Bin Laden 'declares war on Musharraf'
Osama Bin Laden in his first 2007 video
Thursday, 20, Sep 2007 09:48
Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is to "declare war" against Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf, an Islamist website has said.
The online posting comes amid increased propaganda activity from the terrorist organisation in the wake of the sixth anniversary of the September 11th attacks in 2001.
The Associated Press news agency quotes the website's posting as saying: "Urgent, al-Qaida declares war on the tyrant Pervez Musharraf and his apostate army, in the words of Osama bin Laden."
"Soon, God willing: 'Come to jihad, from sheik Osama bin Laden, God protect him."
Pakistan has already seen a dramatic upsurge in terrorist attacks since the ending of the Red Mosque siege in July.
The siege ended when holed-up radicals were killed by Pakistani forces, resulting in the deaths of about 100 people.
The incident and wave of violence seen since have contributed to an erosion of General Musharraf's political capital ahead of elections expected next month.
Bin Laden released a video tape on September 11th this year in which he paid tribute to one of the 19 "champions" responsible for the devastating terrorist attacks.
Addressing the American people, he criticised them for re-electing US president George Bush for a second term and blamed them for giving him a "clear mandate… to continue to murder our people in Iraq and Afghanistan".