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Bin Laden: Escalate fighting
24/10/2007 09:02 - (SA)
Dubai - Osama bin Laden called for
intensified fighting against US-led forces in Iraq and made a
plea to Muslims in the region to join the battle, in an audio
recording posted on the internet on Tuesday.
"Where are the soldiers of the Levant and the reinforcements
from Yemen? Where are the knights of Egypt and the lions of
Hejaz (region in Saudi Arabia)? Come to the aid of your brothers
in Iraq," said the speaker, who sounded like the al-Qaeda
leader.
Portions of the audio recording, issued as a video carrying
a still photograph of bin Laden, were aired by Al Jazeera
television on Monday. The tape was produced by As-Sahab, al- Qaeda's media arm, and posted on Islamist websites. It carried
the date of the lunar month that began in mid-October.
US and Iraqi officials say many insurgents and suicide
bombers in Iraq are Arabs from neighbouring countries.
"Increase (the enemy's) disarray and strike further at their
necks and hit them with bone-cutting swords," bin Laden said.
He also urged Iraq's Sunni tribes to join insurgents and
offer them aid and shelter.
In a section of the recording aired on Monday, Bin Laden had
urged Sunni insurgents to put aside differences and unite with
his al-Qaeda followers, admitting that "mistakes" had been made.
The recording came amid Iraqi government reports of a sharp
drop in violence, following a series of US-led summer
offensives against insurgents, and reports of clashes between al- Qaeda and tribesmen and domestic Iraqi jihadist groups.
- Reuters
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