BIN LADEN’S LAST AUDIO
On 11/29/2007, 18:00 local Gulf time, the Al-Jazeera Arabic TV network broadcasted yet another audio tape with a massage from Osama Bin Laden.
Al-Qaeda manifesto from 02/23/1998, titled “The World Islamic Front for Jihad against the Jews and Crusaders”, marked the Arab, pro American corrupted regimes, as the top priority target of Al Qaeda. In second place came the USA influence in the Middle East. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict was graded as the tenth on eleven scale priorities of Al-Qaeda to deal with. Osama bin Laden in his last audiotape, in contradiction to the initial Al-Qaeda manifesto, urged European countries to end their military involvement in Afghanistan and described the Islamic struggle as a bilateral conflict only between Al-Qaeda and USA and its satellite – Israel.
In the context of a supposed conflict only with USA Osama bin Laden took responsibility on The 9/11 and added “It would be better for you (Europeans) if you (restrained) your politicians who flock to the White House and work actively to end the wrong done to the oppressed”.
Osama bin Laden also tried to convince that Afghan Taliban regime and the Afghan society were not involved in this duel between USA and Al-Qaeda. “I assure you that all the Afghans, government and people, were not at all aware of any of these events. America is well aware of this fact. Some of the Taliban ministers fell captive in their hands, they were interrogated and they told the Americans the truth”. Osama bin Laden ignored the fact that the Taliban regime never was accused of involvement in The 9/11 but of hosting Al-Qaeda after the horrendous attack and refusing to extradite or deport its leaders.
Summary ;
The former audio tape of Osama Bin Laden was broadcasted on 10/22/2007 (see – IRAQ MESSAGE ). In this audio message he pleaded with Islamic militants to stay united in Iraq, referring to the success of US to contain Al-Qaeda in Iraq by using local Islamic Sunnite tribes against Al-Qaeda.
The last audiotape is the second “pleading” message without any threat.
In the last month the main issue in the Muslim and Arab world was the Annapolis convention. Since Annapolis was not mentioned in the tape it is logical to assume that the tape was recorded over a month ago.
Unlike his deputy, Ayman Al Zawahiri, that managed to appear in the media about once in a month, for the last time on 11/03/2007 (see – LIBYAN GROUP), always in a well edited video footage referring to actual events, Osama bin Laden is mostly heard but not seen, speaking generally and not specifically and pleading rather then threatening.
Therefore it is most likely that the two leaders are not together and each one of them is operating on his own. It seems that Ayman Al Zawahiri is more aggressive, updated and connected to other groups, with a better infrastructure and he is the acting Leader of Al Qaeda.
Osama Bin Laden remains more a symbol and, with passing time, somehow a pathetic symbol.
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