So much for the assessments by the learned analysts that there was a great rift between the two. “Zawahiri tape praises insurgency,” from the BBC, with thanks to JE:
Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri has appeared in a video praising insurgents in Iraq, and in particular, militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
He describes Zarqawi, a Jordanian and the leading Jihadi militant in Iraq, as his “beloved brother” and calls on Muslims to support him.
“I have lived with him up close and have seen nothing but good from him,” Zawahiri says in the video.
The tape dated November 2005 appeared on the internet on Thursday.
UPDATE: The BBC story above didn’t see fit to quote some other pearls from Zawahiri, which I found in this AP story (thanks to Ruth King):
“The Islamic nation must support the heroic mujahedeen (holy warriors) in Iraq, who are fighting on the very front line for the dignity of Islam,” al-Zawahri said, waving his right hand toward the camera.
“And to my mujahedeen brothers in Iraq, I say, Stay firm. Stay together. Your enemy has begun to falter, so don’t stop pursuing him until he flees defeated,” he said….
“Bush, son of Bush, eliminating Israel is the duty of every believer,” al-Zawahri said. “Beggarly clerics … and every bankrupt propaganda machine is trying to convince the people to bring change by peaceful means, but the Islamic nation knows that its path is jihad (holy war) and the bearing of arms.”
I expect a communique from Ibrahim Hooper any minute now, explaining why eliminating Israel is not the duty of every Muslim.