Click
photo to play
Length: 3:00
JIM CLANCY: All right.
We're going to begin our report, though, in Iraq and
that 20 minute audiotape that was posted on Islamic
Web sites. The speaker makes a conditional amnesty
offer to Sunni tribal leaders in the country.
CNN's Michael Ware joins us now from Baghdad.
This offer to tribal leaders, this is a direct bid to
compete with the U.S., isn't it?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, very much,
Jim.
Since we saw the first introduction of al Qaeda in
Iraq, or in its first manifestation under Zarqawi,
before he joined al Qaeda, there's been friction
between these foreign elements and these very much
extremist Sunni elements and the local Iraqis. From
the beginning, the U.S. forces have been trying to
play on that friction.
This statement from the new leader of al Qaeda in
Iraq, Zarqawi's replacement, is just one more twist
in this very winding road. He's trying to counter a
recent push from Iraqi tribes, vowing allegiance to
the Americans and fighting -- agreeing to fight
against al Qaeda -- Jim.
CLANCY: Now, in addition to this, he's making a call
to kidnap foreigners. He's saying that he wants to
exchange them for Egyptian cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman,
who is being held over the links to the 1993 bombing
of the World Trade Center.
When you look at this threat to kidnap foreigners, is
it really going to have any impact at this stage?
WARE: Well, I mean, this is the Ramadan offensive. I
mean, we expected all of this from al Qaeda and many
other groups with the insurgency. This is the
traditional spike in attacks and this kind of
activity.
So, in calling for a new level of offensive, I mean,
I think most alarmingly or most chillingly, from Abu
Hamza al-Muhajir, is his call that we will now launch
a military campaign to uproot the infidel. He also
calls upon every free Mujahid to summon his strength
and to take a Christian, imprison them, and trade
them for the sheikh. This clearly is him stepping on
to the stage and taking things up a little, if not
for Ramadan, then beyond -- Jim.
CLANCY: Well, he does make -- and some people perhaps
found it surprising -- he does say and admit that
4,000 foreign fighters, more than that number, have
been killed.
WARE: Well, we've seen al Qaeda in Iraq and its
earlier incarnation al Tawhid, under Zarqawi, often
publicize its deaths. I mean, they celebrate the
deaths of these young men as heroic martyrs.
They're to be honored, and that's what they do. So we
have seen them be relatively frank about deaths in
battle. We've even seen very sleek documentaries
produced by their media wing in dedicational memorial
to some of the more famous martyrs.
So, to hear him admit 4,000 have died is not so
outside the ballpark of the numbers of foreigners
that the U.S. military intelligence believes are
entering Iraq every month -- Jim.
CLANCY: All right.
Michael Ware reporting to us there live from Baghdad.
Michael, thank you, as always.