Speaker in Newly Released Tape Discusses 'Jihad Poet,' Reads Verses(Updated INFO)

An audio recording appeared today on a radical Islamist Web site, featuring what appeared to be Osama bin Laden's top deputy, Ayman al Zawahari, discussing the writings of a Muslim poet.

The tape surfaced a week after a U.S. airstrike in Pakistan that killed a top al Qaeda bomb maker and chemical weapons expert, but the speaker does not mention the incident. Analysts say that's potentially revealing because it calls into question Al Qaeda's ability to respond quickly in its propaganda war.

The tape appears to be an old recording, as it refers to the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan in October 2001, and moarns members of al Qaeda who were killed during that operation.

Bull. You are overinterpreting this. Geez, Bin Laden's tape is a code. Zawahiri's poetry reading is code. Everything is code. Don't believe this for a minute. The Bin Laden tape (which I don't believe is Bin Laden for a minute) comes out because Zawahiri is dead. The Zawahiri audio tape (note, no visuals) that is most likely 2 years old, comes out because the terrorists wants the public to believe we didn't get Zawahiri. We did. He's dead. It's no more complicated than that. All this sending code in these tapes smacks too much of the types that are conspiracy theorists also. Sometimes, just sometimes, it might be something very simple, like trying to prove to the world that your guy isn't deader than a doornail, when in reality he is. Show me a video with current commentary in it of Zawahiri talking about how na, na, na, na, na, you didn't get me. What makes me think no such video tape will show up?

It was estimated by one major terrorist player that it took 4-6 weeks for Al Qaeda to get a tape out through its courier network. If you believe this tape release confirms Zawahiri's death, then you may also believe AQ has psychics.

"If you believe this tape release confirms Zawahiri's death, then you may also believe AQ has psychics."

Let's just see if anymore Zawahiri VIDEO tapes show up in the future. Wanna place a bet?

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