19 January 2006 Osama bin Laden tape

An audio tape recording of a speech believed to be by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was released on January 19, 2006. The release of the tape came shortly after United States Central Intelligence Agency's airstrike of Damadola in Pakistan, an attack that reportedly led to the deaths of Midhat Mursi (also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri), a veteran bomb and chemical expert and the head of an al-Qaeda training camp on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, Khalid Habib, the al-Qaida operations chief for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Abdul Rehman al Magrabi, a senior al-Qaeda operations commander, and fifteen other people. Civilians were among the others killed, according to the Pakistani provincial government.

On the tape, which may have been recorded a month earlier, bin Laden boasted that "our situation is getting better, while your situation is getting worse." It also threatened future attacks on the United States, and simultaneously offered a "long truce", while not saying what the truce would involve. The White House immediately rejected the truce offer.cite web |url = http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/19/international/middleeast/19cnd-tape.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all |title = Bin Laden Re-emerges, Warning U.S. While Offering 'Truce' |accessdate = 2006-01-19 |author = Fattah, Hassan M. |date = 2006-01-19 |publisher = "The New York Times" ]

The tape differed from others by Bin Laden in that it appeared to be less belligerent. In addition, the tape appeared to promote a book by William Blum, "". Bin Laden claimed that "If Bush carries on with his lies and deception it may be useful for you to read the book "The Rogue State"."

It had been over a year since the previous release of a video by bin Laden. The Associated Press has reported that in late 2005 that the CIA had disbanded its bin Laden unit. [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4023190.html]

ee also

* Videos of Osama bin Laden
* Fatāwā of Osama bin Laden
* October surprise

References

External links

* [http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060119/1057464.asp Damadola airstrike]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4628932.stm Transcript of the speech]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4636742.stm Osama "plug" boosts anti-US book]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4623114.stm Pakistan confirms militant deaths]
* [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060117/ap_on_re_as/pakistan_al_qaida_attack Pakistan: Terrorists Killed in U.S. Strike]