Bin Laden To Sunnis: Don't Fight Al Qaeda

New Audiotape Warns Against Participating In Unity Governments; Vows Jihad Against Israel

(AP)  Osama bin Laden warned Iraq's Sunni Arabs against joining tribal councils fighting al Qaeda or participating in any unity government in a new audiotape Saturday, the terror network's latest attempt to shore up its ranks in the war-torn country.

Bin Laden also made an unusually sharp threat of attacks against Israel, vowing to expand al Qaeda's jihad, or holy war, to liberate Jerusalem and Palestine.

Most of the 56-minute tape dealt with Iraq, reflecting al Qaeda's eagerness to unify insurgents there behind it at a time when the U.S. military claims to have al Qaeda's Iraq branch on the run.

The tape did not mention Pakistan or the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, though Pakistan's government has blamed al Qaeda and the Taliban for her death on Thursday.

White House spokesman Tony Fratto said bin Laden's tape shows that al Qaeda's aim is to block democracy and freedom for all Iraqis.

"It also reminds us that the mission to defeat al Qaeda in Iraq is critically important and must succeed," Fratto said. "The Iraqi people - every day, and in increasing numbers - are choosing freedom and standing against the murderous, hateful ideology of AQI. And we stand with them."

Several hours before the tape was issued, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, said al Qaeda was becoming increasingly fearful over losing the support of Sunni Arabs and had begun targeting the leaders of tribal councils, known as Awakening Councils, who have switched allegiances in favor of America.

Petraeus said al Qaeda attaches "enormous importance" to "these tribes that have turned against them, and to the general sense that Sunni Arab communities have rejected them more and more around Iraq."

"They are trying to counter this and they have done so by attacking them," which is increasingly turning Sunnis against al Qaeda, he said.

Iraq's interior ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul Kareem Khalaf claimed that 75 percent of al Qaeda in Iraq's terrorist network had been destroyed in 2007, and gave some of the credit to the rise of anti-al Qaeda in Iraq councils.

Petraeus said that despite a number of successes against al Qaeda in recent months, the terror network remains "the most significant enemy Iraq faces because it carries out the most horrific attacks."

In the audiotape, bin Laden denounced Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, the former leader of the Anbar Awakening Council, who was killed in a September bombing claimed by al Qaeda, and he said those who participate in the tribal councils "have betrayed the nation and brought disgrace and shame to their people. They will suffer in life and in the afterlife."

"I advise those who follow the path of temptation should wash out this disgrace by repentance," he said. "This participation (in the Awakening Councils) is a great apostasy and sedition that will lead them to Hell."

Bin Laden said U.S. and Iraqi officials are seeking to set up a "national unity government" joining the country's Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.

"Our duty is to foil these dangerous schemes, which try to prevent the establishment of an Islamic state in Iraq, which would be a wall of resistance against American schemes to divide Iraq," he said.

He called on Iraq's Sunni Arabs to rally behind the Islamic State of Iraq, the insurgent umbrella group led by al Qaeda. Besides the Awakening Councils, some Sunni insurgent groups that continue to fight the Americans have rejected the Islamic State.

Bin Laden said Sunnis should pledge their allegiance to Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the little known "emir" or leader of the Islamic State of Iraq. U.S. officials have claimed that al-Baghdadi does not exist, saying al Qaeda created the name to give its coalition the illusion of an Iraqi leadership.

"Failure to give allegiance to the emir after he has been endorsed leads to great evils," bin Laden warned. "Emir Abu Omar would rather have his neck severed than betray the Muslims ... Emir Abu Omar and his brothers are not one of those who accept compromise or meeting the enemy halfway."

The authenticity of the tape could not be independently confirmed. But the voice resembled that of bin Laden. The tape was posted on an Islamic militant Web site where al Qaeda's media arm, Al-Sahab, issues the group's messages.

The tape was the latest in a string of messages by al Qaeda leaders trying to patch up divisions among insurgents in Iraq and rally Sunnis behind al Qaeda.

In an October tape, bin Laden urged insurgents to unite with the Islamic State of Iraq, but took a conciliatory tone - chiding even al Qaeda's followers for being too "extremist" in their positions toward other insurgents.

Bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahri took a sharper tone in a Dec. 16 video, branding as "traitors" those who work with the anti-Qaeda tribal councils and calling for Sunnis to purge anyone cooperating with the Americans.

Also in Saturday's tape, bin Laden promised to widen al Qaeda's fight to include Israel, stepping up al Qaeda's attempts to use the Israeli-Arab conflict to rally supporters.

"I would like to assure our people in Palestine that we will expand our jihad there," bin Laden said.

"We intend to liberate Palestine, the whole of Palestine from the (Jordan) river to the sea," he said, threatening "blood for blood, destruction for destruction."

Bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders frequently vow to liberate Jerusalem and Palestine in their messages. But the latest comments were a more direct language than bin Laden usually uses. Israel has warned of growing al Qaeda activity in Palestinian territory, but the terror network is not believed to have taken a strong direct role there so far.

"We will not recognize even one inch for Jews in the land of Palestine as other Muslim leaders have," bin Laden said.

The tape was the fifth message released by bin Laden this year, a flurry of activity after he went more than a year without issuing any tapes. The messages began with a Sept. 8 video that showed bin Laden for the first time in nearly three years. The other messages this year have been audiotapes.

[sammiers]

I am so sick of hearing about this guy....if we really wanted him dead he would be by now...this makes no sense why this guy is still breathing....

But let''s go after some destroyed tapes...hmmmm makes you wonder what''s important...

[samsel3]

Nothing has changed on Iran. The administrations interest in Iran & nukes is a smoke screen for their real agenda. Their true interests are Cheney''s energy policy.Condi Rice is a former board member of Chevron Oil and mouthpiece for the administrations energy policy. Part of that policy is the The Caspian Sea pipeline which will go through Turkmenistan, Afghanistan,Pakistan, to the gulf of Oman or on to India & Nepal.It will be cheaper to construct if they can go through Iran, but regime change is necessary first. The Caspian sea area holds one third of the world''s oil and south asian oil markets are their target market. This pipeline was also the reason for the Afghanistan invasion. Cheney''s energy policy is the root of all these middle east wars, a federal court judge sealed all documents associated with it for the administration, and the national media are not allowed to discuss or comment on it. More troops are needed in Afghanistan to protect the contractors building the pipeline. Iran stands in the way of total control of global oil now with sales of oil to China''s Sinopec Oil,deal signed Dec.10,2007. Months ago China said there would be dire consequences if the US interfered with there direct oil contracts with Iran. Both parties in the Congress should be very concerned with China''s growing war machine and need for oil. They are the real threat & the administration doesn''t care they are in control!!! All that matters to them is BIG OIL and their corporate stock portfolios

[michellet35]

If you%u2019d like to read an extraordinary speech about Middle East issues that was given by Newt Gingrich on 11/15/07, then go here:
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/terrorism.php?id=1385641
It%u2019s entitled %u201CSleepwalking Into a Nightmare%u201D, and it%u2019s as good as it gets. When it comes to people that actually %u201Cget it%u201D in regards to the threats from radical Islam, Newt is virtually without peer.

[prinzowhales]

Benazir Bhutto on David Frost''s show said that Osama bin CIA was murdered...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=UnychOXj9Tg

You''ll notice that the New World Order propagandist ignored her...wasn''t even interested in the murder of the the matrix''s number one booger-man.

Support the Stupid Peoples'' War!!...After all, its named after you! Twit Romney, the Huckster and McClown will be happy to lead further down the rabbit hole for the sake of Oil, Israel and Opium!

[kyleedwin]

neoconRcrazy...the trashing of THE president in your crowd goes far beyond your disagreements with his policies. You all accuse him of being a criminal. If you want to go there, I think it might be a good idea to start with his predecessor (which I haven''t gone there even with him). Disagreements with his policies are one thing, the lunacy of all the other accusations is certainly ''not credible''.

[samsel3]

Iraq''s oil infrastructure was rebuilt when Cheney controlled Haliburton. Halliburton/Iraq deal was done through the French because it was illegal for US companies to deal with Iraq, except for the oil for food program which US oil companies participated in. Saddam was charging US interests more for oil then other countries and cutting off supplies at times so they took him out.

[samsel3]

Reuters UK December 30, 2007 Reports: "Bin Laden says U.S. seeks to exploit Iraqi Oil". OBL states: "America seeks, alongside it''s agents in the region, to create an allied government...that would accept in advance the presence of major U.S. bases in Iraq and give the Americans all they wish of Iraqi Oil.

[samsel3]

On September 14,2002 Rep. James McDermott at a Capitol Hill Briefing said that politics and oil, not fear that Iraq will use WMD are driving factors behind the presidents call for regime change. McDermott said there was an organized effort to squelch such discussions. "The political operatives in the white house have been very careful to spin it away from oil. Anytime anybody sees a connection they spin it the other way".
Who''s in charge of the National Media outlets? Why does the administration spin the news and prevent journalists from covering the real agenda? The administration cloaks the truth under the veil of national security. On September 14,2002 Rep. James McDermott said: "Political operatives in the white house have been very careful to spin it away from oil. Anytime anyone sees a connection they spin it the other way".

[neoconrcrazy]

Your zealous trashing of bush however causes your message to get lost.

Posted by kyleedwin


beg to differ - bush trashes himself and our counry. whitman and many others are only highlighting his failed policies, lies, incompetence, and total inability to lead America in troubling time and at the same time to "protect & defend the US Constitution"

in our great country it is inadmissable that such a person of evident low moral and intellectual capacities occupy our highest office.

[kyleedwin]

j-whitman...one other thing I might add. I have read more ''evangelism'' in your postings and others like yours on this forum in the last couple of days than I''ve heard from any minister of any faith all year. You and yours have a very fervent ''hate bush / americas bad'' worldview that is very evangelistic in nature. You all are fervently trying to win converts. Your zealous trashing of bush however causes your message to get lost. Maybe you should watch oral roberts some and see how he does it.

[beehive21-2009]

osama, you turn yourselve in we have medication for your problems.The Iraqis are not so dumb as to listen too,you We need to hunt down all his family to hang.

[kyleedwin]

You are correct in one sense. Christianity and Islam both are ''evangelical'' in nature. Christianity, in it''s properly taught theological form, teaches that it will actually prevail and rule the world at some point in the future. However, Christianity does not espouse violence and death to innocent people to achieve its goals. Sure, there have been many innocent people killed in history due to Christianity, but not due to its teachings. Anytime humans are involved, mistakes and bad things happen. Islam actually teaches its followers to commit violence and death. Much different. By the way, being a two-term president of the greatest country in the world hardly qualifies as a ''lifetime of failure''. Not to mention being one of the better governors of the state of texas. You guys simply see everything through a ''hatred of Bush'' lenses. That''s not rational and you don''t have any credibility when you do it.

[feelfree1]

Woops.

"evil" should be "diablo".

[feelfree1]

kyleedwin at 07:48 PM,

What in the evil are you talking about, and what does it have to do with this fake "Osama" black propaganda nonsense release, from SITE?

Are you feeling defensive?

[j-whitman]

jowand,,,, Come to think about it both OBL & Kerry can ride a horse ---- George is scared to death of them

[j-whitman]

jowand,,, Good point & they both fought in foreign countries for their beliefs --- Can''t say that about George

[j-whitman]

kyleedwin,,, Actually my dislike for Bush is his life time of failures, dishonor to our country from running from active duty then attacking wounded veterans in his campaigns, & the dishonesty he exibits on an almost daily basis, among other thiing s he''s totally incompetent
--- Not even Ronald Reagan thought that much of him.

[j-whitman]

kyleedwin,,,, Actually Islam is evangilism, it''s no different

[kyleedwin]

qazi63...the notion that islam is a religion of peace is laughable. You must not really believe what it say if you say that. It espouses violence in many places toward anyone that doesn''t accept it. One can tell that it''s a satanic religion by it''s fruit, which is violence and death.

[kyleedwin]

You nutjobs are simply consumed with hatred toward Bush. You don''t even believe the poison you spew yourselves. You just hate Bush and the more success we have in Iraq, the more you hate him. It''s almost funny. You hate him to the point that you''re unamerican. Never mind you slander. You don''t care. You just hate Bush. The lies you post are silly and childish. You don''t even believe them yourself. Just anything slanderous and malicous you can say about Bush is all that matters. Frankly, Bush and Cheney are the only reasons you sit in safety in front of your computers and slander. Get a life!