Gaddafi 'enemy of Islam'
2007-11-03 11:29
Cairo - Al-Qaeda's Number two Ayman al-Zawahri harshly criticised Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in a new audio tape on Saturday, accusing him of being an enemy of Islam and threatening a wave of attacks against the North African country because it improved relations with the United States.
In the 28-minute audio tape called "Unity of the Ranks," al-Zawahri also announced that the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group was joining ranks with al-Qaeda.
Al-Zawahri said: "The Islamic nation is witnessing a blessed step ... The brothers are escalating the confrontation against the enemies of Islam: Gadhafi and his masters, the Washington crusaders."
The recording could not be independently verified, but it appeared on a website commonly used by insurgents and carried the logo of al-Qaeda's media production house, as-Sahab.
The recording also carried a message Abu Laith al-Libi, a Libyan al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan who accused Gadhafi of decades of tyranny.
Al-Libi said: "He is the tyranny of Libya and is dragging the country to the swamp.
"After long years, Gaddafi discovered suddenly that America is not an enemy ... and is turning Libya into another crusader base."
- AP