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Bin Laden vows fight to death in interview aired for first time
( 2002-02-01 12:06 ) (7 )

Osama bin Laden used his only television interview after the September 11 attacks to justify the killing of innocents and vowed to pursue his battle with the United States to the death.

"The battle has moved to inside America," the alleged mastermind of the attacks on New York and Washington told the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera network in an interview conducted in October but only aired for the first time this week.

"We will work to continue this battle, God permitting, until victory or until we meet God," bin Laden said.

Al-Jazeera never broadcast the hour-long interview and a tape was obtained by the US network CNN, which aired excerpts for the first time late Thursday, sparking a row between the two international broadcasters.

"I tell you, freedom and human rights in America are doomed," bin Laden said in the interview, which took place at an undisclosed location on October 21, two weeks after US-led forces began a military campaign in Afghanistan against the Taliban regime and bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

"The US government will lead the American people -- and the West in general -- into an unbearable hell and a choking life," bin Laden said in what may have been his last recorded interview.

It is not known whether the Saudi-born dissident survived the US bombing of al-Qaeda hideouts in Afghanistan.

Asked about his alleged involvement in the September 11 attacks, bin Laden said: "America has made many accusations against us and many other Muslims around the world.

"Its charge that we are carrying out acts of terrorism is unwarranted."

However, bin Laden added: "If inciting people to do that is terrorism, and if killing those who kill our sons is terrorism, then let history be witness that we are terrorists."

Later in the interview, bin Laden said: "We kill the kings of the infidels, kings of the crusaders and civilian infidels in exchange for those of our children they kill. This is permissible in Islamic law and logically."

Bin Laden was asked by the Al-Jazeera reporter: "So what you are saying is that this is a type of reciprocal treatment. They kill our innocents, so we kill their innocents?"

He replied: "So we kill their innocents, and I say it is permissible in Islamic law and logic."

In a statement, the director-general of Al-Jazeera, Mohammed Jassim al-Ali, slammed the Atlanta-based CNN for broadcasting the tape.

"Al-Jazeera denounces the fact that CNN resorts to such illegal ways to obtain this tape," he said. "Al-Jazeera would have expected CNN to use its judgment and respect its special relationship with Al-Jazeera by not airing materal that Al-Jazeera itself chose not to broadcast.

"Al-Jazeera does not feel it is obligated to explain its position and its reasoning of why it chose not to air the interview," Ali said.

He added that Al-Jazeera will "sever its relationship with CNN and will take the necessary action to punish the organizations and individuals who stole this video and distributed it illegally."

CNN responded by saying it had done "nothing illegal in obtaining this tape, and nothing illegal in airing it -- our affiliate agreement with Al-Jazeera gives us the express right to use any and all footage owned or controlled by Al-Jazeera, without limitation."

Eason Jordan, CNN's chief news executive, added that the US network was "dumbfounded as to why Al-Jazeera would decide not to air or even acknowledge the existence of the videotape."

CNN said there were indications, however, that the tape has been circulating in the intelligence community for some time and noted that excerpts from the interview had been quoted previously by British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

In the interview, the Al-Jazeera reporter asked bin Laden if he was behind the anthrax attacks in the United States.

He did not respond directly but said, "these diseases are a punishment from God and a response to oppressed mothers' prayers in Lebanon and Palestine."

Bin Laden ridiculed US concerns that videotaped statements he has issued since the September 11 attacks might carry hidden messages.

"They made hilarious claims. They said that Osama's messages have codes in them to the terrorists.

"It's as if we were living in the time of mail by carrier pigeon, when there are no phones, no travelers, no Internet, no regular mail, no express mail and no electronic mail. I mean, these are very humorous things. They discount people's intellect," he said.

Bin Laden cited the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan and the deaths of 18 US servicemen in Somalia in 1993 as evidence a US defeat in Afghanistan was possible.

"We believe that the defeat of America is possible, with the help of God, and is even easier for us -- God permitting -- than the defeat of the Soviet Union was before," he said.

"Our brothers with Somali mujahedeen and God's power fought the Americans. God granted them victory. America exited dragging its tails in failure, defeat, and ruin," bin Laden said.