Osama Bin Laden declared, “the battle has moved to inside America” in the only exclusive television interview he has granted since the September 11 attacks, now airing for the first time.
The Saudi dissident, in an unbroadcasted interview made on October 21, said that the United States’ war on terrorism was leading the American people “into an unbearable hell and a choking life”.
The American CNN broadcast edited portions of the tape Thursday night and said it obtained the interview, originally done by Qatar based al-Jazeera television network, “from a non-governmental source.”
If the interview indeed took place in late October, that would have been an estimated two weeks before Kabul fell to U.S.-backed afghan alliance fighters and more than a month before the Taliban headquarters city of Kandahar was abandoned.
Bin Laden told the al-Jazeera interviewer that killing innocent civilians was allowable according to Islamic law, as he painted a grim picture of the future for Americans.
“I tell you, freedom and human rights in America are doomed. The U.S. Government will lead the American people in particular and the West in general into an unbearable hell and a choking life”.
CNN, which had close relations with the Qatari satellite network, reported that al-Jazeera declined to air the interview at the time it was done because “it wasn't newsworthy”, according to them.
The al-Jazeera interviewer asked al Qaeda leader about his responsibility for the September 11 attacks on New York and the Pentagon, but received only ambiguous answers. “America has made many accusations against us and many other muslims around the world. Its charge that we are carrying out acts of terrorism is unwarranted,” Bin Laden initially remarked.
However, moments later, CNN stated, Bin Laden referred to the subject again and remarked, “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.”
U.S. Government and intelligence officials apparently knew about the existence of the interview quickly after it was done.
Furthermore, British prime minister Tony Blair quoted the interview in a speech to parliament last November. “On October 20, Bin Laden said in an unbroadcast videotape, “if avenging the killing of our people is terrorism, let history be a witness that we are terrorists,” CNN quoted the British Prime Minister as saying.
The interview, which CNN said was an hour long, was believed to have been the first one made after the September 11 attacks and showed Bin Laden justifying the killing of innocent Americans.
“we kill the kings of the infidels, kings of the crusaders and civilians infidels in exchange for those of our children they kill. This is permissible in islamic law and logically.”
The al-Jazeera interviewer interrupts to ask if Bin Laden means to say it was appropriate to kill innocent people in revenge against those who “kill our innocents.”
The Saudi millionaire responded, “so we kill their innocents, and I say it is permissible in Islamic law and logic.”
During the interview, the world’s most wanted fugitive appears confident, as if he is sure his forces would defeat the United States. “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.”
Al-Jazeera has not disclosed where the hour-long interview was conducted. The reporter asked Bin Laden if he was behind the anthrax attacks in the United States that began some weeks after the September 11 assaults. Bin Laden did not directly respond but said, “these diseases are a punishment from God and a response to oppressed mothers’ prayers in Lebanon and Palestine.”
During the interview, Bin Laden mocked at White House concerns that other on-camera statements he had issued since September 11 might carry hidden 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 travelers, no internet, no regular mail, no express mail and no electronic mail. I mean, these are very humorous things. They discount people’s intellect,” Bin Laden firmly declared.
Meanwhile, regarding relations between CNN and al Jazeera, the latter said it refused to appear to explain the circumstances of the interview and accused the U.S. network of obtaining the videotape by illegal means.
CNN further said that the Qatari network announced it was toughening its relations with CNN. “Al-Jazeera will sever its relationship with CNN and will take the necessary action to punish the organizations and individuals who stole this video and distributed it illegally,” CNN quoted al-Jazeera.
CNN, on its part, assures it did nothing illegal in obtaining the videotape of the significant interview. “Our affiliate agreement with al-Jazeera gives us the express right to use any and all footage owned or controlled by al Jazeera without limitation,” a CNN statement said.
Eason jordan, CNN chief news executive, said the existence of the unbroadcast interview leaves al-Jazeera with tough questions to answer. “Among them, why was the interview not ever televised, why did al-Jazeera initially deny the existence of the tape, and what other tape does al-Jazeera have, or did it have, that had never been acknowledged or televised,” Jordan asked.
CNN reports that Jordan said “once that videotape was in our possession, we felt we had to report on it, and show it because it is extremely newsworthy”. “And we really were dumbfounded as to why al-Jazeera would decide not to air or even acknowledge the existence of the videotape.” (albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
