A man believed to be Osama bin Laden urged Muslims on Tuesday to help Iraq repel any U.S. attack through suicide missions and other tactics, saying that an American-led war against Saddam Hussein’s regime would be an assault on all Muslims. ”Fight these despots,” a n audiotaped voice said over the Al Jazeera television channel based in Qatar. ”I remind you that victory comes only from God.” The message, which Secretary of State Colin Powell said reinforced suspicions about a close partnership between Iraq and terrorists, said in part: ”We are following with great concern the preparations of the crusaders to launch war on the former capital of Muslims and to install a puppet government.” In that context, ”crusaders” seemed to be a scathing reference to the militant Christians of the Middle Ages who waged war against peoples the church regarded as heretics. In Washington, Powell, who knew of the audiotape hours before it was broadcast, said it showed that ”this nexus between terrorists and states that are developing weapons of mass destruction can no longer be looked away from and ignored.” Powell testified before the Senate Budget Committee and told members he had learned Tuesday morning of the new message, which he believed to be genuine. Full Story
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