 Al Qaeda's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri praised the Taliban, saying the Islamic movement still controlled large parts of Afghanistan, according to an audio tape aired by Al Arabiya television.
| "Control" is a word which can be interpreted in varying ways... |
Al Arabiya said the date of the tape, which it said it had just obtained, could not be determined and made no mention of recent events. The speaker on the tape, who sounded like earlier recordings attributed to Zawahri, said: "Muslims ... still control large parts of Eastern and Southern Afghanistan and are carrying out a consistent guerrilla warfare against the crusaders and the apostates."
| By "Muslims" I think he means Pakistanis, itinerant Arabs, and a few native turbans to lend some legitimacy... |
The satellite television aired only a brief portion of the tape, which appeared to be of a poorer audio quality than other recordings attributed to Zawahri, Osama bin Laden's second-in-command. Bin Laden and Zawahri are believed to be hiding in the border regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. In an audio tape posted on the Internet earlier this month, Zawahri praised Islamic militants in Iraq, saying they were forcing US troops to look for a way out of the Arab country. |