Bin Laden: Attacks on U.S. to go on as long as it supports Israel

haaretz.com
24/01/2010
Bin Laden: Attacks on U.S. to go on as long as it supports Israel
By Reuters

A purported audio tape of Osama bin Laden aired on Al Jazeera
television claimed responsibility for a Dec. 25 attempted bombing of a
U.S.-bound plane, and vowed to continue attacks on the United States,
as long as it supports Israel.

A White House top adviser David Axelrod said on CNN's "State of the
Union" program that he could not confirm the authenticity of the
audiotape.

"I can't confirm that (Al-Qaida's responsibility for the attack) nor
can we confirm the authenticity of the tape, but assuming that it is
him, his message contains the same hollow justifications for the mass
slaughter of innocents that we've heard before," said Axelrod.

On Sunday's audiotape, the Al-Qaida vowed to continue attacks so long
as Palestinians cannot live in peace.

"Our attacks against you will continue as long as U.S. support for
Israel continues," bin Laden said. "It is not fair that Americans
should live in peace as long as our brothers in Gaza live in the worst
conditions."

The Yemen-based regional wing of Al-Qaida has said it was behind the
Dec. 25 attempt to blow up the plane as it approached Detroit. The
botched attack and subsequent threats in Yemen prompted Sanaa to
declare an open war on the global militant group within its territory.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Andy David, dismissed the latest
Al-Qaida message and its attempt to link Israel with attacks on the
U.S.

"This is nothing new, he has said this before. Terrorists always look
for absurd excuses for their despicable deeds," he said.

"The message sent to you with the attempt by the hero Nigerian Umar
Farouk Abdulmutallab is a confirmation of our previous message
conveyed by the heroes of Sept. 11," bin Laden said on the tape, aired
on Sunday.

"If it was possible to carry our messages to you by words we wouldn't
have carried them to you by planes," bin Laden added in a message he
said was directed "from Osama to [U.S. President Barack] Obama."

Yemen has launched a series of air strikes targeting Al-Qaida leaders
since then and has declared that some top leaders including Qasim
al-Raymi and Ayed al-Shabwani have been killed. Al Qaeda denies this.

Defense and counterterrorism officials say Washington has been quietly
supplying military equipment, intelligence and training to Yemen to
destroy suspected Al-Qaida hide-outs.

The last public message from bin Laden appears to have been on Sept.
26, 2009, when he demanded that European countries pull their troops
out of Afghanistan. The order came in an audiotape that also warned of
retaliation against nations that are allied with the United States in
fighting the war.