On September 20, 2007, As-Sahab, the propaganda and PSYWAR unit of Al Qaeda, disseminated an audio message of Osama bin Laden accompanied by visuals taken from past messages. This is the third message of bin Laden being disseminated by As-Sahab since September7, 2007. Of these, the first, a video message probably recorded in the second fortnight of August,2007, was addressed to the American people on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist strikes in the US. The second, an audio message of recent recording with old visuals, was addressed to the Muslims in general and was meant to glorify the Islamic concept of martyrdom. The third and latest is in the form of a fatwa against Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf and his Army and is addressed to the people of Pakistan. It is titled: "Come to Jihad: A Speech to the People of Pakistan".
bin Laden, who had remained silent for many months --with no video message since October,2004, and no audio message sinceApril,2006,-- has come out with three messages within a fortnight. This indicates that he is alive and well and continues to be in command of Al Qaeda. The frequency of his messages after his long silence also reflects his confidence that he is now in a safe position where the American intelligence agencies and security forces cannot reach him and where there would be little likelihood of his being betrayed by those tempted by the American offer of huge cash rewards for anyone helping in having him killed or captured. What could that place be?It would be difficult to answer that question.
The fatwa against Musharraf and his Army is very bluntly worded. It says in its concluding paragraphs: "It is obligatory on the Muslims in Pakistan to carry out Jihad and fighting to remove Pervez, his government, his army and those who help him." It carries the following pledge on behalf of Al Qaeda: "We in al-Qaida Organization call on Allah to witness that we will retaliate for the blood of Maulana Abd al-Rashid Ghazi and those with him against Musharraf and those who help him, and for all the pure and innocent blood, foremost of which is the blood of the champions of Islam in Waziristan - both North and South - among them the two noble leaders, Nek Muhammad and Abdullah Mahsud. " ( My comment: Maulana Ghazi died in the Pakistan Army commando raid into the Lal Masjid of Islamabad between July 10 and 13,2007)
bin Laden encourages suicide missions by underlining that jihad is an individual obligation of every true Muslim.He gives the following reasons for hisfatwa: