Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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November 19, 2008

Al-Qaida Leader Says Obama's Afghan Plan Doomed
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1F7F5F8:A6F02AD83191E1601890A9F93A96DB9A0531BB26A5003E7B&
 
Statement from Ayman al-Zawahiri, terror network's second-in-command,
refers to US president-elect by derogatory racial term, attacks his
policies as anti-Islamic 
Al-Qaida's first reaction to Barack Obama's election as U.S. president
refers to him by a derogatory racial term and attacks his policies as
anti-Islamic. Al-Qaida number two leader Ayman al-Zawahiri's video
statement about President-elect Obama, 19 Nov. 2008In an posting on a
militant Web site Wednesday, a voice identified as the terror network's
second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri, says President-elect Obama's plan
to increase the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan is doomed. There
was no immediate reaction from the U.S. government or Mr. Obama's
transition team. The al-Qaida recording says Mr. Obama's support of
Israel confirms his hostility toward Islam. The posting shows a picture
of Mr. Obama wearing a skull cap at a Jewish holy site in Jerusalem.
Zawahri also denigrates Mr. Obama's achievements and those of other
prominent African Americans: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and
General Colin Powell - implying they are servile to whites. Zawahri uses
a phrase popularized by slain U.S. activist and Muslim convert Malcolm X
to refer to Mr. Obama as a "house slave." The English caption translates
it to "house Negro" - a reference to enslaved African Americans who
Malcolm X said were manipulated by white power. The personal attack also
includes a rebuke to Mr. Obama for turning his back on his father's
Muslim roots. Mr. Obama has said he would return America's military
focus to Afghanistan and the fight against al-Qaida after what the
president-elect has called the distraction of Iraq. The U.S. military is
already working to draw down troops in Iraq, while boosting forces in
Afghanistan, where insurgent attacks have been on the rise. Zawahri says
in the posting that "the dogs of Afghanistan have found the flesh" of
American soldiers "to be delicious, so send thousands after thousands to
them."Zawahri refers to a specific U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan on
November 5, showing that the message was taped after Mr. Obama's
election.


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