Bin Laden Tape Urges Iraqi Suicide Bombs
An audiotape purported to carry the voice of Osama bin Laden called on Iraqis to carry out suicide attacks against Americans and defend themselves against a U.S. attack. The tape was broadcast on the al-Jazeera Arab satellite station on Tuesday, the first day of the Muslim holiday Eid Al-Adha. The speaker also urged Iraqis to dig trenches and engage in urban warfare to fend off U.S. troops and called on Muslims to rise up against several U.S.-allied governments in the region. “We stress the importance of martyrdom operations against the enemy, these attacks that have scared Americans and Israelis like never before,” the speaker said, using a term often used by militants for suicide attacks. In an interview with al-Jazeera aired after the tape, U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the recording shows that Iraq and al-Qaida “are bound by a common hatred.” Full Story