Bin Laden Still Alive

[Guest Kotzenjunge]

Al-Qaida: Bin Laden Still Alive

 

SAM F. GHATTAS Associated Press Writer

 

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Osama bin Laden and his No. 2 man are both alive and well and their al-Qaida network is ready to attack new U.S. targets, bin Laden's spokesman said in audiotaped remarks aired Sunday. The message also claimed responsibility for a deadly April fire at a Jewish synagogue in Tunisia.

 

The Qatar-based Al-Jazeera satellite television network, which has in the past aired videotaped messages of bin Laden and his top lieutenants, said that it received a recorded audiotaped message from Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, the Kuwaiti-born spokesman for bin Laden.

 

There was no way to independently confirm the authenticity of the remarks. The Bush administration has said that it does not know whether bin Laden is alive or dead. There was no immediate reaction Saturday from the White House.

 

It was not immediately clear when the tape was made or how Al-Jazeera obtained it. No comment from the station was available.

 

Similar remarks, purportedly made by Abu Ghaith, appeared days earlier on an Arabic-language Web site that issues daily updates on the war in Afghanistan. The tape and the Web site had some of the same quotes and statements, including that bin Laden would soon make a televised address to the Muslim world.

 

``I want to assure Muslims that Sheik Osama bin Laden ... is in good and prosperous health and all what is being rumored about his illness and injury in Tora Bora has no truth,'' according to excerpts aired Sunday.

 

The tape, which was monitored in Beirut, Lebanon, appeared recent. Referring to recent U.S. warnings about imminent al-Qaida threats, Abu Ghaith said the group will choose the right time, place and method.

 

The warnings were ``a cover-up for the ugly face of the onslaught by the Democratic Party against the Republican Party after the American president announced he was aware of the Sept. 11 operations and because of the economic problems the American government was suffering from,'' Abu Ghaith said.

 

``I say 'Yes' to what American officials are saying ... that we are going to carry out attacks on America,'' he said.

 

``I want to assure Muslims that Sheik Osama bin Laden ... is in good and prosperous health and all what is being rumored about his illness and injury in Tora Bora has no truth,'' according to excerpts.

 

Abu Ghaith said al-Qaida still has ``the capability to threaten America and execute such threats. The few coming days and months will prove to the whole world, Allah willing, the truth of what we are saying.''

 

He called the Sept. 11 attacks a ``great historic victory that broke the backs of the Americans, the strongest power in this world,'' and referred to previous successes against the Americans: The 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the 2000 strike against the destroyer USS Cole in Yemen.

 

Abu Ghaith also claimed al-Qaida was behind the fuel tanker explosion on the Tunisian island of Jerba, in which 15 people died, 10 of them Germans.

 

``This is an operation that was carried out by the al-Qaida organization (by a man) ... who could not see his brothers in Palestine being killed, slaughtered, their blood spilled and honor violated and he looks around him and sees Jews in the city of Jerba wandering and enjoying and practicing their rituals at will,'' Abu Ghaith said.

 

The audiotape included Abu Ghaith denying reports that Ayman Al-Zawahri, bin Laden's No. 2 man in al-Qaida, was hurt in Tora Bora, an eastern Afghanistan mountain region where U.S. and allied forces pursued remnants of al-Qaida and former rulers of Afghanistan, the Taliban.

 

``I can say that 98 percent of the leadership of al-Qaida are safe and are running their affairs perfectly,'' the voice on the recording said.

 

An Al-Jazeera presenter quoted Abu Ghaith as saying that fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Omar, who had protected bin Laden, is also alive.

 

Abu Ghaith, a former teacher and mosque preacher who was stripped of his Kuwaiti citizenship after the Sept. 11 attacks, also said al-Qaida had been prepared for the U.S. campaign and that its military, security, economic and media network was unaffected.

 

Al-Qaida, he said, ``is now monitoring, detecting and observing new American targets other than the targets previously monitored, which we will strike at in a period that hs not long.''

 

Argh. Bastard's still alive. At least this gives hope for what I dream of seeing: An execution of the man on global television.

[Guest big Dante Cruz]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, there bucko. Back the truck up for a second. How did 9/11 "break the backs of Americans"? Didn't we stand up, get real patriotic, threaten you and send troops to kick your towelheaded camelhumping tail?

 

And as for the fact that it was meant as a way to strike back for Palestine, BULLSHIT. There was no indicator that it had to do the Middle East, just some idiot decided to pick a fight with the big kid on the block and now is trying to cover his tracks when it's time to pay his due.

 

Dang, lotta metaphors and figures of speech in there...

[Guest Vern Gagne]

These cowards are scared shitless. One of the reasons they pulled this off was the U.S. never really did anything after any other attacks. They fought they could get away with it, and have the U.S. lauch some cruise missiles like they did in 1998. They can say all this bullshit about being ready, and still running strong, but the Devil's word is more reliable than these scum.

Bin Laden might be alive. But no way he's in good health. He was sickly before the bombings, unless the Afghan Mts, or no man's land in Pakistan have first class hospitals and physicians he's probably in worse health than he was before.

[Guest Perfect Plex]

Concerning the title of this thread, I was under the impression we were going to be discussing fudge. And now I'm hungry. With no one to talk about fudge to. You dickeaters.

[Guest TJH]

Well, the fucker can run but he cant hide, he WILL be killed/caught eventually.

 

P.S Kotzenjudge what is "Australia's ass is grass for perpetrating the 6/19 acts, hence the green" supposed to mean?

[Guest HBK16]

How may of you guys actually think that he will be dead by September 11th 2002? Really? Unless we try a little harder I don't think it will happen. We might have killed him already and one of those imposter Osama has taken his place but we may not know. There were some interesting points that were mentioned on FOX News this morning about a ring that he has worn in all hi past clips but now recently he hasn't had it on. Or something like that. I might have gotten it mixed up. But you know us, we won't quit unless we are sure that fucker is dead.

 

Hey my 300th post bashing that piece of shit!

[Guest Spicy McHaggis]

Anyone else getting a little suspicious of the Al-Jazeera tv station?

[Guest Powerplay]

Lol Lol Lol Lol.

 

"The ONSLAUGHT OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY against the REPUBLICAN PARTY"? That's funny. I'm a democrat myself and I'm totally for the "Let's get the hell over there and kick some ass to preserve the peace and world security" Republican view.

 

Al-Jazeera is the offical T.V. station of the Arab world. Often they tend to be biased against the actions of the U.S. and Israel. Imagine CNN being run by Dick Armey. That's how biased it is.

 

If they do try another attack, Dubya will get a blank check and a hunting licesence to carry out some "Walker, Texas Ranger" style justice. He may not be a domestic leader, but I'm sure he knows how to fight back when he gets pushed. I would expect an all out assault on Al- Qadia if another attack occured.

[Guest Some Guy]

That's funny I thought CNN was run by the Clinton administration and now by Tom Dascle. From what I've heard Al-Jazeera was at one point somewhat moderate and then became more pro-Arab (similar to teh leftist bias in teh American media), and now is way out there, like NPR or Rush Limbaugh here.

They don't even attempt at being non-bias and objective. I don't know that as fact because I don't speak Arabic or get the channel on my local cable. I think I'll call AT&T Broadband and ask for it because i love anti-AMerican rhetoric, that's why i go to College.

bin Laden is still alive, oh fudge I guess we'll just have to keep killing terrorists for a little while longer.

[Guest Powerplay]

That's funny I thought CNN was run by the Clinton administration and now by Tom Dascle. From what I've heard Al-Jazeera was at one point somewhat moderate and then became more pro-Arab (similar to teh leftist bias in teh American media), and now is way out there, like NPR or Rush Limbaugh here.

They don't even attempt at being non-bias and objective. I don't know that as fact because I don't speak Arabic or get the channel on my local cable. I think I'll call AT&T Broadband and ask for it because i love anti-AMerican rhetoric, that's why i go to College.

bin Laden is still alive, oh fudge I guess we'll just have to keep killing terrorists for a little while longer.

Leftist bias? Ever watch Fox News? Ugh, that channel makes me sick. And why does everyone say CNN is leftist? I didn't see them endorsing Dems in any election races. Just because they question some things in the Bush Admin doesn't mean they are leftist. That's a Rush answer. They run Bob Novak enough that they seem quite neutral to me. I never knew that that Al-Jazeera ever had a moderate streak: I always thought they were an Ultra-Conservative Propganda channel.

 

Anyways, killing civilian-bombing terrorist is fine by me. Everyone is cool with that. Osama has now turned into something like Communism: It looked scary the first time we saw it, but the more we really examined it the weaker and weaker really was. The guy can't do anything to us directly. He can shout threats at us.... from a distance. Hiding in a cave/basement somewhere. That's basically the extent of his power right now. If he had any balls and believed in those words he speaks HE would have been on one of those planes that hit us on 9/11. Goddam coward. We'll find him, we will capture him, and we will keep him in jail for the rest of his life. Executing him makes him a martyr. Make him live with his mistakes for the last 20 or so years of his life. And I'm sure he will have a lovely time with other inmates ....