| New
Tape |
| Bin Laden
vows to fight on |
agencies
Osama
bin Laden praised the slain leader of Iraq's
al Qaeda wing, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and vowed
al Qaeda will continue to fight U.S. forces and
their allies "everywhere", according
to an Internet audiotape on Friday.
"
The lion of jihad ... Abu Musab al-Zarqawi ...
was killed in a U.S. raid. We hope to God he
accepts him as a martyr," said bin Laden. Addressing President Bush, he said: "Don't
be too happy, for the banner (of al Qaeda in
Iraq) hasn't dropped but has passed from one
lion of Islam to another lion". "
We will continue, God willing, to fight you and
your allies everywhere, in Iraq and Afghanistan
and in Somalia and Sudan until we waste all your
money and kill your men and you will return to
your country in defeat as we defeated you before
in Somalia," he said. A U.S. counterterrorism official said analysis
of the recording, posted on a Web site regularly
used by al Qaeda, confirmed "that it is
the voice of Osama bin Laden". MUJAHIDEEN
Bin Laden called on U.S. forces to release the
body of Jordanian-born Zarqawi, adding : "What
scares you about Zarqawi after his death is that
(his funeral) will be huge and will show the
degree of sympathy Muslims have for the mujahideen." Zarqawi was killed in a U.S. air strike in
Iraq this month. Bin Laden, in his fourth recording in 2006, defended
Zarqawi's killing of Iraqis who fought with U.S.-led
forces.
"
Abu Musab had clear instructions to focus his
fighting on the occupying forces first of which
are Americans ... but whoever fought in the trenches
of the crusaders against Muslims, then regardless
of his faith or his tribe it is (acceptable)
that he may be killed by anyone," he said. Earlier this month, al Qaeda second-in-command
Ayman al-Zawahri vowed vengeance against the
United States for the death of Zarqawi, according
to a videotape. Last month, bin Laden released an audiotape
saying Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person
convicted
in a U.S. court for the September 11 attacks
on U.S. cities, had nothing to do with the operations. Bin Laden, considered the mastermind behind
the September 11 attacks, has eluded U.S.
forces
in Afghanistan, as have Zawahri and former
Taliban chief Mullah Omar. Al Qaeda in Iraq has vowed to avenge the killing
of Zarqawi and named his successor as Abu Hamza
al-Muhajir.
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| In
Maryland |
| Stolen
laptop with veterans' data recovered |
agencies
A
stolen laptop computer containing sensitive information
on more than 26 million U.S. military veterans
and service members has been recovered and a
preliminary review indicated no data was taken,
the FBI and Veterans Affairs Department said
on Thursday.
The laptop and the external hard drive taken
in early May from a VA employee's residence in
suburban Washington were recovered, authorities
said.
"
A preliminary review of the equipment by computer
forensic teams has determined that the data base
remains intact and has not been accessed since
it was stolen," the agencies said in a statement. "A
thorough forensic examination is underway, and
the results will be shared as soon as possible."
A person whom the FBI did not identify turned
the laptop in to the agency's Baltimore office
on Wednesday, officials and veterans organizations
said.
FBI spokeswoman Michelle Crnkovich said that
no charges were filed against that individual,
and that she no information on where the laptop
was between the time of the theft and when
it was turned in.
The theft of the laptop from a VA employee
who had brought it to his home in Aspen Hill,
Maryland,
raised fears that nearly all military personnel
were at risk of identity theft. Authorities
have said the theft as part of a routine burglary
in which other items were taken.
BIPARTISAN BLAST
Lawmakers and veterans' advocates have voiced
alarm that the government failed to safeguard
the data that included Social Security numbers
and disability ratings that could be used in
credit card fraud and other crimes.
Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman
Larry Craig, an Idaho Republican, said "we are
all holding our breath now for the FBI forensic
analysis which we hope will confirm that the
data has not been compromised."
Republicans and Democrats had blasted the administration
for allowing the data to be lost and for responding
slowly to the theft. Officials have said VA
Secretary Jim Nicholson was first told of the
May 3 crime
on May 16 and only informed the public on May
22, almost three weeks after the theft occurred.
Cost of the theft was piling up for taxpayers.
The White House this week asked Congress for
$160 million to offer credit monitoring to
military personnel worried of possible identity
theft.
The VA also was spending millions of dollars
to respond to the incident, including setting
up a special call center to address veterans'
concerns.
Rep. Steve Buyer, an Indiana Republican who
chairs the House of Representatives Veterans
Committee,
said that even though he was heartened by the
laptop's recovery, the "history of lenient
policies and lack of accountability within VA
management must be rectified."
Jim Mueller, commander-in-chief of the Veterans
of Foreign Wars of the U.S., said those responsible
for the data loss and those who knew about
the theft but did not tell Nicholson for 13
days
should be held accountable.
"
The secretary must act swiftly and decisively
if he is to restore America's trust in the VA," Mueller
said.
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