http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/09/28/...e.ap/index.html

Al Qaeda promises message on pope, Bush, Darfur
POSTED: 9:38 a.m. EDT, September 28, 2006
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CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri will soon release a new message about the pope, President Bush and Sudan's troubled Darfur region, an Islamic Web site said Wednesday.

A banner warning of the upcoming message was posted on an Islamic Web site that frequently airs al Qaeda videos. Wednesday's notice did not specify whether the new message was a video, audiotape or text, but al-Zawahiri usually releases videos.

His latest came earlier this month, to coincide with the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Al Qaeda released a string of videos for the anniversary, showing increasingly sophisticated production techniques in a likely effort to demonstrate that it remains a powerful, confident force five years into the U.S.-led war on terror. (Full story)

The red stylized banner posted Wednesday flashes a small headshot of al-Zawahiri, next to a short text: "As-Sahab production institute presents: Sheik Ayman al-Zawahiri, God protect him. Bush...Vatican pope...Darfur...Crusader wars."

The graphic is stamped with the emblem of As-Sahab, al Qaeda's media production arm.

It did not specify a timeframe for the tape's release, saying only that it would come out "soon, God willing."

Osama bin Laden and his deputy al-Zawahiri are believed to be hiding in the Afghan-Pakistan border region. Many analysts believe that they no longer have centralized control to order or organize attacks by militants around the world. The capture and killing of many mid-level commanders has left al Qaeda more diffuse and amorphous.

But at the same time, the terror network's propaganda machine has grown more sophisticated, aiming to rally militants and romanticizing jihad, or holy war.

If al-Zawahiri's upcoming message addresses the pope's comments on Islam, as the banner posted Wednesday suggests, the tape would have to have been produced recently.

Pope Benedict XVI angered the Muslim world in a speech in Germany on September 12, when he quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor as saying: "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

Benedict has expressed regret for offending Muslims by his remarks and said they did not reflect his personal views, but he has not offered a complete apology as some had sought. (Watch how the pope tries to patch relations with Muslims -- 2:41)

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Al-Qaeda brands Bush 'a failure' BBC News
Al-Qaeda's number two has called US President George W Bush a "liar" who is losing his war against the network.In a video published on the Internet, Ayman al-Zawahiri called Mr Bush a "lying failure" and said al-Qaeda was stronger than ever. The message follows a video issued for the anniversary of 9/11, in which Zawahiri said Western forces were doomed in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the new message, he also spoke about Darfur and attacked Pope Benedict XVI. The Egyptian militant, who is seen as the group's ideologue, has eluded capture despite a $25m bounty on his head.

'Losses'
In the latest video, Zawahiri said: "We have gained more strength and we are more insistent on martyrdom. "Bush, oh failure and liar, why don't you be courageous for once and confront your people and tell them the truth about your losses in Iraq and Afghanistan." He urged Muslims to fight a holy war in the troubled Sudanese region of Darfur against "crusaders" masked as United Nations troops. He also called Pope Benedict XVI a "charlatan" because of his remarks on Islam, Reuters reported. "This charlatan accused Islam of being incompatible with rationality while forgetting that his own Christianity is unacceptable to a sensible mind," he said. The Pope caused controversy earlier this month when he quoted a medieval text which said Prophet Muhammad had brought the world only evil. He expressed regret following angry reactions from throughout the Muslim world to the words in a speech made in southern Germany.