Associated Press
January 19, 2006
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060119/ap_on_re_mi_ea/bin_laden_text

The following is the full text of a new audiotape from al-Qaida leader
Osama bin Laden. Parts of the tape were aired on Al-Jazeera television, whichpublished the entire version on its Web site. The text was translated fromthe Arabic by The Associated Press...............
Bin Laden appears to be addressing the American people:
My message to you is about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and how to
endthem. I did not intend to speak to you about this because this issue has
already been decided. Only metal breaks metal, and our situation, thankGod,
is only getting better and better, while your situation is the opposite
ofthat.

But I plan to speak about the repeated errors your President Bush has
committed in comments on the results of your polls that show an
overwhelming majority of you want the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. But he
(Bush) has opposed this wish and said that withdrawing troops sends the
wrong message to opponents, that it is better to fight them (bin Laden's
followers) on their land than their fighting us (Americans) on our land.
I can reply to these errors by saying that war in Iraq is raging with no
let-up, and operations in Afghanistan are escalating in our favor, thank
God, and Pentagon figures show the number of your dead and wounded is
increasing not to mention the massive material losses, the destruction
of the soldiers' morale there and the rise in cases of suicide among them.

So you can imagine the state of psychological breakdown that afflicts a soldier
as he gathers the remains of his colleagues after they stepped on landmines
that tore them apart. After this situation the soldier is caught between two
hard options. He either refuses to leave his military camp on patrols
and is therefore dogged by ruthless punishments enacted by the Vietnam
Butcher(U.S. army) or he gets destroyed by the mines. This puts him under
psychological pressure, fear and humiliation while his nation is ignorant of
that (what is going on). The soldier has no solution except to commit suicide.

That is a strong message to you, written by his soul, blood and pain, to save what can be saved from this hell. The solution is in your hands if you care about them (the soldiers).

The news of our brother mujahideen (holy warriors) is different from what
the Pentagon publishes. They (the news of mujahideen) and what the media
report is the truth of what is happening on the ground. And what deepens the
doubt over the White House's information is the fact that it targets the
media reporting the truth from the ground. And it has appeared lately,
supported by documents, that the butcher of freedom in the world (Bush)
had decided to bomb the headquarters of the Al-Jazeera in Qatar after bombing
its offices in Kabul and Baghdad.

On another issue, jihad (holy war) is ongoing, thank God, despite all the oppressive
measures adopted by the U.S Army and its agents (which is) to a point where there is no difference between this criminality and Saddam's criminality, as it has
reached the degree of raping women and taking them as
hostages instead of their husbands.

As for torturing men, they have used burning chemical acids and drills
ontheir joints. And when they give up on (interrogating) them, they
sometimes use the drills on their heads until they die. Read, if you will, the
reports of the horrors in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo prisons.

And I say that, despite all the barbaric methods, they have not broken the
fierceness of the resistance. The mujahideen, thank God, are increasing in
number and strength so much so that reports point to the ultimate failure
and defeat of the unlucky quartet of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld andWolfowitz.

Declaring this defeat is just a matter of time, depending partly on how
muchthe American people know of the size of this tragedy. The sensible
peoplerealize that Bush does not have a plan to make his alleged victory inIraq
come true.

And if you compare the small number of dead on the day that Bush
announcedthe end of major operations in that fake, ridiculous show aboard the
aircraft carrier with the tenfold number of dead and wounded who were
killed in the smaller operations, you would know the truth of what I say. This is
that Bush and his administration do not have the will or the ability to get
out of Iraq for their own private, suspect reasons.

And so to return to the issue, I say that results of polls please those
who are sensible, and Bush's opposition to them is a mistake. The reality shows
that the war against America and its allies has not been limited to Iraq
as he (Bush) claims. Iraq has become a point of attraction and restorer of
(our) energies. At the same time, the mujahideen (holy warriors), with God's
grace, have managed repeatedly to penetrate all security measures
adopted by the unjust allied countries. The proof of that is the explosions you have
seen in the capitals of the European nations who are in this aggressive
coalition. The delay in similar operations happening in America has not
been because of failure to break through your security measures. The operations
are under preparation and you will see them in your homes the minute
they are through (with preparations), with God's permission.

Based on what has been said, this shows the errors of Bush's statement--
the one that slipped from him -- which is at the heart of polls calling for
withdrawing the troops. It is better that we (Americans) don't fight Muslims
on their lands and that they don't fight us on ours.

We don't mind offering you a long-term truce on fair conditions that we
adhere to. We are a nation that God has forbidden to lie and cheat. So both
sides can enjoy security and stability under this truce so we can build Iraq
and Afghanistan, which have been destroyed in this war. There is no shame
in this solution, which prevents the wasting of billions of dollars that have
gone to those with influence and merchants of war in America who have
supported Bush's election campaign with billions of dollars which lets us
understand the insistence by Bush and his gang to carry on with war.

If you (Americans) are sincere in your desire for peace and security, we
have answered you. And if Bush decides to carry on with his lies and
oppression, then it would be useful for you to read the book "RogueState,"
which states in its introduction: "If I were president, I would stop the
attacks on the United States: First I would give an apology to all the
widows and orphans and those who were tortured. Then I would announce
that American interference in the nations of the world has ended once and forall."

Finally, I say that war will go either in our favor or yours. If it is
the former, it means your loss and your shame forever, and it is headed in this
course. If it is the latter, read history! We are people who do not stand
for injustice and we will seek revenge all our lives. The nights and
days will not pass without us taking vengeance like on Sept. 11, God
permitting.

Your minds will be troubled and your lives embittered. As for us, we have
nothing to lose. A swimmer in the ocean does not fear the rain. You have
occupied our lands, offended our honor and dignity and let out our blood and
stolen our money and destroyed our houses and played with our security
and we will give you the same treatment.

You have tried to prevent us from leading a dignified life, but you will not
be able to prevent us from a dignified death. Failing to carry out jihad,
which is called for in our religion, is a sin. The best death to us is under
the shadows of swords. Don't let your strength and modern arms fool you.
They win a few battles but lose the war. Patience and steadfastness are
muchbetter. We were patient in fighting the Soviet Union with simple weapons
for10 years and we bled their economy and now they are nothing.

In that there is a lesson for you.

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Okay. Do you think there is a message to this for you?