I expected to see a post on this, but I don't. If I'm double-posting over someone, then someone please yell and scream at me.
WASHINGTON (Nov. 13) - U.S. counterterrorism officials believe a new audiotape attributed to Osama bin Laden is probably authentic and are treating it as new evidence the long-absent terrorist leader is still alive, a U.S. official familiar with the tape said Wednesday.
''It's probably his voice,'' said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. ''It cannot be said with absolute certainty.''
At the White House, President Bush told congressional leaders Wednesday the new audiotaped statement was ''timely,'' suggesting that bin Laden is alive, House Speaker Dennis Hastert told reporters.
Bush told the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate that the initial analysis was not definitive, Hastert said.
''If they are authentic, certainly he has to be alive. But they're checking whether it's authentic or not,'' the Illinois Republican said.
A senior defense official said Wednesday analysts informed the Pentagon that a study of the tape indicates it is bin Laden's voice.
Analysis thus far by the CIA and National Security Agency shows bin Laden likely recording the tape, but officials said the full analysis to match bin Laden's voice to previous recordings of him continues.
''Assuming it is in fact authentic, it is an effort to boost morale among the rank and file,'' the official said. ''It is an effort to show members of al-Qaida that top leadership is still around. It could also signal future attacks.''
In the audiotape, aired Tuesday on Al-Jazeera, an Arabic television network, the speaker refers to recent terrorist strikes U.S. officials believe are connected to bin Laden's al-Qaida network. If verified, it would provide the first evidence in a year that bin Laden survived U.S. bombing in Afghanistan.
''I think there's a message here,'' Sen. Richard Shelby said on CBS' ''The Early Show.'' The Alabama Republican said, ''The message is, we better be looking closely now for more terrorist attacks.''
The audiotape was played alongside an old photograph of the al-Qaida leader, but there was no new video of him. Al-Jazeera said it received the tape on the day it was broadcast.
Officials believe bin Laden would release an audio recording, instead of a video, because they are easier to make and limit his public exposure, the U.S. official said. An audio tape also hides an appearance of illness, and anything bin Laden might have done to disguise himself in the last year.
Military officials, who have led the yearlong hunt for the al-Qaida chief in Afghanistan and elsewhere, said they view the tape as the first independent proof in nearly a year that bin Laden is alive.
Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld has said repeatedly over recent months that there was no conclusive proof that bin Laden was dead, as well as no conclusive proof he was alive.
''This indicates he is alive,'' one official said Wednesday.
The speaker on the tape also threatened new terrorism against the United States and its allies, and he castigated U.S. policy toward Iraq.
Confirmation that bin Laden is alive could pose problems for Bush, underscoring to an anxious public that the war on terrorism is far from over.
The tape is addressed to ''peoples of the countries allied with the tyrannical U.S. government'' and specifically mentions Britain, France, Italy, Canada, Germany, Australia and Israel, according to a U.S. government translation provided to The Associated Press.
''What business do your governments have to ally themselves with the gang of criminality in the White House against Muslims? Don't your governments know that the White House gang is the biggest serial killers in this age?'' the speaker says.
Recent statements from al-Qaida leaders have led U.S. and European leaders to warn of possible new attacks, particularly against railroads and oil and gas interests. A law enforcement official said Tuesday that ''chatter'' among suspected terrorists has reached the level seen before the Sept. 11 attacks.
The tape seems to have been made in the past two weeks. The speaker appears to refer to the killing of a U.S. diplomat in Amman, Jordan, on Oct. 28, the most recent event noted in the transcript. Whether bin Laden or al-Qaida had a direct hand in the attack is unknown, U.S. officials said.
The speaker also praises six terrorist attacks by suspected Islamic militants between April and October, including the bombing of a nightclub in Bali, Indonesia, on Oct. 12, that killed nearly 200 people, and the Chechen takeover of a theater in Moscow in late October.
The voice also gets personal, attacking not only Bush, but calling Rumsfeld ''the butcher of Vietnam'' and comparing Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Colin Powell to marauding Mongols.
The last hard evidence bin Laden was alive surfaced late last year. A videotape recovered by U.S. forces in Afghanistan showed him having dinner with some of his deputies on Nov. 9, 2001.
Late in December, another tape of bin Laden giving a statement aired. He appeared gaunt and possibly wounded. The references in the tape suggested it was filmed in late November or early December, but officials could not be certain.
AP-NY-11-13-02 0918EST
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