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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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Posted on 01/19/2003 2:28:51 PM PST by AntiGuv
CAIRO, Egypt - A statement purportedly written by Osama bin Laden urges Muslims to stop fighting each other and unite against the "crusader coalition" that is attacking the Islamic world, according to excerpts published Sunday in a London-based Arab newspaper.
Asharq Al-Awsat printed portions of a 26-page statement it claims was written and signed by bin Laden, leader of the al-Qaida terror group.
The letter did not mention any nation, but earlier statements attributed to bin Laden and other al-Qaida leaders have accused the United States and Israel of launching a religious crusade against the Muslim world.
The journalist who wrote the article, Mohamed el-Shaf'aie, told The Associated Press on Sunday that the statement was mailed to the paper from an Islamic source in London with close links to a Pakistan-based Islamic research center known for its ties to al-Qaida.
The letter attributed to bin Laden says, "the current situation Muslims are living in requires a deployment of all efforts to fight the Islamic battle against the crusader coalition, which has revealed its real, evil intentions."
"Their target now is Islam and Muslims and not only the (Middle East) region," the letter added.
America has come under attack throughout the Islamic world for a perceived bias toward Israel in the Jewish state's conflict with the Palestinians, and for the U.S. threat to attack Iraq if it retains weapons banned by the United Nations.
The U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, launched after the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States, and U.S. detention of hundreds of men with suspected links to al-Qaida and Afghanistan's previous Taliban rulers have compounded the view in the Islamic world that Washington is attacking Muslims.
The United States denies such claims.
Despite numerous written, audio and videotaped statements attributed to bin Laden after the launch of the Afghanistan war, it is unclear where the Saudi-born Islamic extremist is or if he is still alive.
No al-Qaida affiliated web sites immediately published the latest statement, which normally happens whenever one appears.
The statement excerpts published by Asharq Al-Awsat urge Muslims to "wake from their deep sleep ... and stop (acting as) rivals and fire their arrows toward their enemies instead of themselves."
It was not clear who the letter referred to, but feuds and disputes are common within the volatile Middle East.
The statement's author said he was "surprised by the many different controversies and feuds among Muslims in general and those working for Islam in particular. Such a dangerous phenomenon has become the only thing Islamic-oriented factions agree upon."
The letter also defends al-Qaida leaders for unspecified mistakes. "The honor of righteous men should be protected despite whatever faults they may commit," the letter said without elaborating.
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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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Purportedly, back from the dead. Again.
It's kinda hard to write an intelligent letter, though, when the maggots have consumed your flesh and the jackels have strewn your bones.
Launching an "unprovoked crusade" I suppose would even be words hard for HIM to spew!
Problem is their enemies tend to shoot back with smart bombs.
Without the importation of Western technologies, they'd be close to using arrows.
Osama bin Mamma is Dead.
I agree...although he does live on in the hearts of the American and the European Left.
He doesn't look so good these days. Weight is down to 18 lbs.
***ISLAM-ONLINE.net - News: "...TALIBAN REGROUPS" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "In a related development, Afghan government took steps Friday to tackle a reported regrouping of Taliban and al-Qaeda factions in the south of the country. Around 5,000 police have been sent to the southern town of Spin Boldak, near the border with Pakistan. Sources have told the BBC news online that some former Taliban activists are trying to re-group in the region. On Thursday, January 16, a humanitarian official said Taliban fighters are returning from Pakistan and regrouping around Spin Boldak. A growing number of Taliban fighters or former Taliban are gathering in the small frontier city, 600 kilometers southwest of the capital Kabul in the province of Kandahar, said the source, requesting anonymity. They were taking advantage of the porous border there.") (January 17, 2003)
***BBC NEWS: "NEW IRAQ DOCUMENT FIND ALARMS UN" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The head of the United Nations atomic agency has voiced concern about documents apparently relating to nuclear technology which were found in an Iraqi scientist's home. The documents, numbering 3,000 pages, appear to focus on laser enrichment - a way to modify uranium for use in nuclear weapons - and were taken from the home of physicist Faleh Hassan on Thursday.") (011803)
***AFTENPOSTEN.no: "USA WANTS NORWAY TO WATCH KREKAR" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Mullah Krekar has been, and likely remains, the leader of Ansar al-Islam, a fringe Islamic group in Iranian Kurdistan accused of having connections to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist network. The New York Times reported the connection last week after interviews with Ansa al-Islam members, and after finding documents in Afghanistan mentioning direct links to al-Qaeda.") (January 17, 2003)
***ALBAWABA.com: "HAMAS GETS RPG LAUNCHERS, DEVELOPS ADVANCED VERSION OF QASSAM ROCKETS" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The Palestinian resistance group Hamas said Tuesday it has received a large number of rocket-propelled grenade launchers and has produced a new batch of an advanced version of its Qassam rockets.") (January 14, 2003)
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