Bin Laden tells insurgents to unite
Pastor Dale Morgan
Bin Laden tells insurgents to unite*
Message urges insurgent groups to avoid divisions to defeat US.
Ian Black, Middle East editor
Tuesday October 23, 2007
The Guardian
Osama bin Laden has resurfaced with a new message urging insurgent
groups in Iraq to avoid divisions and unite to defeat the US-led
coalition. The message, in an Arabic audio tape broadcast by al-Jazeera
television last night, was addressed directly to "my brother fighters in
Iraq". They were told: "Muslims are waiting for you to gather under one
banner so that justice can be served."
The fugitive al-Qaida leader said, without elaborating, that some
fighters had committed "mistakes", and called on the insurgents not to
follow "their leaders and groups blindly.
"Everybody can make a mistake, but the best of them are those who admit
their mistakes," he said, adding in a rare moment of self-criticism that
he advises "himself, Muslims in general and brothers in al-Qaida
everywhere" not to be extreme.
The latest recording came amid Iraqi government reports of a sharp drop
in violence in Iraq, following a series of US-led offensives in
Washington's "surge" strategy.
Bin Laden's followers in Iraq have angered other Sunni groups and tribes
through their hardline interpretations of Islam and the indiscriminate
killing of civilians. Some Sunni groups have joined forces with al-Qaida
in Iraq to set up what they call an Islamic state in the country, but
other groups and tribal leaders, especially in Anbar province, have
rejected the move and have cooperated with the US.
Last night's message was the first from Bin Laden since September 20,
when he called for jihad, or holy war, against the Pakistani president,
Pervez Musharraf, over his support for Washington.
Experts said the voice on the tape sounded genuine. But there was no
indication as to when or where the tape was recorded as it made no
reference to any specific events.