Al-Zawahri: Bush a 'butcher'
2006-01-30 20:20
Caito - Al-Qaeda's deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, called US President George W Bush a "butcher" and a "failure" in a videotape aired on Arab television on Monday, his first appearance since an American airstrike that targeted him this month in Pakistan.
Al-Zawahri, shown in the video wearing white robes and a white turban, said the January 13 airstrike killed "innocents" and said the United States had ignored an offer from al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden for a truce.
"Butcher of Washington, you are not only defeated and a liar, but also a failure.
"You are a curse on your own nation," he said, referring to Bush.
"Bush, do you know where I am? I am among the Muslim masses."
The airstrike hit a building in the eastern Pakistan village of Damadola, killing four al-Qaeda leaders.
Thirteen villagers were also killed in the strike, angering many Pakistanis.
- AP