Just For Men Osama bin Laden Tape

Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden said he vows to step up the battle in Iraq and mocks the United States in a new video released, his first such appearance in three years.

The video, which U.S. intelligence agencies confirmed as genuine, has sparked an immediate reaction from President George W Bush, who said it showed how dangerous the world remains and how the U.S. must show resolve in Iraq.

Timed to mark the upcoming sixth anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, Mr bin Laden attacks Mr Bush, US neoconservative thinkers and global corporations for fomenting the Iraq war.

He also attacks the U.S. Democratic Party, which he claims has done little to halt the war.

There are two ways to end the Iraq war, he says, according to a transcript released by the U.S. based SITE Intelligence Group which monitors Islamic militant websites.

"The first is from our side, and it is to continue to escalate the killing and fighting against you," he says.

The second, he says, is to do away with the US democratic system of government, which he says merely serves the interests of major corporations.

U.S. intelligence agencies confirmed the voice on the tape likely belonged to Mr bin Laden.

The tape was believed to have been produced as recently as early August because of a reference to the 62nd anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, the official said.

It was the Al-Qaeda leader's first such appearance since October 2004, when he threatened new attacks against the United States in a video just days before U.S. elections.

U.S. authorities were closely examining the video for clues. They said there were no overt threats in his rambling message.


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Bin Laden to U.S.: Convert to Islam

Associated Press - (APTN)

Sep. 07, 2007. 06:05 PM EST

Osama bin Laden appeared for the first time in three years in a videotape released ahead of the 6th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The tape is still being authenticated.