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| Terror Networks |
| Osama Bin Laden was tender and kind, Zawahiri says |
| 2011-11-16 |
| Awww...just a misunderstood little puppy dog! Osama Bin Laden has been described as both "tender" and "kind" in a video released by the new head of al-Qaeda. Ayman al-Zawahiri, who took over at the head of the network after Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan in May, said the former leader was a sensitive man. The video, entitled Days with the Imam: Part One, lasts about 30 minutes. It has been posted on jihadist websites. Zawahiri said he had created the video to show Bin Laden's "human side" and tell people about his great loyalty. "People don't know that this man was tender, gentle, kind, with refined feelings, even when life was hard," Zawahiri says in the video, dressed in a white robe and turban and sitting in front of a green curtain. "We never saw a man like him." Zawahiri, who met Bin Laden in Pakistan in the mid-1980s when both were supporting fighters battling Soviet forces in Afghanistan described his time spent with Bin Laden as an "honour". He recalls how Bin Laden reacted when he received the news that some members of Zawahri's family had been killed. With tears in his eyes, Bin Laden came to see him and hugged him. He adds that Bin Laden was devoted to his children, paying great attention to ensuring that they were well-educated, despite constantly moving from place to place. "Everyone close to him saw the fine and noble education in his children," he said, adding that Bin Laden employed a teacher who would threaten to beat the children with a stick to teach them the Koran. Bin Laden, he said, did not want those who carried out the September 11 attacks - which killed nearly 3,000 people - to be forgotten. "The sheikh would remember with goodness and gratitude and be moved by the memory of the 19 brothers who attacked the idol of our age, America," Zawahiri said. "He would remember these brothers with extreme fidelity." Once, when the pair were hiding in the Afghan mountains of Tora Bora, he said Bin Laden wrote death certificates for each one of the hijackers, fearing he would be killed "without remembering these heroic martyrs". Analysts suggest that the fond memories of the terror group's former leader have been shared in part to try and boost his own popularity with al-Qaeda followers, by emphasising his closeness to the charismatic leader. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #11 Men can be good, and good soldiers to their cause. That's often quickly forgotten when their ideology is in conflict with ours. Others are simply meglamaniacs and opportunists. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2011-11-16 23:35 |
| #10 Tender like a pork roast? |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2011-11-16 23:31 |
| #9 As someone whom knew + fought the Soviets beside OBL, I agree with Ayman - the man appeared to be able to separate warfare from family or personal life. At war, though, OBL could be a murderous, violent bastard iff the right buttons were pushed. AND YET, HIS FAVORITE MTV BABE WAS WHITNEY HUSTON??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-11-16 19:10 |
| #8 Go ahead Zowy, come out and say it, he had thighs you could spread on a bisquit, eh? |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2011-11-16 18:24 |
| #7 But now he's fish crap. Selah. |
| Posted by: mojo 2011-11-16 17:37 |
| #6 I'd play up the fact that Zawariri knew the courier was compromised. But then again I suspect this little tribute is in response to that already. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2011-11-16 14:45 |
| #5 "it wasn't personal, just bizness, we need to really play up the fact the we found Osama via following couriers from Ayman. He knew they were compromised and led us to Osama so he'd be Number 1 |
| Posted by: Frank G 2011-11-16 14:24 |
| #4 The Muslim version of 'the best and the brightest.' |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2011-11-16 13:00 |
| #3 Well educated = know the koran by rote with no understanding of any of it whatsoever |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2011-11-16 11:05 |
| #2 Yes he was kind in the manner of Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Idi Amin. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2011-11-16 09:50 |
| #1 Bet he had firm, tight buttocks and a purty mouth too. Right, doc? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2011-11-16 09:41 |