Osama bin Laden tape authentic: US intelligence

Twentynine Palms (California)., Apr 24: US intelligence agencies believe the latest tape released by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is authentic, the White House said today.

After being informed of the intelligence assessment, White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters traveling with the president, ''The al Qaeda leadership is on the run and under a lot of pressure.''

According to an audiotape aired on Sunday attributed to bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader urged his followers to prepare for a long war against Western would-be occupiers in Sudan's Darfur region and said the West's shunning of the Hamas Palestinian government showed it was waging a ''Crusader-Zionist war'' on Muslims.

''We just heard from the intelligence community that they believe it's authentic,'' McClellan said.

President George W. Bush was informed about the bin Laden tape at about 6:30 a.m. local time.

''We are continuing to take the fight to the enemy abroad and making it difficult for them to plan and plot against Americans,'' McClellan said.

''We continue to take all terrorist threats seriously and that is why we are acting on all fronts doing everything within our power to prevail in the war on terrorism,'' he said.

The tape was broadcast on Al Jazeera television, which declined to say how it had been obtained. Al Jazeera did not say if the tape was dated, but it would have to have been recorded after March 14 because of bin Laden's reference to an Israeli raid on a West Bank prison on that date.

Reuters