Cairo, July 2 (Xinhua) Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, in a new audio message posted on the Internet, has urged Islamist fighters to free Iraq.
'You, god's trusted fighters, will liberate the country (Iraq) from the crusaders,' bin Laden said in the audio posted Saturday on a Web site frequently used by Islamist militants. However, the voice in the audio is yet to be verified as Bin Laden's.
He said Sunni Muslims in Iraq were being 'exterminated' by Shias, warning that Shia-populated areas might subject to attacks.
He also endorsed Abu Hamza al-Muhajer as the new Al-Qaeda leader in Iraq to succeed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who was killed in a US air strike north of Baghdad last month. He wished the new leader 'good luck'.
Bin Laden urged militants in Iraq to 'continue fighting', saying that participation in the country's political process would lead nowhere.
He called on Al-Qaeda leaders in Iraq's to continue to take part in the Mujahideen Shura Council.
The council, which consists of several Iraqi insurgent groups including Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for killing four Russian embassy employees kidnapped by militants last month.
In addition, bin Laden urged all the Somali people to support the Islamic Courts Union, which took control of the Somali capital Mogadishu in June.
'You should join hands with the Islamic Courts to build an Islamic state in Somalia,' he said, warning other countries against sending troops to Somalia.
Further, the Al-Qaeda chief said his group had the right to 'punish' the US inside its territories, in Somalia and everywhere in the world.
© 2006 Xinhua |