Bin Laden speaks - New audiotape

[The Emperor Fabulous]

Al-Jazeera aired an audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden on Thursday, saying al-Qaida is making preparations for attacks in the United States but offering a truce to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan.

The voice on the tape said heightened security measures in the United States are not the reason there have been no attacks there since the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide hijackings.

Instead, the reason is "because there are operations that need preparations, and you will see them," he said.

"Based on what I have said, it is better not to fight the Muslims on their land," he said. "We do not mind offering you a truce that is fair and long-term. ... So we can build Iraq and Afghanistan ... there is no shame in this solution because it prevents wasting of billions of dollars ... to merchants of war."

The speaker did not give conditions for a truce in the excerpts aired by the Arab broadcaster.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/01/19/D8F7R0601.html

[Harry Tuttle]

Was this before or after we blew up their higher echelon?

[Lawrence of Arabia]

Take this truce. Its a good idea. I dont see what america has to give up.

[Harry Tuttle]

Originally posted by Lawrence of Arabia
Take this truce. Its a good idea. I dont see what america has to give up.

Their succinct approval to recognize the terrorists under the Geneva Convention, a chance to run down the terrorists cells till they are completely gone, a chance to keep the terrorist big whigs from staying in one place; communicating with their followers; rebuilding their ranks; re-creating structure and control. Etc, etc, etc...

We can't just say: Time out, let's both catch our breath.

[The Emperor Fabulous]

In an audio tape broadcast on Aljazeera, Osama bin Laden has warned that al-Qaida was preparing an attack very soon, but also offered Americans a "long-term truce".

"The new operations of al-Qaida has not happened not because we could not penetrate the security measures. It is being prepared and you'll see it in your homeland very soon," the voice attributed to bin Laden said, apparently addressing Americans.

But the voice on the tape, which appeared to be aimed at the American public, also offered a truce: "We do not mind establishing a long-term truce between us and you."

The tape, broadcast on Thursday, comes after months more than a year of silence from the al-Qaida leader.

"This message is about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and how to end those wars," it began.

"It was not my intention to talk to you about this, because those wars are definitely going our way.

"But what triggered my desire to talk to you is the continuous deliberate misinformation given by your President [George] Bush, when it comes to polls made in your home country which reveal that the majority of your people are willing to withdraw US forces from Iraq.

Americans want peace

"We know that the majority of your people want this war to end and opinion polls show the Americans don't want to fight the Muslims on Muslim land, nor do they want Muslims to fight them on their (US) land.

"But Bush does not want this and claims that it's better to fight his enemies on their land rather than on American land.

"Bush tried to ignore the polls that demanded that he end the war in Iraq.

"We are getting increasingly stronger while your situation is getting from bad to worse," he told the US, referring to poor US troop morale and the huge economic losses inflicted by the war.

"The war in Iraq is raging and the operations in Afghanistan are increasing."

Truce offer

"In response to the substance of the polls in the US, which indicate that Americans do not want to fight Muslims on Muslim land, nor do they want Muslims to fight them on their land, we do not mind offering a long-term truce based on just conditions that we will stick to.

"We are a nation that Allah banned from lying and stabbing others in the back, hence both parties of the truce will enjoy stability and security to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan, which were destroyed by war.

"There is no problem in this solution, but it will prevent hundreds of billions from going to influential people and warlords in America - those who supported Bush's electoral campaign - and from this, we can understand Bush and his gang's insistence on continuing the war."

Addressing Americans again, he said: "If your desire for peace, stability and reconciliation was true, here we have given you the answer to your call."

Bin Laden, who had not been heard of since a 27 December 2004 audiotape in which he anointed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Iraq's most wanted man, as al-Qaida's leader in Iraq, also said his network was winning the war against the US.

"I would like to tell you that everything is going to our advantage and the number of your dead is increasing, according to Pentagon figures."

Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden's deputy, said in a September videotape that his leader was still alive and leading the jihad against the West.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/593298A0-3C1A-4EB4-B29D-EA1A9678D922.htm

[Kontiki]

Odd that if he thinks they're winning so handily, he'd be offering truces.

[Richelieu]

Odd that he's still alive. You would think the full might of the US would have come down on the guy responsible for 9/11.

[Harry Tuttle]

It did, barring nukes. See the thread on the military constraints of the Bora Bora bombings. After that it's hide and go seek in Pakistan.

[Ninot]

Very saavy political move, no matter who made the tape.

[Richelieu]

If the US had wanted to get Bin Laden, no one would have stopped them. Your prez just decided that Iraq was more important for some reason.

[Harry Tuttle]

Originally posted by Richelieu
If the US had wanted to get Bin Laden, no one would have stopped them. Your prez just decided that Iraq was more important for some reason.

Whatever champ, just keep playing that violin.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Richelieu
Odd that he's still alive. You would think the full might of the US would have come down on the guy responsible for 9/11.

yeah, a US occupation of Pakistan, after Perv falls, would be so pretty

[Ming]

Originally posted by Richelieu
If the US had wanted to get Bin Laden, no one would have stopped them. Your prez just decided that Iraq was more important for some reason.

[Richelieu]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
yeah, a US occupation of Iraq, after Hussein falls, would be so pretty

Fixed.

Of course Bin Laden wasn't in Iraq and neither was Al Quaeda... but who cares.

[Harry Tuttle]

Originally posted by Richelieu


Fixed.

Of course Bin Laden wasn't in Iraq and neither was Al Quaeda... but who cares.

What's that got to do with the price of rice? This threads on the truce.