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| Osama shown with 9/11 attackers |
| 2006-09-07 |
| A VIDEO tape showing al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden apparently meeting the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks has been aired for the first time today. Arab television channel Al-Jazeera broadcast the tape just days ahead of the fifth anniversary of the deadly strikes on US cities and as the US Senate agreed to fund a new intelligence unit to hunt down bin Laden. Al-Jazeera said the footage documented the "daily life" of al-Qaeda operatives as they trained and prepared for the attacks in the mountains of Afghanistan. In one scene bin Laden is seen greeting a fighter against the backdrop of a mountain. The video is said to feature two of the 19 Islamist militants that took part in the 9/11 attacks, Saudi nationals Hamza el-Ramdi and Wael el-Shemari. They speak of the situation faced by Muslims in Bosnia and Chechnya. Fifteen of the 19 attackers on September 11 were Saudis, and Al-Jazeera said it had only aired a few minutes of a document that lasted about an hour-and-a-half. The footage also shows hand-to-hand combat practice between people wearing masks over their heads. As the film went to air, the US Senate unanimously approved an additional $US200 million to this year's defence budget to fund an intelligence unit that would seek to hunt down bin Laden. The measure, approved by a vote of 96 to 0, also requires the US Defence Department to report to Congress every three months about progress made toward apprehending bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. The legislation was prepared by Democrats Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan as an amendment to the 2007 Defence Appropriations Bill being debated in the Senate this week. "Osama bin Laden, the head of al-Qaeda, planned, financed and organised a terrorist operation that killed thousands of Americans. It has now been more than 1800 days since those attacks, and this man is still on the loose," said Mr Conrad. "The Senate agrees that it is chief among our priorities in the war on terror to bring the mastermind behind September 11 to the justice that a mass murderer deserves," he said. "Our amendment makes certain that bringing Osama bin Laden to justice will be one of our country's most important priorities, and that he is pursued with real energy and with focus, clarity and a specific set of goals," said Mr Dorgan. Al-Jazeera today also broadcast a recording attributed to the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, in which he said he was sure of victory against US-led forces in the country. The recording was also posted on an Islamist Internet site, but its authenticity could not be immediately established. In the internet statement, Muhajer urges Sunni Muslims to kill at least one US citizen within the next two weeks. "Oh followers of (Taliban leader) Mullah Mohammed Omar, oh sons of (Al-Qaeda leader) Osama bin Laden, oh disciples of (slain Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader) Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi ... I urge each of you to kill at least one American within a period not exceeding 15 days," he says. "I do not doubt for an instant victory (against US-led forces in Iraq)." Muhajer calls President George W. Bush a "liar" and a "dog". |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #6 And just what does the Senate expect the Defense Department to do that isn't already being done? Are we going to launch another spy satellite? Are we going to buy and operate more Global Hawk reconnaissance drones JUST to fly over certain regions of Pakistan? Are we going to try to put "people" on the ground in the Pakistani tribal areas? Are we going to create another "division" at DIA to spend all their time looking for OBL, and nothing else? Are we going to add additional troops to DIA, NSA, and other intel organizations? The US senate just showed the entire world they don't have a clue about anything, and this includes both political parties. That same $200 million could be used to provide a dozen Predator drones and people to operate them, and could go a long way toward closing our southern border. Add another $200M to fund sixteen platoons scattered from San Diego to Brownsville, plus some budget money for UH-60 transport helis and firepower, and you could CLOSE the southern border. All the Senate did was pass a "feel-good" piece of crap to try to win re-election in two months. Their actions need to be recognized for what they are. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2006-09-07 20:39 |
| #5 "You know they're just lying. The moonbats believe it." SOOO TRUE! |
| Posted by: TMH 2006-09-07 20:19 |
| #4 The moonbats are scaring me more than the muslims. You know they're just lying. The moonbats believe it. |
| Posted by: J. D. Lux 2006-09-07 20:00 |
| #3 al-Qaeda must be pissed off that Mr. Bush and the CIA are getting the credit for the attack. |
| Posted by: Gladys 2006-09-07 19:59 |
| #2 Not just the muslims, how about all the moonbats around the world? |
| Posted by: TMH 2006-09-07 19:48 |
| #1 None of this, not even the 9-11 hijackers' last will and testaments on tape with Osama, will ever make the Muslims believe that this atrocity was not a Jewish conspiracy. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-09-07 19:39 |