Osama bin laden releases another message...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/14/osama-bin-laden-long-haul

Osama bin Laden's latest defiant message comes amid signs that al-Qaida is under heavy US military pressure in its havens in Pakistan's tribal areas and facing a crisis of recruitment and morale.

Emerging two days after the eighth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the 11-minute audio clip contained familiar rhetoric and would prove, if authenticated, that the terrorist leader is alive and able to record a message. But the fact that it contained no new image of Bin Laden may hint at logistical or communications difficulties or heightened security concerns.

It was his first message since June – that one sent out just before Barack Obama's speech reaching out to the Muslim world in Cairo – and it referred back to that speech, showing it had been made since then.

It appeared despite cyber attacks on several jihadi website forums in recent days, presumably by governments. The Islamist site where the message was posted – by As-Sahab Media, al-Qaida's production company – had promised a "present" to Muslims from Bin Laden on the occasion of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

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