Al-Qaida leader attacks Turkey over Israel stance

AL-QAIDA’S No 2 offered his condolences in an audio message issued yesterday for the nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists killed in a confrontation with Israeli commandos, but slammed the Turkish government for its support of Israel.

The 20-minute Arabic language recording from Ayman al-Zawahri, which was posted on a website frequently used by militants, is the latest effort by al-Qaida to expand its message to Muslims beyond the Arab world.

The Egyptian-born al-Zawahri called on the Turkish people to pressure their government to cut its military and economic ties withIsrael and pull its forces out of Afghanistan, where Turkish troops serve as part of the NATO mission.