He released a statement on the internet..I have yet to get my hand on the tape itself.
This is part of the message Osama Bin Laden had for the Sunnis in Iraq:
Usama bin Laden warned Iraq’s Sunni Arabs against joining tribal councils fighting Al Qaeda or participating in any unity government in a new audiotape posted on the Web on Saturday.
“The most evil of the traitors are those who trade away their religion for the sake of their mortal life,” bin Laden said in the tape.
He denounced Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, the leader of the Anbar Awakening Council, a tribal force fighting Al Qaeda in western Iraq, who was killed in a bombing in September.
Bin Laden said U.S. and Iraqi officials are seeking to set up a “national unity government” joining the country’s Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.
“Our duty is to foil these dangerous schemes, which try to prevent the establishment of an Islamic state in Iraq, which would be a wall of resistance against American schemes to divide Iraq,” he said.
He also said that the U.S. wants to control Iraqi oil:
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden accused the United States of plotting to take control of Iraqi oil supplies and he urged Iraqis to reject efforts to rebuild a U.S.-backed national unity government.
In a statement posted on the Internet on Saturday, bin Laden said Washington wanted to build military bases in the country and dominate the region.
The militant leader urged Iraqis to reject the envisaged plan and said those who take part in it would be turning their backs on Islam.
It is meant “to give the Americans all they wish of Iraq’s oil”, he said.
Sunni Arabs pulled out of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s Shi’ite-led government earlier this year, accusing it of being too sectarian.
Osama bin Laden vows to expand al-Qaida’s holy war to attack Israel.
According to this Hot Air headline, 75% of Al Qaeda in Iraq destroyed
More blog reaction at Memeorandum
Uh, yes! Trade away their religion (as we define it, of course)! Yes! Someone else can corrupt your religion and use it for political gain, but you’re stuck with it, by golly!
I still can’t find the tape, but this has me wondering if the AP is correct in the assessment that 75% of AQ has been destroyed/defeated in Iraq..That gives us hope, but by no means does it give us cause to celebrate just yet!
The Sunnis would do well to become a part of the new Iraq. They don’t need to give up their religion.
“In a statement posted on the Internet on Saturday, bin Laden said Washington wanted to build military bases in the country and dominate the region.”
Osama has it figured out, but our own Democrite leadership can’t seem to grasp this.
Well Reid and Pelosi said a new direction in Iraq was needed..is this tape what they were referring to? =))
#2 Perhaps the Sunnis finally have figured out the obvious truth that their only chance of survival, let alone prospering, is to get with the program. In a civil war they would eventually be eliminated.
#4 It could be, judging from the initiatives taken by the Democrites. The question is: Are they getting orders from Bin Laden, or is Bin Laden following their lead?
This guy is such a dumbass.
I half wonder if he actually really is dead, and if there are people who are putting these “recordings” of OBL out there just to keep their thing going…
I wonder…
“The Sunnis would do well to become a part of the new Iraq.”
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I’m of the opinion that more violence is to be expected in Iraq for a long time.
Once our troops DO withdrawl, at the very least from the forward positions that they have occupied since the “surge”, SOMEONE is going to fill that vacuum. And I seriously doubt it’ll be a stable Iraqi central authority.
It really is a lose-lose situation for Iraq for at least another decade or so.
Why is this man still running around making tapes six years after 9/11 and not in Guantanamo, and why are not our leaders who let him go not under indictment for impeachment if not outright treason?
7&8- SFL, I really do think he is dead…But, out trot tapes or in this case..web postings…
I think there will always be violence in the area, as that is the history of the region. I do think that the mainstream Sunni will help build a free Iraq, all the while continue to practice their religion in a free manner that does not include murder. JMO…
9- Clinton turned a blind eye, and let the man go when offered to him, but this does not constitute treason, nor would an indictment stick.
SFL…you are dead wrong. OBL is not a dumb ass. He is actually a very smart man and under different circumstances would have probably made a brilliant military strategist. I disagree with Pam however and believe he is very much alive albeit well hidden.
I often shudder when I think of how many more attacks we would have had on our shores had Clinton still been in charge. For those that don’t believe just reflect on the attitude of the democrats on this war in general. That’s what we can expect if one is elected president. No thanks I’ve had enough.
Yeah, OBL is a real Dunce. I’ll bet he was a D-student. Even his camel was smarter than him! He never founded Al Qaeda; he actually won it in a poker game. He has money only because of Dad’s business.
If you need proof, just look at the speeches he gives in his tapes. The guy doesn’t even have enough brains to make up his own rhetoric and propaganda! He parrots concept for concept, almost word for word what the Democrat leadership is saying! If they copyrighted their talking points they could sue him!!! You know, when he talks about America is bad, and our troops are like Nazis, and they murder innocent Arabs, that’s right out of the mouths of John Murtha, Turban Durbin, and ChapaTraitor Ted!
So yes, I agree, OBL is stupid and has effectively become not much more than a spokesman, a mouthpiece, for the new DemokRat leadership!
You know now that you mention it Robert he does seem to parrot the dems points of view quite alot. Maybe he’s not so bright after all.
13- Okay, I’ll bite on this one….just look at the history of the region..If you were OBL, how hard would it be to convince some of these people to follow you? This is a way of life for them and he(or others) is manipulating it in the name of Allah..yes, a formidable foe for a civilized society, but for that society? Not so tough…
Actually my post was completely satirical. I was making fun of SFL’s pronouncement by using the parallel between OBL/Terrorist rhetoric and what the Democrites spout.
I doubt OBL is stupid. Insane, demented, nuttier than a fruitcake, yes. But not stupid.
“If you were OBL, how hard would it be to convince some of these people to follow you?”
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Not very hard at all, I imagine.
The message apparently appeals to lots of people who are angry and want action.
The hard part for our side is how to counter all those deeply held negative feelings and opinions…
Bin Laden IS a dumb-ass.
He recklessly attacked the US mainland, and reawakened the “sleeping giant”.
Whatever goals or plans he had for an islamic caliphate will never happen now, not as long as we’re mobilized against him and his forces.
13- I got your satire and raised you with a look how ignorant his fighters are…These people don’t care about themselves nor their fellow man. These are religious fanatics that are easily manipulated all in the name of Allah. They would kill their own child for the cause…He is well aware of this and uses it to further his cause…;)
“Whatever goals or plans he had for an islamic caliphate will never happen now, not as long as we’re mobilized against him and his forces.”
Unless the DemokRat leadership and the Leftists have their way.
Sounds like you’re possibly ready to join the “right” side, SFL?
Well SFL…that was my question as well. We are only mobilizing against him because the BUSH ADMINISTRATION took action.
#18 SFL You are correct in your assessment that OBL was in grave error when he attacked the US homeland. His miscalculation wasn’t in doing it, it was in doing it after Clinton left office. OBL was emboldened by the previous administration’s unwillingness to take the bad press related to actually taking the overwhelmingly violent action necessary to deal with OBL and Al Quaeda during it’s tenure. As someone who “Loathed the military”, Bj Billy was horrible as a CinC. He was so anxious to cut military spending that he depleted the military of the very experienced assets needed to fight the war on Terror, including Arabic and Farsi linguists and intelligence officers and special operations forces.
FAO you bring up a very good point. To our enemies, the image America projected during the Klinton Admin was degeneracy, deemphasizing Defense, effectively ignoring the war that had already been initiated against it. Therefore weak and ripe for attack.
The Bush Admin projects the courage and determination to confront our enemies, regardless of whether other nations are willing to join the effort. Regardless of the polls. Yet he has been severely criticized for that.
Which is better? No question in my mind…