The al-Qaeda terrorist network has just launched a new CD compilation of Osama Bin Ladenâs speeches from 2002 to December 2004, a copy of which has been exclusively obtained by Adnkronos International from sources in the tribal areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan. | Just in time for the Christmas shopping season |
According to a senior Pakistani intelligence anlayst, the new CD, which is set to flood the markets, is "clearly aimed at connecting with the common masses all over the world."
"Previously, al-Qaeda used to spread propaganda material which would motivate people to join the Afghan resistance but this new CD does not aim for that," said a senior Pakistani intelligence analyst. "The speeches selected for the CD are not simply propaganda material to instigate people for war but instead presented as in-depth analysis on al-Qaedaâs approach and a clarification of their various actions and their justifications,â the analyst added. | So it's a long format collection of his greatest hits, the directors cut with bonus material |
Each speech by the al-Qaeda leader addresses a specific audience; one targeting the Pakistani population (2002), another to the American public, on the eve of the US presidential elections in 2004, while others were tailored for a European or Saudi Arabian public. The CD also includes a speech, accompanied by images of war and destruction in Iraq, which is presented as a tribute to the Iraqi resistance.
Contrary to previous messages from the al-Qaeda leader, when most of the video CDs were usually based on images without any description either in Arabic or in Pashtu, the new video appears to be developed using highly professional techniques and probably in a well-equipped studio. It is believed that the studio may be in the tribal areas of North Waziristan, which lies on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The video offers high audio-visual quality and there are even English slides to accompany the speeches which are addressed to the non-Arabic nations. At the same time, a separate PDF-formatted file has been placed along with the video in the CD, with transcripts of the speeches available in various languages including Urdu, Persian, English and Arabic. "This latest package showed clearly one thing - that al-Qaeda has strongly re-grouped and in an organized manner has spread its propaganda material to the whole of the Muslim world," commented a senior Pakistani security official.
The longest speech in the compilation is bin Ladenâs December 2004 address to the people of Saudi Arabia - the last the world has heard from him. Outlining the differences between the people and the rulers of Saudi Arabia and the reasons behind these divergences, he presents an in-depth historical and political analysis. The speech in December 2004 came ten days after the 6 December attack by militants in Saudi Arabia on the US consulate in Jeddah.
In another of the speeches, bin Laden addressed the American people on October 29, 2004, just before the US presidential elections on 2 November. Two other speeches from last year are also included, one addressed to the Iraqis, another offering a 'truce' to Europe.
In 2003, he gave another message to the Iraqis, and yet another one where he addressed to American public after the US invasion in Iraq in March 2003. |
