Video voice is that of al-Qaida deputy
The videotape, aired on Wednesday on the Arab al-Jazeera television network, has two voiceovers, one purportedly from bin Laden, and the other from his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri. A CIA official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said agency analysts have determined that al-Zawahri's voice is authentic.
But the technical analysis of the section with bin Laden’s voice is inconclusive, the official said. The analysis will continue, but the official acknowledged the CIA may not be able to make a final determination.
In speaking, al-Zawahri mentions the war in Iraq, which suggests it was recorded sometime since the fighting started in March. The voice supposed to be bin Laden's speaks only of some of the September 11 hijackers but makes no reference to more recent events.
Officials also said messages from al-Qaida leaders sometimes presage an attack.
Afghan officials said the tape reinforced their belief that bin Laden was hiding across the border in Pakistan. In it, the al-Qaida leader is accompanied by his chief deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri as he hikes over boulders scattered across a hillside of lush green grass. In some scenes, the men carry walking sticks and assault rifles.
The landscape resembles the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, where US officials believe bin Laden is hiding out.
In an eight-minute audiotape accompanying the video footage, a speaker identified as bin Laden praises the “great damage to the enemy” on September 11 and mentions five hijackers by name. On a second tape, a voice said to be that of al-Zawahri threatens more attacks on Americans and calls on Iraqi guerrillas to “bury” US troops.
Afghan officials claim that al-Qaida and Taliban are staging incursions from Pakistani soil. Pakistan denies the charge.
“Our intelligence sources have told us that al-Zawahri is in Pakistan's tribal areas. Americans know where he is but Pakistan should help as well,” said Bismillah Khan, Afghanistan's deputy defence minister.
