Click
photo to play
Length: 1:34
T.J. HOLMES: Up first this hour, a new tape, a
taunting message -- the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq
releases a new audiotape and he's talking about
fallout from Tuesday's midterm election here in the
U.S.
Here now, CNN's Michael Ware.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In the wake of the
shock of the resignation of U.S. Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld, there has been a rising tide of
triumphalism from insurgent groups operating in Iraq
and militias, with al Qaeda in Iraq striking the
latest rhetorical blow, saying that the day of
victory for al Qaeda has come sooner than expected.
The group's leader, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, released an
audiotape on the Internet in which he threatened to
attack the White House and pledged 12,000 al Qaeda
foot soldiers to the Islamic State of Iraq.
ABU HAMZA AL-MUHAJER (through translator): I say to
the lame duck, don't rush to run away as your lame
defense secretary ran away. We haven't had enough of
your blood yet. Come down to the battlefield, you
coward.
WARE: The Islamic State is an al Qaeda-driven
construct from an alliance of insurgent groups, from
which al Qaeda hopes to build its international
caliphate based here in western Iraq.
The taunting by the group's leader over the political
upheaval in Washington is something that is almost
certain to become a regular feature of the
insurgents' propaganda campaign.
Michael Ware, CNN, Baghdad.