Qaeda’s Zawahri dismisses Obama, U.S. still enemy
February 4, 2009 by SAF Desk
Filed under News at a glance
DUBAI (Reuters) – Al Qaeda’s deputy leader dismissed U.S. President Barack Obama’s expression of concern over killings in Gaza as an empty gesture on Tuesday and said Washington remains a main enemy of Muslims.
“I remind our mujahideen brothers that our enemy in Gaza is not only Israel but the Zionist-crusader coalition, with America, the leader of evil … at its head,” Ayman al-Zawahri said in an audio recording posted on Islamic websites
The Zionist-crusader (Israeli-Western) campaign against Is lam and the Muslims cannot be defeated without warfare,” Zawahri said, calling the devout to join a jihad (holy war).
Then President-elect Obama broke his silence on Jan. 6 about the Gaza war and expressed deep concern about civilian deaths in Gaza and in Israel. He vowed to push for Middle East peace when he took power.