Al-Qaeda leader lauds Muslims on US troop withdrawal

An audiotape message purportedly from Al-Qaeda`s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has praised Muslims for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan scheduled for 2012.

"I would like to begin by sending congratulations and good wishes to the Islamic nation for the start of the withdrawal of crusader US forces from Afghanistan," begins the message posted overnight to jihadist websites and which bears the logo of Al-Qaeda`s media arm Al-Sahab.

"Let us thank Allah, who has allowed us to see this day and the fulfilment of Mullah Omar`s prediction that Allah would allow us to defeat George W. Bush," added the 19-minute message.

With waning public support for the almost 10-year-old war against Taliban militants in Afghanistan, US president Barack Obama in June outlined a plan to pull out 10,000 troops this year with the remaining 90,000 or so returning home by September 2012.

The withdrawal of 800 US soldiers began in July and 33,000 extra troops ordered to the country in 2009 are due to leave by next summer.

In his nationally televised address in June, Obama also reiterated a goal of turning over security for the country to Afghan forces in 2014.

"The US will go the way of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan," warned the audio tape dated July 2011, referring to the Soviet war against mujahadeen or Mulsim fighters in the country that began in 1979 and ended with complete Soviet troop withdrawal in 1989.

"For this reason, we must never give up the resistance and hold out for the need for Islamic (Sharia) law to be applied," said the message, which claimed "important victories inflicted by the mujahadeen against the crusaders in Afghanistan".

On top of almost the almost 100,00 US troops deployed to Afghanistan are more than 40,000 personnel from other countries contributing to the Nato-led international force, which also are making plans to reduce troop deployments.

Source: ANTARA