Ayman al-Zawahri, the number two figure in al Qaeda, appeared in a new videotape aired on Al Jazeera on Thursday, ridiculing U.S. forces which he said were "hiding in their trenches" in Afghanistan. Zawahri, the right-hand man of Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, spoke to camera for several minutes in the videotape, wearing a white turban with a machine gun at his side. "East and south Afghanistan have become an open arena for the Mujahideen (jihad fighters). The enemy are limited to their capitals," he said. "The Americans are hiding in their trenches and refuse to come out to face the Mujahideen, as the Mujahideen shell them, fire on them and cut roads off around them," he said. "Their defense is only to bomb by air."
Zawahri appeared little different from previous videotapes, showing some graying on his beard. Al Jazeera, an influential Arabic broadcaster, did not say how it obtained the tape. "In Kabul, the Americans and peacekeeping forces are hiding from the shells of the Mujahideen and expect martyrdom (suicide) attacks at every moment," Zawahri said. He made no mention of U.S. forces in Iraq, which are fighting an insurgency against the U.S.-backed government. |