Release of the five-year-old video was clearly timed to coincide with the anniversary of an attack that killed almost 3,000 and launched the United States on a "war on terror" from home shores to Iraq and Afghanistan.Well, I called it in saying that another tape would be forthcoming. AQ wasn't going to let 9/11 pass without more videos from the Dear Leader and his minions. This wasn't so much a new tape, but a clips show of items from Osama's family album.
The channel identified two men in the tape as Ramzi Binalshibh, suspected coordinator of the September 11 plot who was transferred recently to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, and Abu Hafs al-Masri -- a former top lieutenant of bin Laden killed in a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan in 2001.
In Washington, the White House quickly noted that Binalshibh is in custody. Bush revealed on Wednesday that Binalshibh had been one of the terrorism suspects interrogated under a secret CIA program and that he had now been transferred to Guantanamo Bay.
"As the president has said as recently as yesterday, one by one we will bring the 9/11 plotters to justice for their vicious acts, including Ramzi Binalshibh who is now in DOD (Department of Defense) custody," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.
The video portrayed Saudi Arabian Bin Laden, dressed in dark robe and white headgear, greeting a fighter against the backdrop of a mountain. Two of the September 11 attackers, Wael al-Shihri and Hamza al-Ghamdi, were shown presenting their taped "wills."
Al-Shihri's address carried the English language subtitle "One of the Martyrs of the Manhattan Raid."
What it does show is that Osama was clearly involved and knowledgable in the 9/11 attacks, and undermines the conspiracy theorists who run around claiming that Osama or the Islamists had nothing to do with the attacks. These same folks will, of course, question the timing of the video releases. Gee, does the fact that we're only a few day removed from the fifth anniversary of the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks have anything to do with this? I think it has everything to do with it.
One could only wish to have video showing those same hijackers meeting up with Osama in Hell (though I think the Onion got the jump on that story). We know that Zarqawi has already signed in, so it's only a matter of time before Osama joins 'em. It just can't happen quickly enough.
It is curious though, that quite a few al Qaeda members in the video have since been killed or captured, including Muhammad Atef and Ramzi Binalshibh.
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