'Bin Laden' urges Afghan pull-out. Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has purportedly urged European nations to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan, in a new tape posted on the internet.
He said that "an intelligent man does not waste his money and sons for a gang of criminals in Washington". The audio message, the authenticity of which cannot be verified, was contained in a video posted on Friday. It had German and English subtitles. Germans go to the polls in federal elections on Sunday. "It is shameful to be part of an alliance whose leader does not care about spilling the blood of human beings by bombing villages intentionally," he said, referring to civilian deaths in missile attacks against Taliban fighters in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Bin Laden's Message to the German People. The intention is very clear: Bin Laden wants to influence, or at least change the dynamics, of the German elections, which will take place on Sunday.
In the video Bin Laden urges Europeans to withdraw from Muslim land. Germany is not mentioned specifically, but the timing of the release and the German subtitles suggest that the intended audience clearly is the German electorate. This comes on the back of a number of German language videos that have been posted by Al Qaeda in the past weeks. They are all saying the same thing: vote for withdrawal, or we will blow you up! Ben Laden veut le départ des Européens d'Afghanistan - Actualité.