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Al-Qaeda threatens wave of attacks against Libya

— PHOTO: AP

Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri shown as part of a speech criticising Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi, in a video released by IntelCenter on Saturday.

CAIRO: Al-Qaeda’s No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, on Saturday harshly criticised Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi, in a new audio tape, accusing him of being an enemy of Islam and threatening a wave of attacks against that country because it improved relations with the U.S.

In the 28-minute audio tape called “Unity of the Ranks,” Al-Zawahri also announced that the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group was joining ranks with Al-Qaeda. “The Islamic nation is witnessing a blessed step ... The brothers are escalating the confrontation against the enemies of Islam: Qadhafi and his masters, the Washington crusaders,” Al-Zawahri said. The recording could not be verified, but it appeared on a web site used by insurgents and carried the logo of Al-Qaeda’s media house, As-Sahab. The recording also carried a message Abu Laith al-Libi, a Libyan Al-Qaeda commander in Afghanistan who accused Qadhafi of decades of tyranny.

In the audio recording, Al-Zawahri also calls on followers to defeat other North African leaders including Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Moroccan King Mohammed VI and Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika — as well as Col. Qadhafi. — AP

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