CAIRO, Egypt , Oct. 22, 2007

Bin Laden Urges Iraqi Insurgents To Unite

Audiotape Purportedly From Al Qaeda Chief Calls For Insurgents To Admit "Mistakes"

  •  (CBS/AP)

  • Interactive Tales Of The Tapes

    Excerpts and analysis of messages believed to have been recorded by Osama bin Laden.

(CBS/AP)  Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden called for Iraqi insurgents to unite and avoid "extremism" that causes divisions in a new audiotape aired Monday on Al-Jazeera television, trying to overcome splits by some Sunnis who have opposed the terror group's branch in Iraq.

Bin Laden said insurgents should admit "mistakes" and that he even advises himself not to be extreme in his leadership.

The tape appeared to be in response to moves by some Sunni Arab tribes in Iraq that have joined U.S. troops in fighting al Qaeda members, as well as other Sunni insurgent groups that - while still attacking Americans - have formed coalitions opposed to al Qaeda.

"Some of you have been lax in one duty, which is to unite your ranks," bin Laden said in the audiotape. "Beware of division ... Muslims are waiting for you to gather under a single banner to champion righteousness. Be keen to oblige with this duty."

"I advise myself, Muslims in general and brothers in al Qaeda everywhere to avoid extremism among men and groups," he said, saying leaders should not build themselves up as the sole authority, and that instead mujahideen should follow "what God and his prophet have said."

Bin Laden used the Arabic word "ta'assub," which in traditional Islamic thought means extremism in allegiance or adherence to a group, to a degree that excludes others - apparently advising flexibility to overcome divisions.

"Everybody can make a mistake, but the best of them are those who admit their mistakes," he said. "Mistakes have been made during holy wars but mujahideen have to correct their mistakes."

The authenticity of the tape could not be immediately confirmed, but the voice resembled that of bin Laden in previous messages. Al-Jazeera did not say how it obtained the tape.

Laura Mansfield, who runs a small, private intelligence company from outside Atlanta that is often first to discover and publicize al Qaeda media productions, told CBSNews.com Tuesday that she had found the full bin Laden audio and was in the process of translating it.

U.S. counterterrorism authorities were studying the content and authenticity of the audiotape. However, officials often note that no one has faked a bin Laden recording in the past.

Bin Laden has released a flurry of audio and videotapes recently after not being heard from for more than a year. His last tape, released in late September, called on Pakistanis to rebel against President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

He also released a video to mark the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

IntelCenter, a U.S. counterterrorism group that monitors militant messaging traffic, said more tapes from bin Laden might be coming, noting that he released multiple messages in 2006 after a similar long period without appearances throughout 2005.


© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Share:
  • Share
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Mixx
Add a Comment See all 349 Comments
by prinzowhales October 25, 2007 3:14 PM EDT
Speakinup--No one but dis-information agents and their dupes are saying that no planes hit the WTCs. We have no idea what hit the Pentagon. We do know that the dozens of surveillance cameras had their recordings seized within moments of the attack on the Pentagon and the few frames released indicate from the colours of the explosion indicate fuel and non fuel sources. They obviously have something to hide. If the footage showed only an airliner crashing into the Pentagon, then there is nothing that needs to be held back--particularly in the face of the massive awakening to the Regime''s complicity in the attack.
Reply to this comment
by hassan786-2009 October 25, 2007 7:01 AM EDT
JUST BROWSED SOME OF THESE POSTS IN UK. It amazes me how everyone is on an attack.

imagine a multiple serial murderer in the US wuld any americans befriend there family, yet bush is so close to the bin laden family. yet the bin laden construction group have just reconstructed the twin towers in Mecca saudi arabia. Americas economy continues to weaken, credit crisis, house prices crashing, oil $90, dollar crashng, yet Bush spends $416 BILLION ON A WAR AND YOU THE TAXPAYERS KEEP GIVING IT AND ARE NOT EVEN WORRIED. China and India are economically far richer than the US, growing between 6 and 9% and US is shrinking. On top of all that the US is the most disliked country in the world you will not have any allies soon.
GET REAL FORGET ABOUT IRAN,IRAQ AND MIDDLE EAST WORRY ABOUT YOURSELVES YOUR SLIPPING IN TO THE ABYSS AND YOU HAVE NOT WOKEN UP YET! BUSH IS F****D YOU, AND YOU ARE STILL SMILING!
Reply to this comment
by speakinup October 24, 2007 11:30 PM EDT
ziparmux - if I ignor the crack-pot stuff, there is no motive for Bush to conduct 9/11.

I would suggest that you not believe everything you read, and start thinking about how possible it is that such things don''t happen.

Keep in mind:

Any three people can keep a secret, as long as two of them are dead - Ben Franklin

It was pretty common in 2001 for most politicans to believe Saddam was evil (imagin that kind of thinking..) - check up on how Bill boy felt about him. Why Hail, his own ugly bride voted to go in, until it became politically expedient to flip-flop.

But, we''ll probably see that happen again, as soon as the public comes around, as things start to llook up.

Bush will start to look the person that did stay the course - in spite of far left liberal comments.
Reply to this comment
by ziparmux October 24, 2007 10:57 PM EDT
It would be next to impossible, and for what ?

Posted by speakinup at 06:34 PM : Oct 24, 2007

Gosh I promise you I am not ducking out of the question but if you really think I can answer this question in 1500 characters then I cannot. At this time I can only recommend at the least you read all the information avaiable and use your common sense and intelligince to seek the truth at this time for yourself. Yes it seems at the outset how could he organise such an event and get away with it, hmmm I thought that at first, no way too many people involved in such an operation, I have spent years looking into it, and to be frank I would be embarrassed to say from an ''intelligence'' perspective to acknowledge the BUsh 9/11 conspiracy theory and you would have to be pretty dumb to evalutate it and agree with it. Why would he do it, gosh look at what he has achieved not for the people, but for the new world order. He''s one in a line of people to achieve this very goal, 9/11 would mean nothing to him to achieve this goal. Please read all you can do not be taken in by a lot of crack pot stuff about but trust your subconsciousness (gut feeling) about this matter.
Reply to this comment
by speakinup October 24, 2007 9:34 PM EDT
right you are ziparmux. You did say WT7. I made an assumption it was a typo. It is kind of strange being behind 5 & 6.

I still find a vast conspiricy very hard to believe. I can''t see a real motivation to take that sort of chance if you are suggesting the President was in on it. I mean, what would it have accomplished for him ? And how would he have been so successful in keeping it quiet.

It would be next to impossible, and for what ?
Reply to this comment
by ziparmux October 24, 2007 8:56 PM EDT
ziparmux - an engineer, you are not. Ignorant you are.

Posted by speakinup at 05:16 PM : Oct 24, 2007

I''m neither the above, an engineer or ignorant.

I never mentioned WTC1 or WTC2 I commented about WT7. And only in exasperation to previous comments/replies respecting the most compelling of spurious explanations of the alleged Boeing 757 targeting and hitting the the Pentagon, the official story of which, is the most difficult occurrences of that day to accept/believe. OK I wish I had not been drawn into going into these events by even mentioning WT7, but both incidents are very difficult to accept, for reasons well known without reiterating them here, and in fairness within 1500 characters one is quite limited in this respect.
Reply to this comment
by speakinup October 24, 2007 8:16 PM EDT
ziparmux - an engineer, you are not. Ignorant you are. The twin towers were a unique type of building. They did not have internal steel structure such as most high rises we see being built. The lack of internal beams, and the intense fire started floors collapsing upon other floors, which then added their weight to the subsequent collapses.

It doesn''t surprise me that you are uniformed (that is the same as ignorant you know), because of your conspiracy theories posted earlier.

I would just like to make the point that it typically is ignorance and blind hatrid of Bush that causes fools such as yourself to self-validate their status.

Inform yourself - then arrive at your conclusion rather than the other way around - it will make you infinitely more intelligent as well as plausible.
Reply to this comment
by ziparmux October 24, 2007 7:59 PM EDT
"what the heck caused wT7 to collapse on it''''s footprint that day..." ziparmux

Read the facts here:
http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/
JOM/0112/Eagar/Eagar-0112.html

Posted by Speakinup at 04:29 PM : Oct 24, 2007

Right ok a fire caused a buliding to implode upon itself, all the supporting structure within the building simutainiously and coincidently all failed at exactly the same time, allowing this most huge building to collapse at free fall speed, and no other building even exntensively damaged by extreme fires has NEVER collapsed in the history of mankind. You want me to believe that or be intelligent and reason and look for a more scientific/mathematical reasoning as to why this event happened. Gosh I am nearly lost for words that you could actually believe such tripe, God Help Us if you believe Bush/Cheney and Co account of that most terrible day. Even I have more empathy towards the innocent Americans that died in the most heinous of crimes committed against the US people by it''s own government.
Reply to this comment
by ziparmux October 24, 2007 7:44 PM EDT
Well, here in America, when we hear hoof beats, we don''''t start looking for herds of zebra. Go sell crazy somewhere else, we''''ll full up here with j-whitman.
Posted by Speakinup at 04:21 PM : Oct 24, 2007

Actaully I''m beginning to wonder why I bothering to respond to you most lowbrow comments.

I think as a starting point you could do better to read Walt Whitman rather than read/refer to J Whitman.

And actually I think that all one has to say to you....

Reply to this comment
by speakinup October 24, 2007 7:29 PM EDT
"what the heck caused wT7 to collapse on it''s footprint that day..." ziparmux

Read the facts here:
http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/0112/Eagar/Eagar-0112.html



Reply to this comment
by speakinup October 24, 2007 7:21 PM EDT
ziparmux - you didn''t address my points simply because you can''t.

I didn''t just, "kinda pigeon holed me into a conspiracy theorist" - I went so far as to say you hear the voices.

In short, you are a nutty conspiricy theorist, that believes the Bush administration faked the Islamic Terrorist attack on 9/11.

Well, here in America, when we hear hoof beats, we don''t start looking for herds of zebra. Go sell crazy somewhere else, we''ll full up here with j-whitman.
Reply to this comment
by ziparmux October 24, 2007 7:10 PM EDT
Posted by speakinup at 03:08 PM : Oct 24, 2007

I could not post your original response as I would have no characters left to type here. I stated lets see the vids of a Boeing 757 hit the Pentagon, is that too much to ask? You stated, well kinda pigeon holed me into a conspiracy theorist in your comment, no I want to see the vids that allegedly exist of a Boeing 757 hit the Pentagon, if the Bush administration has nothing to hide or fear then why can''t we see them ? Disregarding even the Pentagon what the heck caused wT7 to collapse on it''s footprint that day, reported as collapsed 25 minutes here in the UK by the BBC before it actually fell to the ground into a pile of small pieces ready to ship out to Asia in nice little pieces that fit onto a back of rubble truck.
Reply to this comment
by speakinup October 24, 2007 6:08 PM EDT
"Don''t want to insult your intelligence... Posted by ziparmux

Too late.

I''m impressed - David Copperfield must have been in NYC, and there was this mass hallucination when probably upwards of a million folks saw two planes crash into the trade towers.

And, were are the people that are denying the crash of the 757 at the Pentagon site ? I mean the Penagon has one heck of a lot of people working there. A lot of credible people, unlike you. But yo expect us to take your word over theirs. Oh, but wait there''s a web site - yeah - and give me enough time and info, and I''ll show yo a web site that PROVES your mother was on the grassy knowle in Dallas.

By falling to temptation and showing the public bank machine tapes that have the plane crashing into the Pentagon, we would 1) unleash more ''credibility'' to your cause (say are you the idiot that send out those emails claiming Coca Cola will send $1 to the kid that has cancer for every recepient that forwards your e-mail?) 2) You would just invent some other flimsy conspiricy post, using the new pics as ''proof'', just as you intend to do right now, in response to my post.

No, we are not jealous because you hear the voices.
Reply to this comment
by ziparmux October 24, 2007 2:51 PM EDT
I gather that it was a group of Muslims who started the hoax on different sites that it was America who killed their own on Sep 11 to make Muslims look bad, so if this is so then Muslims were lying when they took responsibility for it, and they are too dumb to do anything but threaten. I am thrilled to see that
America is too good for them after all..

Posted by Gaye5 at 09:55 AM : Oct 24, 2007

Don''t want to insult your intelligence at all, but please, do look at the startling lack of evidence that the so called hijackers did what they did on 9/11, defying even the laws of physics on that day.

There is much about that day which does not add up but flight 77 is the most compelling evidence that there was definilty something afoot that day. if Bush and his cronies have nothing to hide let''s see the video footage from so many cameras which recorded the apparent Boeing 757 hitting the Pentagon. !
Reply to this comment
by gaye5 October 24, 2007 12:55 PM EDT
Does anyone believe this animal anymore... For a few years now, he threatens that he is going to do all sorts of things but never does...even September 11th has been taken from the Muslims as so many say that it wasn''t Muslims who did it...
I gather that it was a group of Muslims who started the hoax on different sites that it was America who killed their own on Sep 11 to make Muslims look bad, so if this is so then Muslims were lying when they took responsibility for it, and they are too dumb to do anything but threaten. I am thrilled to see that
America is too good for them after all..
Reply to this comment
by ziparmux October 23, 2007 8:51 PM EDT
no more homosexuals in Iran-Monkeyface kills them all-bring back the Shah.


Posted by tribe at 02:13 AM : Oct 23, 2007

Edited out the poster and date hence posting this above my last post
Reply to this comment
by ziparmux October 23, 2007 8:45 PM EDT
no more homosexuals in Iran-Monkeyface kills them all-bring back the Shah.

Don''t know you so kinda don''t know where your coming from with this comment but after watching the two boys 14 and 16 years old (age thereabouts) being hanged side by side, the image is ingrained into my mind, it is shocking and most terrible, and do hope you are not mocking them, ok perhaps your homophobic but would you hang to young lads ...gosh I have no words to describe how I am so appalled by the act and images of them being hung. And they weren''t hung properly, they were hung from a low start point so they were concious and were aware of what was happening to them as they choked to death !! It was the most barbaric of acts committed against children.
Reply to this comment
by feelfree1 October 23, 2007 8:26 PM EDT

It is interesting and telling that CBS Newz would keep this fake "Osama" ooga-booga tape article on the front page of their website for so long.

Hasn''t "Osama" heard that the contrived and ficticious "al-Qaeda-in-Iraq" psy-ops hoax, has been "defeated"?
Reply to this comment
by ajmarine1 October 23, 2007 7:44 PM EDT
"Everybody can make a mistake, but the best of them are those who admit their mistakes," he said. "Mistakes have been made during holy wars but mujahideen have to correct their mistakes."


Is he talking about Bush????
Reply to this comment
by jowand October 23, 2007 5:12 PM EDT
In one corner, we have Bush-hater Reel-Crazy absolutely convinced that Bush has bin Laden in custody and is using bin Laden to advance his criminal agenda. In the other corner, we have Bush-hater neoconRcrazy absolutely convinced that bin Laden is "free to act" because of "bushit''''s failure" to capture him. WHICH IS IT??? Yeesh - Bush is dammed if he does, dammed if he doesnt.

Posted by erichsh at 09:20 AM : Oct 23, 2007

Bin Laden declard war on the USA in 1996, how come Clinton didn''t take him after he was offered him 3 times??? We wouldn''t be going through a lot of this now if he had.
Reply to this comment
See all 349 Comments

Exclusive Webshow

The road ahead in Afghanistan, and the crucial decision Obama faces.
Watch Now

Latest News
News in Pictures
Scroll Left Scroll Right
Connect with CBS News

Stay connected with the CBS News using your favorite social networks and online news applications: