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 THE WAR GOES ON IF I DIE, SAYS BIN LADEN DAILY MAIL December 28, 2001 OSAMA Bin Laden launched a chilling new phase of his 'holy war' against the West yesterday. In the full version of his latest videotape, the terrorist mastermind said his followers should continue their 'jihad' whether 'Osama is living or dead'. He said American women and children should be considered 'legitimate targets' because of U.S. bombing raids in Afghanistan and Iraq which he claimed had killed 'millions of children'. The tape, which Bin Laden indicated was made on December 11, was broadcast on the Arabic TV network Al Jazeera, which first showed extracts from the video on Wednesday. A gaunt-looking Bin Laden described the September 11 attacks on the U.S. as a 'blessed event' and 'blessed terrorism'. He mocked America, saying the devastation had been carried out by 19 men with only a secondary school education. 'We did not need 19 armies,' he declared. 'Just 19 men. This is a harsh warning to the U.S. that its empire can be destroyed by simple means.' Pointing to the resulting damage to the American economy, Bin Laden added: 'We can destroy the American empire by destroying its economy. The end of America is imminent, whether I am alive or dead.' U.S. intelligence experts said the video was either the last will and testament of a man who knew the end was near or a renewed rallying call for action after he had escaped from Afghanistan. At his daily Pentagon briefing yesterday, Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld conceded either could be the case. 'I have no reliable intelligence which says he is alive,' he said. 'He has lied repeatedly and sends others to their deaths while he hides in caves.' The emergence of the latest tape heightened the sense of fear in the U.S. Last night the New York Police Department confirmed detectives on duty at New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square will be wearing devices to detect nuclear materials. The police fear Bin Laden may try to strike with a crude nuclear device. Yesterday a report from Pakistan suggested the latest video had been made in that country and sent to Al Jazeera by air courier. The report claimed Bin Laden escaped from Afghanistan last week and is hiding under the protection of Mulana Fazalur Rehman, a Pakistani Islamic fundamentalist. Rehman denied the allegation. In the U.S., there was surprise that Bin Laden used the tape to confess he had been behind the 1998 embassy bombings in Africa. In the second half of the tape, for the first time, he listed the countries where Al Qaeda operatives are active. His list included Bosnia, the Philippines, Sudan and Bangladesh. He called on his fighters in these countries to strike against the U.S. with 'frequent attacks on America's economy where that country is most vulnerable'. The tone of the tape, whether Bin Laden is alive or dead, suggests he was trying to rally all Islamic radicals for a major counter offensive against the U.S. which he claimed has a 'great hatred' for the Moslem world. One CIA official said: 'It is clear he wants his individual cells to rise up and start individual small-scale actions. 'With New Year just days away and millions planning to gather in public places, this is a time for us all to be extremely vigilant.' |
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