, on such a small zone surrounded from all sides, in addition to the forces of the hypocrites which were pushed to fight us for a continual half a month, which we faced their daily waves, despite all that, they (American soldiers) turned back carrying their killed and injured soldiers. The American troops couldn't dare to invade our bases, which indicates their cowardice, fear, and the false myths they spread concerning their military capabilities.

The conclusion is an enormous defeat for the coalition of the international evil with all its forces facing such a small group of mujahideen, 300 only in ditches in an area of one mile, in a temperature of 10 degrees below zero.

The result of that battle was six per cent injuries among the individuals, whom we ask God to consider as martyrs, and injuries inside the ditches were two per cent only, thank God.

If all the evil global powers were not capable of defeating one simple mile occupied by mujahideen using very poor equipment, how can such evil powers triumph over the Islamic world?

This is impossible, God willing, if they hold their faith in their religion, and were determined to fight for the sake of God."

[Giver]

If I recall correctly, the ground troops in Tora Bora were Northern Alliance not American. Which is precisely why UBL got away. I recall a plea for a truce and a 24hr or 48hr cease fire which was supposed to be to give al-Qaeda time to surrender. Only they used the time to slip away.

[Faith]

If the trenches were so effective how come they aren't still there?

[Miraj]

How many of you think what Powel said to senate budget panel was just plain crap and how many of you think he made total sense, following is what he said.

<blockquote><font class="small"><hr />
Once again [Bin Laden] speaks to the people of Iraq and talks about their struggle and how he is in partnership with Iraq. This nexus between terrorists and states that are developing weapons of mass destruction can no longer be looked away from and ignored.

<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">

[Brasco]

"Once again [Bin Laden] speaks to the people of Iraq and talks about their struggle and how he is in partnership with Iraq. This nexus between terrorists and states that are developing weapons of mass destruction can no longer be looked away from and ignored."

So it is a crime to show solidarity with the Iraqi people? A "terrorist" leader means that the people of that nation are also terrorists?

This speech provided no hint of a nexus whatsoever between Iraq and "international terrorism". It is simply the "with us or against us" mentality in action.

Note how the case for war is being spun out of any logical recognition. See how the US govt. makes so much out of evidence that really is not evidence at all for anyone who listens?

Their case is flimsy because they have no case.
************************************************** **********

[Calkoon]

Brasco, France and Germany have responded to those comments by Powell saying that the speech is proof that there isn't a relationship between Iraq and Bin Laden......


Completely different conclusion from the same speech, which again shows how far the US will go to lie to make their point, regardless of the circumstances.

[Miraj]

What a bunch of hypocrites running the world these days, this [censored] Powel trying to link the speech of Bin Ladin as a connection between Al_Qaeda and Saddam, even though what OBL said is the same thing that can be heard coming out of the mouths of these ass wipes in Washington DC. OBL clearly said Saddam should go and his sympathies are with Iraqi people because they are being oppressed. I can’t understand why do people still believe them, I was watching a TV show on CNN I think it was talk back live and a caller said that he is not certain about this war and what White house is saying, the expert then said that means that Bush Powel Cheney and Rice are all lying to us. So if common people try to questions what White house is saying they are being humiliated by saying who are you going to believe “us or them”.

[Ugly_Truth]

He is supporting Saddam, but not in the way Powell states. By supporting Iraqis, he unwittingly supports Saddam. I don't believe that's his intention. I believe, that OBL probably thinks that Saddam is a devil, but a muslim devil to be dealt with by Muslims, not westerners.

But by his own words, all Muslims are in danger as well. He has threatened Jordan, KSA, Yemen directly calling for the overthrow of those governments. So, if you are living there, conflict will arise, because, no matter what solidarity is SAID, there will be many that do not wish to have those governments overthrown. The uneducated will be angered at the educated (you) and the powerless will seek power over those that had power over them (you).

Your way of life is in danger, with the rising of the uneducated masses. You'll cheer it on, until they're at your door.

Merely my opinion.

[Moddy]

US military planners have misjudged the opposition? After all, the bombs that rained on Afghanistan did not succeed in the death or capture of either Al Qaida's Osama bin Laden or the Taliban's Mullah Mohammed Omar. ("Where is Omar?")

[Moddy]

Saddam is rumoured to have not only many hide-outs and bunkers in addition to his palaces but also at least three doubles, who look enough like him to appear in public

[Mujahid]

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell dropped a bombshell at a Congressional hearing on Iraq and revealed that he had a transcript of an "upcoming" audio message from Osama bin Laden that betrays the links between bin Laden and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

However, the White House may have put its foot in its mouth this time around.

Upon careful scrutiny of the audio message from bin Laden (and broadcast at 3pm EST on the Arabic News Network Al-Jazeerah), it appears the Bush administration may have been so desperate to pin anything on Saddam and bin Laden that they did not wait to actually hear the contents of the message, nor provide adequate and reliable translation.

The bin Laden message expresses solidarity with the Iraqi people, advises them to remain steadfast in the coming invasion of their country and declares that Saddam and his aides are not important. "It is not important if Saddam and his government disappear," the man thought to be bin Laden says. "This is a war against you, the Muslims, and you must take arms to defend yourselves."

U.S. officials were quick to point out that the bin Laden message directly incriminates Iraq and proves the existence of ties between bin Laden's al-Qaeda and Saddam. U.S. media touted the official line before even hearing the tape, or awaiting a reliable translation. "Undeniably links Iraq with al-Qaeda," says one CNN anchor.

And then something happened that neither the U.S. administration nor the media anticipated: bin Laden called Saddam an apostate.

The audio message goes on to reveal that bin Laden believes Saddam to be a socialist and declares that "socialists and communists are unbelievers," thereby labeling Saddam an apostate of Islam, an infidel. It is worth mentioning that the government of Iraq is quasi-socialist and secular, and not Islamic.

Walid Phares, an Arabic-speaking MSNBC analyst finds that the audio message undermines Saddam's regime: "Osama bin Laden does not care about Saddam, in fact he can't wait till the demise of Saddam; he is trying to position himself to offer Iraqis an alternative ideology -- he calls socialism abhorrent to Islam."

The voice alleged to be bin Laden's in the audio message also called on the spilling of Saddam's blood: "His blood is halal." This wording is used to indicate what is permissive or legally allowed for the killing of a usurper or criminal.

The audio message also called forth the overthrow of governments supporting the U.S. -- Nigeria, Morocco, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

If bin Laden is effectively calling on Muslim Iraqis to overthrow Saddam and that Saddam is irrelevant in the coming war and Iraqis should not fight for him, how then can the U.S. administration use this message to prove Saddam and al-Qaeda are linked?

That question left some analysts baffled.

Kenneth Pollack, CNN analyst and anti-terrorism specialist, says that this is not the first time that bin Laden has used the plight of Iraq under sanctions and under Saddam to rally Muslims to his cause. In fact, bin Laden has spoken of the Iraqi issue since 1996, and has not hidden the fact that he is growing distaste for Saddam's socialist, Baathist regime.

"The October audio message this year was a four minute tape and bin Laden expressed sympathy for the Iraqi people," says Peter Bergen, CNN consultant on terrorism. "I don't see today's audio message as endorsing Saddam," he concludes.

If anything, bin Laden's message directed to the people, not leadership of Iraq, (any Arab speaker with two ears can testify that the opening lines of the audio message distinctly declare that this is a message to the Iraqi people) is ambiguous as pertains to alleged links with Saddam.

Nevertheless, U.S. officials maintain that this is all the proof they need. However, the U.S. viewing public must be aware that the they were only allowed to view excerpts of the 16-minute audio message, and contrary to what CNN has been proclaiming, it is not all about Iraq. The audio message also includes advice on refraining from alcohol and illicit sex, and respecting one's parents, in addition to other spiritual advice.

The audio message will not go down so easily in Europe and the Middle East and will be seen as a desperate attempt by a U.S.administration that has taken a bashing in NATO and at the U.N. to turn the tables around.

According to the BBC, "BBC's security correspondent, Frank Gardner, said the figure on the tape voiced support for Iraq, but that in no way did it prove a link between al-Qaeda and the Iraqi leadership."

Arabic speakers are sure to pour scorn on the official U.S. line. U.S. Congressional leaders, who have appeared on talk shows immediately following the excerpted broadcast of the audio tape have alluded to incorrect translations of the original Arabic content.

By default, the U.S. public is offered a half-censored, half-baked version of the audio tape.

While U.S. officials have conceded that the voice on the tape is indeed that of bin Laden, no one has bothered to focus on why the man U.S. President Bush vowed to get "dead or alive" is very much alive and a clear and present danger.

Source: Yellowtimes.org

[WT_Sherman]

Even Counterpunch is a bit better. Yellowtimes is the Grassy Knoll society