By DPA
Qatar/Islamabad : Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaeda’s second-in-command, called on Muslims Thursday to continue their fight against the US and its allies and vowed to avenge the killing of militants by the Pakistani army.
In a new videotape aired by the Qatar-based al-Jazeera TV channel, Al-Zawahiri praised operations launched by Al Qaeda-linked groups in Iraq, Afghanistan, North Africa, Somalia and Chechnya.
The 80-minute tape is the third to be released by the terror group this month to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington.
Al-Zawahiri called on Pakistanis to avenge an army assault on a mosque and school complex in Islamabad in July in which a radical cleric, Abdul-Rashid Ghazi, and scores of his loyalists were killed.
The terrorist said Muslims were defeating the United States around the world, and urged them to continue their jihad against what he called the “coalition of the Crusaders.”
The Pakistani army’s spokesman, Major General Waheed Arshad, said the sentiments expressed in the still unverified recording would not deter the government in Islamabad from its campaign against terrorism and militancy.
“These words do not have much weight, the government is very clear about its objectives and operations to eradicate militancy and these will not change,” Arshad said, adding that al-Zawahiri’s call would also not find much resonance among the people in Pakistan.
“The majority of the country is moderate, only a small minority engages in extremist activities, terrorism and militancy, and I’m sure the country is very aware of what these terrorists stand for,” the spokesman said.