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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Bin Laden speaks on new tape


This image from video made available by IntelCenter on Saturday shows Osama bin Laden in a new videotape posted on a militant Web site by Al-Qaida's media production wing. IntelCenter is a private U.S. company that monitors militant message traffic and provides intelligence services for the American government. Associated Press
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Omar Sinan Associated Press

CAIRO, Egypt – A new al-Qaida videotape posted on a militant Web site featured a short, undated clip of a weary-looking Osama bin Laden praising martyrdom.

The bin Laden clip, which lasted less than a minute, was part of a 40-minute video featuring purported al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan paying tribute to fellow militants who have been killed in the country.

Bin Laden glorified those who die in the name of jihad, or holy war, saying even the Prophet Muhammad “had been wishing to be a martyr.”

“The happy (man) is the one that God has chosen him to be a martyr,” added bin Laden, who was shown outdoors wearing army fatigues and looking tired.

The authenticity of the video could not be verified, but it appeared on a Web site commonly used by Islamic militants and carried the logo of as-Sahab, al-Qaida’s media production wing. It was not immediately clear when the video of bin Laden was filmed.

Bin Laden was last heard from in a July 1, 2006, audio tape in which he voiced support for the new leader of al-Qaida in Iraq and warned nations not to send troops to fight a hard-line Islamic regime that had recently seized power in Somalia.

Today’s video, dedicated to Muslims who have left their homes to fight jihad, included a series of animated scenes showing green fields overlaid with Arabic names written in gold, representing Arab fighters who had died in Afghanistan.

Following one such sequence, the self-proclaimed leader of al-Qaida in Afghanistan appeared praising his fellow fighters.

“Your hero sons, courageous knights have left to the land of Afghanistan … the land of jihad and martyrdom, answering the call for the sake of God to kick out the occupier who has desecrated the pure soil of Afghanistan,” said Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed.

In another clip, a man identified as Mujahid Haidarah al-Hawn was shown sitting in front of a tree with an AK-47 paying tribute to a Syrian fighter, Osama al-Hamawi, who died in an air raid in Afghanistan.

“I lived with him for four years,” said al-Hawn, who wore a black scarf to cover his face. “He used to be my emir (commander) … He was a brother with extreme modesty.”

A bearded man identified as Abu Yahia al-Libi, a Libyan al-Qaida operative in Afghanistan, appeared in the video wearing a black turban, saying the Muslim world was “offering the best of its men and sacrificing the good of its sons … to protect its ideology.”

Al-Libi escaped U.S. custody in 2005 and is believed to be behind a suicide bombing that killed 23 people outside the main U.S. base in Afghanistan during a February visit by Vice President Dick Cheney.

The video also contained a series of clips with militants wearing traditional Afghan dress and carrying rifles and RPG launchers through the mountains. Militants could also be seen exercising in training camps.

At the end of the broadcast, images of the Sept. 11 attacks were shown, and a voice could be heard saying, “In a few days, the crusaders’ landmarks were flattened.”