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Al Qaeda’s second-in-command Ayman al Zawahri criticized the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant of Sudan’s President Omar al Bashir, but stressed that he did not support al Bashir. “I am not defending Omar al Bashir or his regime, nor am I defending what it has done in Darfur and elsewhere; rather, I am asking our Muslim nation to look at the matter in a comprehensive way,” al Zawahri said in a new audio statement, released today, dedicated to the Sudanese situation.

Al Zawahri argued that the arrest warrant represented more “foreign interference in Muslim countries” and questioned why other world leaders like “Bush, Blair, Olmert, Barak, Musharraf and Putin” were not put on trial. He also criticized the United Nations for not intervening during the Israeli aggression on Gaza.

Al Zawahri urged the Sudanese people to prepare for a “long guerrilla war.” “The Sudanese regime is too weak to defend the Sudan, so you must do what was done by your brothers in Iraq and Somalia, who defended their countries when the official regimes were powerless to do that,” he said.

He also expressed support for Muslims in Sudan. “We shall – with God’s help – do all that is in our power to help you, despite our knowledge that the Sudanese regime lies in wait for any mujahid it might discover in the Sudan.”

Finally, al Zawahri said the situation offers an opportunity for al Bashir to repent and to “realize that the Crusade will be satisfied with nothing less than total submission and surrender.”

In a new audio statement by al Qaeda organization’s second-in-command, Ayman al Zawahri urged the militant Palestinian group Hamas to reject the truce being imposed upon them by the Arab. He also advised Hamas against a merger with the Palestinian Liberation Organization led by Mahmoud Abbas.

Al Zawahri also claimed that al Qaeda was prepared to provide the “brothers” in Gaza with training and weapons.

Most of the audio message, entitled “From Kabul to Mogadishu,” was focused on the Somali issue and recent developments in the region. Al Zawahri also called on the Muslims in Yemen and Afghanistan to pursue their struggle against what he called “the crusaders.”

The message focuses mainly on the Somali file and the recent developments in the region.

The statement was posted on militant Islamist Internet forums and had English subtitles.

Al Qaeda’s number two Ayman al Zawahiri accused President Barack Obama of not doing enough for Palestinians during the Israeli attacks on Gaza last month and criticized him for not mentioning the conflict during his inauguration speech on Jan. 20th.

A new statement by al Qaeda’s No.2 Ayman al Zawahri entitled “Lift the Blockade Off Gaza” will soon be released on the Internet, according to a banner posted on militant Islamist websites Tuesday. There was no indication whether the statement, which was produced by al Qaeda’s media wing al Sahab, will be an audio or video tape.

The banner carried al Zawahri’s picture and indicated the statement was being released on the anniversary of the 1967 war, which is referred to as “the setback” on the banner. Arabs often refer to the six-day war which started on June 5th, 1967 as “the setback” because of Israel's swift defeat of Egypt, Syria and Jordan.

In an audiotape that was posted on the Internet on May 18th, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had urged Muslims to help end the closure of Gaza by Israel. The fact that the two al Qaeda figures are focusing on same issues may be an indication of some level of coordination of their messages.

Al Zawahri’s last statement was released on April 22 in which he called on Muslims to support the al Qaeda affiliated Islamic State of Iraq.

Internet forums supportive of al Qaeda and the Iraqi insurgency are filled with reactions to Ayman al Zawahri’s new audio tape. Most comments praised al Zawahri, while some discussed specific issues he touched on. “Your words carry great energy…it’s one of those moments where power is revived in your veins and then you feel like you can really do the impossible,” wrote one female supporter who describes in length how she was affected by his statement. Al Zawahri addressed the issue of the participation of women in jihad in his statement, indicating there were no women in al Qaeda’s ranks, adding that their participation comes through raising children and enduring hardships. The supporter, who uses the name “Muslim forever” does not comment on this part.

She also describes how her four-year-old brother listened to the statement with her. She writes that at the end of it, he covered his face, brought a toy walkie-talkie and shouted “We’re asking for your sign to start carrying out the operation.” Another supporter responds to the post by praising her for teaching him to love jihad that early on.

There were also several posts about the Kuwaiti Jihadi-Salafi cleric Hamed al Ali, who was praised by al Zawahri in Monday’s statement. “To Sheikh Hamed al Ali, we love you, appreciate you and respect you as Sheikh Ayman Al Zawahri asked us to do,” said one post. Al Ali had published a document about unifying jihadi groups.

A banner posted Sunday on a website often used by al Qaeda to release audios and videos of its leaders announces that the “second open interview” with al Qaeda’s Ayman al Zawahri will soon be posted. The logo of al Sahab, al Qaeda’s self-described “media production company,” and a picture of al Zawahri, al Qaeda’s second-in-command, appear on the banner. Al Zawahri’s last statement was an audio tape posted on the same website last Friday. In the tape, al Zawahri called the Iraq war a “failure” which will be passed on to the next U.S. president. The new banner refers to the upcoming Zawahri interview as another surprise, apparently in reference to two statements being released so close to each other. This will be al Zawahri’s fifth statement this year.