The government is still analyzing the new 25 minute tape, I would expect the release later today. This from MSNBC:
Officials said bin Laden criticized Democrats in Congress in the video for being unable to stop the war in Iraq. The al-Qaida leader also urged young Muslims to carry out suicide bombings against the West — a piece of advice he offers in most tapes.
The video ended bin Laden’s longest period without a message. The al-Qaida leader has not appeared in new video footage since October 2004, and he has not put out a new audiotape in more than a year.
Meanwhile in an unprecedented step, the Islamist sites that the video was to be posted on have all “gone dark” — they appear to be shocked that the US Government would be able to get the video before they were able to publish to their target audience. Is this a good sign of things to come?
Update: More at Fox news, partial transcript here, more at Wapo
UPDATE: FULL PDF TRANSCRIPT HERE
“People of America: the world is following your news in regards to your invasion of Iraq, for people have recently come to know that, after several years of tragedies of this war, the vast majority of you want it stopped. Thus, you elected the Democratic Party for this purpose, but the Democrats haven’t made a move worth mentioning. On the contrary, they continue to agree to the spending of tens of billions to continue the killing and war there.”
That’s right Osama, we continue the war because it’s killing you and yours. We are in stronger shape in the US than ever, you hide in a cave defeated; and from all appearances quite diseased and dejected.
Previously:
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UPDATE: US Government agencies reportedly have a copy of the video and they are analyzing it now. 11:25 central
The Islamist and Jihadist websites are picking up lately, and tonight I’ll be researching. I’ll post back here as I find items of interest. Current situation:
Back in early July Sudanese Islamists made plenty of threats at a gathering, as detailed today at Memri, notable were appeals to Bin Laden, and potentially hints that he might be there, or coming there.
Two major Al Qaeda allied rings have been captured in the midst of bombing plots in Denmark and Germany.
Rita Katz of the Site Institute is reporting that Islamist websites are expecting a new tape of Bin Laden to be posted in the next 72 hours. The last video with new footage of him was in October, 2004. In the picture accomanying the announcement Bin Laden’s beard was darker, potentially died, or this could be an old photo, when Bin Laden was younger.
Bin Laden has long been silent, dead, captured, incommunicado, or uncaring — regardless of which it is he is not effectively leading, so it will be of interest if confirmed new tape instead of retread old stock does arrive. Al Sahab, Al Qaeda’s media branch, has become pretty sophisticated at video manipulation, including blue-screen like effects of substituted false backgrounds in some of their newer tapes.
