New al-Zawahiri Recording Released

This cat never shuts up.

A new al Qaeda communique featuring Al-Qaeda's number-two man was released on the internet Friday morning.

References to last month's peace conference in Annapolis indicate the recording is recent. The message, in Arabic, has not yet been fully translated, but early analysis indicates it contains fulminations about Mideast leaders' positions expressed at the late November event.

Experts have authenticated the tape and confirmed the voice belongs to Zawahiri. It was released by As Sahab, the terror group's propaganda operation.

The recording – audio over a still photomontage showing images of Zawahiri, Bush and Middle Eastern leaders – is 20 minutes, two seconds long.

More from SITE.

Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the second in command of Al-Qaeda, speaks in regard to the Annapolis peace conference, in a 20:02 minute audio speech issued by As-Sahab, the multimedia arm of Al-Qaeda, to jihadist forums today, Friday, December 14, 2007. In this speech, titled, “Annapolis - The Treason”, Zawahiri observes this conference, held in Annapolis, Maryland on November 27, 2007, as another instance of the “Zionist-Crusade” against Palestine, and also representative of Palestinian leaders’ betrayal of Palestinians in sacrificing what he believes are integral parts of Islamic land. Here he criticizes Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, and all attendees of the conference, and assures Palestinians that their brothers, the Mujahideen, will never abandon them. Zawahiri calls upon all Muslims and Palestinians, invoking the words of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi in reminding that Jihad is ultimately to liberate Jerusalem, and urging them to come to Jihad, support Palestine and establish the Islamic Caliphate.

The speech also calls to dismiss all previous conferences and accords, such as Oslo, Madrid, Camp David and Sharm el Sheikh, and questions why the Mufti of Saudi Arabia sat idle as these happened. Additionally, he calls upon soldiers in the Egyptian army to not support the enemy campaign to force Palestinians into a ghetto in Gaza between Egypt and Israel.