THE US: "We kill the kings of the infidels, kings of the crusaders and civilian infidels in exchange for those of our children they kill," Osama bin Laden is heard to say. "This is permissible in Islamic law and logically."
The airing on Thursday night by CNN of the first post-September 11th interview with Osama bin Laden, apparently conducted on October 21st at an unknown location, but never previously broadcast, sees the al-Qaeda leader coming close to, but not quite acknowledging his involvement in the attacks. But he makes no bones about supporting war against the US.
"Its charge that we are carrying out acts of terrorism is unwarranted," he says. But "if inciting people to do that is terrorism, and if killing those who kill our sons is terrorism, then let history be witness that we are terrorists." The reporter then said: "So what you are saying is that this is a type of reciprocal treatment. They kill our innocents, so we kill their innocents?" Bin Laden: "So we kill their innocents, and I say it is permissible in Islamic law and logic."
The CNN broadcast has caused a major rift with the Qatari-based al-Jazeera network whose reporter conducted the interview. Originally al-Jazeera denied its existence and then conceded that it had the tape but believed it was little significance. It is, however, now severing relations with CNN, claiming the broadcast was illegal.
The station's Washington correspondent, Hafez al-Mirazi, has conceded that the satellite network never aired the interview because "the reporter was intimidated and didn't ask him tough questions." CNN showed six to eight minutes of the hour-long tape and has refused to distribute a transcript of the rest. The contents have, however, been available to the US and British governments for some time.
On the tape bin Laden, dressed in military fatigues, warns that "we will work to continue this battle, God permitting, until victory or until we meet God." He predicts that "freedom and human rights in America are doomed . . . The US government will lead the American people in - and the West in general - into an unbearable hell and a choking life." And, "we believe that the defeat of America is possible, with the help of God, and is even easier for us - God permitting - than the defeat of the Soviet Union was before." On the anthrax attacks, he would only say: "These diseases are a punishment from God and a response to oppressed mothers' prayers in Lebanon and Palestine."
And he treats with derision US suggestions that his televised interviews might contain coded messages. "They made hilarious claims. They said that Osama's messages have codes in them to the terrorists. It's as if we were living in the time of mail by carrier pigeon, when there are no phones, no travellers, no Internet, no regular mail, no express mail and no electronic mail," he said. "I mean, these are very humorous things. They discount people's intellect," bin Laden said.
