Osama bin Laden's deputy, in a new tape that surfaced Sunday, urged all Muslims to take up arms and said their refusal to join the fight against "the Cross and Zionism" was a "malignant illness" that would only lead to the defeat of militant Islam. Egyptian-born Ayman al-Zawahri said the global Islamic community had "no hope for victory" until all Muslims signed on to the al-Qaida-led jihad. "As long as this malignant illness continues to survive within us, there is no hope for victory and there can only be more defeats, tragedies, disasters and betrayals," al-Zawahri said. | Sounds pretty ducky to me... |
IntelCenter declined to say how it obtained the recording, citing confidentiality agreements with the U.S. government. But Venzke said it was produced by al-Sahab Media Production House, a purported al-Qaida media organization, and expanded on al-Zawahri's Sept. 19 message, which gave increased prominence to the Taliban. "This latest one even goes beyond that with al-Zawahri pledging allegiance to the Taliban," he said. "The whole thing is an address to Muslims, saying armed jihad and struggle is the only way and that they have to suffer to do it."