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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
 Posted - 08 Sep 2007 : 10:04:31
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Americans to convert By LEE KEATH, Associated Press Writer
47 minutes ago
CAIRO, Egypt - Osama bin Laden appeared for the first time in three years in a video Friday released ahead of the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, telling Americans they should convert to Islam if they want the war in Iraq to end.
American officials said the U.S. government had obtained a copy even though the video had not been posted yet by al-Qaida — and intelligence agencies were studying the video to determine whether it was authentic and looking for clues about bin Laden's health.
The 30-minute video was obtained by the SITE Institute, a Washington-based group that monitors terrorist messages, and provided to the Associated Press.
The footage gives a rare look at the al-Qaida leader, who has likely avoided appearing in videos as a security measure. His emergence comes at a time when terrorism experts believe his terror network is regrouping in the lawless Pakistan-Afghanistan border region — and it underlines the U.S. failure to catch him.
In the video, a short excerpt of which was broadcast to the Arab world by Al-Jazeera television, bin Laden wears a white robe, a white circular cap and a beige cloak seated behind a table while reading an address to the American people from papers in front of him.
His trimmed beard is shorter than in his last video, in 2004, and is fully black — apparently dyed, since in past videos it was mostly gray. He speaks softly, as he usually does, and has dark bags under his eyes, but his appearance dispelled rumors that he had died.
U.S. President George W. Bush made the rare move of speaking about an al-Qaida video. The tape is "a reminder about the dangerous world in which we live, he told reporters on the sidelines of a summit of Pacific Rim nations in Sydney, Australia.
"It's important that we show resolve and determination to protect ourselves, deny al-Qaida safe haven and support young democracies," Bush said.
In the video, Bin Laden makes no overt threats and does not directly call for attacks.
Instead, he addresses Americans, lecturing them on the failures of their leaders to stop the war in Iraq despite growing public opposition in the U.S.
He says there were two solutions to stopping the Iraq war. "One is from our side, and it is to escalate the fighting and killing against you. This is our duty, and our brothers are carrying it out," bin Laden said.
"The second solution is from your side. ... I invite you to embrace Islam," he said.
One result of that, bin Laden said, would be an end to the Iraq war. He said "warmongering owners of the major corporations" would rush to appease voters who showed they are looking for an alternative, "and this alternative is Islam."
He derided Bush, saying events in Iraq have gotten "out of control" and the American leader "is like the one who plows and sows the sea: He harvests nothing but failure."
Bin Laden frequently criticized capitalism, calling its leaders the real terrorists and threats to human freedom.
"This is why I tell you: as you liberated yourselves before from the slavery of monks, kings and feudalism, you should liberate yourselves from the deception, shackles and attrition of the capitalist system," he said.
Bin Laden's attacks in the video on capitalism, multinational corporations and globalization led several current and former government officials to believe an American — 28-year-old Adam Gadahn — may have written at least part of the speech.
Gadahn, who has been charged with treason and supporting terrorism for serving as an al-Qaida propagandist, has appeared in several past al-Qaida-produced videos, lecturing against capitalism and globalization and making insider references to American culture.
"It has Adam Gadahn written all over it," one former senior intelligence official said of bin Laden's tape, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
The video appeared to have been recently made. At one point, bin Laden mentions that "several days ago" Japan marked the 62nd anniversary of the Aug. 6, 1945, atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima. He also refers to the Democratic Party's congressional victory in last fall's election and to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was elected in May.
He also shows a grasp of current events, dropping mentions of global warming and saying Americans are "reeling under the burdens" of a mortgage crisis.
And he praises author Noam Chomsky, an early critic of the Iraq war, as well as Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA's bin Laden unit, who has said poor U.S. leadership was losing the war against terrorist groups.
Bin Laden "knows Bush has low approval ratings, knows the significance of a growing awareness of global warming," said Thomas Sanderson, deputy director of the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "He's trying to capitalize on what he sees as a shift back to the middle in American politics."
Al-Qaida annually uses the anniversary of the Sept. 11 suicide attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon as a propaganda opportunity, issuing videotapes to rally supporters and mock the United States.
But the appearance of bin Laden this year makes a bigger splash. The al-Qaida leader had not appeared in new video footage since October 2004, and he had not put out an audiotape in more than a year, his longest period without a message.
His deputy, Egyptian-born Ayman al-Zawahri, has issued numerous videos and audiotapes in the meantime as al-Qaida has increased the sophistication and speed of its media operations.
Seth Jones, a terrorism expert at the RAND think tank, said that while the anniversary gives the pretext for the tape, it also comes at a time when the main al-Qaida leadership has managed to regroup.
"There clearly has been a resurgence of core al-Qaida in the tribal areas of Pakistan" along the frontier with Afghanistan since 2005, Jones said.
He said sympathy in that region for the Taliban has made it more receptive to militant Sunni groups, including al-Qaida. "It's really created a sanctuary," Jones said.
Rita Katz, director of the SITE Institute, said she believes "strongly that al-Qaida has regrouped" but that its core bases are more scattered than previously, comprising several training camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She said it was likely bin Laden is hidden in a more secure location, away from any of those sites.
During the video, bin Laden's image moves for only a total of about 3 1/2 minutes in two segments, staying frozen the rest of the time while his remarks continue.
A former senior U.S. intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it might have resulted from a technical glitch while al-Qaida passed the video through a variety of computer sites to mask its cyber trail.
The United States intercepted the video before it was released on Islamic Web sites where al-Qaida usually posts its messages, a U.S. counterterrorism official said in Washington. U.S. officials had analyzed the video for hours before transcripts and videos were leaked, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
The official said analysts were studying bin Laden's physical characteristics — for clues about his health after unconfirmed rumors earlier this year that he had died of kidney disease.
Soon after word emerged that the United States had the video, Islamic militant Web sites that usually carry statements from al-Qaida went down and were inaccessible.
Hours later, the sites were back up, but by late Friday, the video still had not been released on the militant Web sites.
The reason for the shutdown was not immediately known. Evan H. Kohlmann, a terrorism expert at globalterroralert.com, said he suspected it was the work of al-Qaida itself, trying to find how the video leaked to U.S. officials.
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Associated Press writers Lara Jakes Jordan, Pamela Hess and Matthew Lee in Washington and Sarah DiLorenzo in New York contributed to this report.
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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 08 Sep 2007 : 10:10:04
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| Osama looks pretty brushed up in this latest video. Looks like he dyed his beard (it used to be whiter/grey). Is there any Islamic opinion on dying hair ? Is it likely that Osama dyed his hair ? |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 08 Sep 2007 : 10:34:38
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quote:
Is it likely that Osama dyed his hair ?
Unlikely. But, someone else might do it when he was sleeping. |
diaspora! Too many Chiefs and Very Few Indians.
Halifa Salah: PDOIS is however realistic. It is fully aware that the Gambian voters are yet to reach a level of political consciousness that they rely on to vote on the basis of Principles, policies and programmes and practices. |
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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 08 Sep 2007 : 10:55:25
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| Turk , are you serious ? Bin Laden sleep and somebody dye his hair ? |
Edited by - kayjatta on 08 Sep 2007 11:26:30 |
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turk
USA
3356 Posts |
Posted - 08 Sep 2007 : 11:02:38
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kayjatta
I am just speculating.... :) |
diaspora! Too many Chiefs and Very Few Indians.
Halifa Salah: PDOIS is however realistic. It is fully aware that the Gambian voters are yet to reach a level of political consciousness that they rely on to vote on the basis of Principles, policies and programmes and practices. |
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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 08 Sep 2007 : 11:27:08
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| oh I see... |
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Santanfara
3460 Posts |
Posted - 09 Sep 2007 : 12:17:52
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mr bush and bin laden seems to help each in pushing their messages .one is neo-con and a hawk hell-bent on using leaser guided missiles and the other hell-bent on using his faith to cause neusance .they cannot function without each other. when bush goes ,ben laden goes. |
Surah- Ar-Rum 30-22
"And among His signs is the creation of heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge." Qu'ran
www.suntoumana.blogspot.com |
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serenata
Germany
1400 Posts |
Posted - 10 Sep 2007 : 17:05:29
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Hihi, Santa, you're right! Those two are like Siamese twins  . |
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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 10 Sep 2007 : 18:06:34
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| I think Bin laden pre-dates Bush , and the war on terror and Al-Qaeda will continue after Bush... |
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Santanfara
3460 Posts |
Posted - 10 Sep 2007 : 19:00:43
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| our man from the oval office as spoken ,we believe you kay .bush win his elections on mr ben laden and ben laden recruit on mr bush .wacky . |
Surah- Ar-Rum 30-22
"And among His signs is the creation of heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge." Qu'ran
www.suntoumana.blogspot.com |
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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 11 Sep 2007 : 07:55:27
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Bin Laden has formed Al-Qaeda and has been recruiting well before Bush came to the political scene. They had already colonized Afghanistan , bombed Kenya and Tanzania ,and the World Trade Center in 1993 before Bush.They had also already infiltrated U.S. and Europe well before Bush. AlQaeda's intend to destroy modern civilization is unrelenting. The last straw that was the 911. The world had to decide whether to deal with this growing threat once and for all , or let it build up into an inferno. Bush must be commended for leading the world to dismantle Al-Qaeda's safe haven in the taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Of course there are thousands of disgruntled and disillusioned young people out there who have nothing better to do other than blow themselves up against an innocent world. However , Al-Qaeda is largely defeated , nearly all their top brass are in U.S jails , and the rest...
Bush's victory over John Kerry in 2004 is a result of two main forces in American politics in my view. One is Bush's firm stance on the war on terror and the other is the ongoing moral and religious undercurrent (over gay marriage,stem cell research,abortion , federal support of faith based groups,etc ,) in American society at the time. But Bush's victory in both elections , especially in that of 2004 is in large part due to the political genius of Karl Rove, who arguably is America's greatest political strategist of all times . |
Edited by - kayjatta on 11 Sep 2007 08:06:23 |
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Karl
136 Posts |
Posted - 11 Sep 2007 : 09:50:08
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Another attack on Bush and the neo-cons. Michael Moore's controversial documentary,(Fahrenheit 9/11) Very interesting material facts on how manipulative the Bush administration has been. Food for thought!!
http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/film.jsp?id=133094&?intcmp=docpage_box1 |
"People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster" J Baldwin |
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Santanfara
3460 Posts |
Posted - 11 Sep 2007 : 11:51:18
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quote:
Originally posted by kayjatta
Bin Laden has formed Al-Qaeda and has been recruiting well before Bush came to the political scene. They had already colonized Afghanistan , bombed Kenya and Tanzania ,and the World Trade Center in 1993 before Bush.They had also already infiltrated U.S. and Europe well before Bush. AlQaeda's intend to destroy modern civilization is unrelenting. The last straw that was the 911. The world had to decide whether to deal with this growing threat once and for all , or let it build up into an inferno. Bush must be commended for leading the world to dismantle Al-Qaeda's safe haven in the taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Of course there are thousands of disgruntled and disillusioned young people out there who have nothing better to do other than blow themselves up against an innocent world. However , Al-Qaeda is largely defeated , nearly all their top brass are in U.S jails , and the rest...
Bush's victory over John Kerry in 2004 is a result of two main forces in American politics in my view. One is Bush's firm stance on the war on terror and the other is the ongoing moral and religious undercurrent (over gay marriage,stem cell research,abortion , federal support of faith based groups,etc ,) in American society at the time. But Bush's victory in both elections , especially in that of 2004 is in large part due to the political genius of Karl Rove, who arguably is America's greatest political strategist of all times .
this is what you read .it may not necessarily be true .a man in the cave can master mind a attack on the strongest and most militaryly advance nation in world .i take that with a pinch of salt .
mr you also forgot forida voters fraud .that was the reason bush won ,not any neo -con tricks. |
Surah- Ar-Rum 30-22
"And among His signs is the creation of heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge." Qu'ran
www.suntoumana.blogspot.com |
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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 11 Sep 2007 : 12:00:52
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| What did you read , can you tell us your version ? You do not believe Al-Qaeda attacked America on 911 ? You think it was carried out by Mossad ? You do not believe Islamic militants attacked Kenya and Tanzania , London , Madrid and elsewhere ? Come on you must be kidding me , what are you hiding Santafara ? |
Edited by - kayjatta on 11 Sep 2007 12:10:48 |
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Santanfara
3460 Posts |
Posted - 11 Sep 2007 : 12:09:17
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quote:
Originally posted by kayjatta
What did you read , can you tell us your version ?
i don't buy political statemenst whole heartedly.what you read that i what i read but i am careful not to badit it arround.you remember the wmd ? in england we where told about the 45 minute misiles lauch capability by saddam ,so heey any thing is possible .spin doctors and flanboyant speeches .remember axis of evil sacar ? |
Surah- Ar-Rum 30-22
"And among His signs is the creation of heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge." Qu'ran
www.suntoumana.blogspot.com |
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serenata
Germany
1400 Posts |
Posted - 12 Sep 2007 : 16:53:34
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quote:
Originally posted by kayjatta
Bin Laden has formed Al-Qaeda and has been recruiting well before Bush came to the political scene. They had already colonized Afghanistan , bombed Kenya and Tanzania ,and the World Trade Center in 1993 before Bush.They had also already infiltrated U.S. and Europe well before Bush. AlQaeda's intend to destroy modern civilization is unrelenting. The last straw that was the 911. The world had to decide whether to deal with this growing threat once and for all , or let it build up into an inferno. Bush must be commended for leading the world to dismantle Al-Qaeda's safe haven in the taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Of course there are thousands of disgruntled and disillusioned young people out there who have nothing better to do other than blow themselves up against an innocent world. However , Al-Qaeda is largely defeated , nearly all their top brass are in U.S jails , and the rest...
Bush's victory over John Kerry in 2004 is a result of two main forces in American politics in my view. One is Bush's firm stance on the war on terror and the other is the ongoing moral and religious undercurrent (over gay marriage,stem cell research,abortion , federal support of faith based groups,etc ,) in American society at the time. But Bush's victory in both elections , especially in that of 2004 is in large part due to the political genius of Karl Rove, who arguably is America's greatest political strategist of all times .
Kayjatta, I respect your love for your country. But sometimes I am surprised to see how naive even intelligent, educated people can be at certain points.
If it was not organized by the US government itself, 9/11 at least came as a big relief for Bush. Please try to remember: After the flagrant electoral fraud which made him president, Bush's reputation in the US and in the world was below zero. He didn't improve as a president; inter alia he was critized for being lazy. His presidency was nothing but a big embarrassment.
Then, bang! - 9/11! The assassination was not only the perfect pretence for the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq (which was planned long before 9/11, as we know now) - it saved Bush's bacon. He could play the successful crisis manager, nobody dared to criticize him any longer. THE NATION WAS ON WAR! Right or wrong, my president...
So, if Bin Laden is really responsible for 9/11, Bush, the US oil industry, the US weapon industry, army suppliers, private security companies, etc. etc. must be very, very grateful to him. He made their decade, maybe their century. He let them make money, money, money. I am sure they love him.
War on Terror. Good joke. Haha. |
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