Sunday, April 23, 2006

Bin Laden releases new tape

Osama bin Laden appears to have released a new audio tape Sunday urging his followers to continue fighting against "crusader plunderers."

The tape was aired on the Sunday broadcast of the al-Jazeera television network. News analysts believe the voice and mannerisms on the tape are authentic. Previously al-Jazeera has released what world intelligence agencies believe were real messages from the al-Qaeda leader.

Bin Laden last released a taped message on January 19 when he offered a "truce" to Western powers without specific conditions. In the latest message, he urges his fighters to resist Westerners working in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Ayman al-Zawahri, al-Qaeda's second in command addressed followers less than two weeks ago praising the resistance in Iraq. Tapes of bin Laden, al Zawahri and other al-Qaeda operatives are routinely posted on Internet sites.

In the Sunday broadcast, bin Laden accused the West of meddling in Sudan's affairs to "steal the region's oil" and to aid the south in breaking away to form its own government. He also condemned the blockade of the Hamas government in Palestine.

Hamas responded saying that it had a very different ideology than al-Qaeda, but agreed that isolation of Hamas would cause tensions in the region.

Interview with Osama bin Laden's bodyguard

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