Bin Laden warned of American deaths

IT is reported Osama bin Laden warned of a mission that would “result in killing Americans and getting rid of them” four years ago.

CNN’s second report on tapes it obtained from an al-Qaida archive in Afghanistan showed bin Laden declaring in May 1998, just weeks before terrorists bombed the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, that various Islamic groups were joining forces to launch a “jihad against the crusaders and Jews”.

The network’s first report on the tapes, aired on Monday, showed grisly images of dogs being killed with poisonous gas and al-Qaida operatives conducting mock ambushes and kidnappings. US officials said the footage did not reveal unexpected capabilities by the group accused of carrying out the September 11 attacks.

In Asia yesterday, CNN aired portions of a tape it obtained of a May 26, 1998, news conference, restricted to select Pakistani journalists and a Chinese writer, during which bin Laden declared war on the West and Israel.

“By God’s grace, we have formed with many other Islamic groups and organisations in the Islamic world a front called the International Islamic Front to do jihad against the crusaders and Jews,” bin Laden was heard saying through an interpreter.

At another point in the broadcast, bin Laden hinted at targeting Americans, just weeks before the nearly simultaneous embassy attacks on August 7, 1998, in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, which killed 231 people, including 12 Americans, and wounded 5,000.

“And by God’s grace, the men reacted to this call and they are going on this path, and they are doing a good job,” bin Laden said.

“By God’s will, their actions are going to have a successful result in killing Americans and getting rid of them.”

Washington blames al-Qaida for the embassy bombings.

Bin Laden, surrounded by armed men, appeared relaxed in the video, but in later shots filmed outside, he was seen flinching as he heard what CNN described as a rocket-propelled grenade go off nearby.

President Bush, vacationing at his Texas ranch, had been briefed on the tapes, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

“This is a serious reminder of the type of enemy we’re up against and the risks the world faces from people who would use weapons to bring harm to innocents,” Mr Fleischer said.

Among the images repeatedly shown by CNN on Monday was footage of three dogs apparently being subjected to chemical weapons testing.

Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House’s Office of Homeland Security, said the videos support Washington’s view that al-Qaida leaders “would use chemical weapons if they’re able to obtain them”.

But there was no credible information al-Qaida had been successful in getting weapons of mass destruction, Mr Johndroe said.

Most of the tapes appeared to have been made before September 11, although some aired on Monday show television coverage of the attacks in New York and Washington.

Yesterday’s report showed bin Laden with two sons of Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, now serving a life sentence for trying to blow up targets in New York; bin Laden’s chief deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, whose whereabouts are unknown; and Mohammed Atef, an al-Qaida military chief killed in a US airstrike in November near Kabul.