November 22, 2008
Bin Laden issues message to Americans
In audiotape, bin Laden promises new attacks on U.S. soil, but he offers a truce with the nation on 'just conditions that we adhere to'
Osama bin Laden (AP Photo)
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Osama bin Laden threatened new al-Qaida attacks inside the United States but also offered a "truce" if America stays out of the Muslim world, according to an audiotape broadcast yesterday on an Arab satellite channel.
In the 10-minute tape, which was aired on Al-Jazeera, bin Laden addressed the American people directly, saying at one point he hoped to reach "those who are sensible." He chastised President George W. Bush for his policies in Iraq and Afghanistan, and repeatedly highlighted falling public support for the war in Iraq.
"I speak to you because your president is continuously misinterpreting opinion polls, which show that the vast majority of you want the withdrawal of your forces from Iraq," bin Laden said. "In answer to these interpretations, I say that the war in Iraq is raging with no let-up, and operations in Afghanistan are escalating in our favor, thank God, and Pentagon figures show the number of your dead and wounded is increasing."
Bin Laden even took issue with a central tenet of Bush's policy: that fighting Islamic militants in Iraq prevents them from carrying out attacks on U.S. soil. "The reality shows that the war against America and its allies has not been limited to Iraq, as he [Bush] claims," bin Laden said. "Iraq has become a gravitational center and a recruiting ground for holy warriors."
The CIA confirmed that the voice on the tape was bin Laden's. It was the first statement from the al-Qaida leader in 13 months, the longest period without an audio or videotaped message from him since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Yesterday's tape was aired nearly a week after a U.S. missile attack in Pakistan that targeted bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, and apparently killed four senior al-Qaida operatives. Bin Laden made no mention of the attack, and it was unclear when the tape was made. Al-Jazeera officials said it was produced last month.
In arguing that the Iraq war has emboldened Islamic militants, bin Laden pointed to "explosions in the capitals of European nations" that supported the United States in Iraq. He then warned of upcoming attacks on U.S. soil.
"The delay in similar operations inside America is not because we could not penetrate your security measures," he said. "The operations are under preparation and you will see them in your homes as soon as they are completed."
Bin Laden then offered a truce, speaking more to the U.S. public than its government. "We do not mind offering you a long-term truce based on just conditions that we adhere to," he said. "Both sides can enjoy security and stability under this truce, so we can rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan, which have been destroyed in this war."
In a videotaped message that aired in late October 2004, and which was apparently aimed at influencing the U.S. presidential election, bin Laden offered a similar truce to the American public. "Your security is not in the hands of Kerry, Bush or al-Qaida," he said in that video, referring to the U.S. president and his Democratic challenger. "Your security is in your own hands."
Experts on bin Laden noted that the tape was remarkable in the way he directly addressed the American people. It marked a departure where bin Laden no longer spoke of a cataclysmic struggle between Islam and the West but instead seemed to tell Americans that they can stop al-Qaida attacks by rejecting leaders whose policies "harm" Muslims.
In April 2004, bin Laden offered a truce to European countries that have troops in Iraq, saying al-Qaida would not attack them if they withdrew their forces. That offer was rejected, but analysts say it was a sign of bin Laden trying to inject political and pragmatic calculations into his activities.
With yesterday's tape, experts said bin Laden raised the stakes by warning of an impending attack. "He is trying to put the situation in political terms, by saying there is the potential for a truce," said Rifaat Sayed Ahmed, an Egyptian expert on Islamic militancy. "But I doubt that he really believes the Americans would negotiate with him."
Rewinding Osama
The terror mastermind goes to the videotape to get out his message.
Oct. 7, 2001
In his first tape aired after Sept. 11, bin Laden declares, "I swear to God that America will never dream of security or see it before we live it and see it in Palestine."
DEC. 13, 2001
Bin Laden discusses the attacks on the Twin Towers with followers, saying their destruction exceeded even his "optimistic" calculations.
SEPT. 10, 2003
Bin Laden praises five Sept. 11 hijackers by name. His deputy Ayman al-Zawahri, who was targeted in last week's U.S. air strike, threatens more attacks.
OCT. 29, 2004
Just before the U.S. presidential election, bin Laden suggests America can avoid another Sept. 11-like attack if it stops reprisals against Muslims.
YESTERDAY
Bin Laden threatens more attacks, but offers a truce, saying, "Both sides can enjoy security and stability under this truce, so we can rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan, which have been destroyed in this war. There is no shame in this solution."
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