al Zawahiri to urge jihad in Pak: Pak TV channel

{image-Al zahawri_12082008.jpg news.oneindia.in}Islamabad, Aug 12: A Pakistani TV channel has received an audiotape in which al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, attacks the country's leaders and urges Jihad or holy war in Pakistan. The audoptape, recorded in English was aired by Pakistan's 'Ary ' TV station. It has not yet been posted to jihadist websites.

Egyptian-born medic al-Zawahiri explains in the audiotape that it is in English because he does not speak Urdu - the language spoken by most Pakistanis. The video may have been made to disprove reports that he was killed in a missile strike in Pakistan's Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan on Wednesday, July 23.

The audio message was released by al-Qaeda's production arm, As-Sahab, and has not been fully authenticated. Top al-Qaeda leader and chemicals expert Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar died in the attack.

The US State Department has offered a 25 million dollar reward for al-Zawahiri, who has delivered numerous audio and video messages urging militants to continue the fight against the United States.

ANI