"THE head of an al-Qaeda-dominated group in Iraq offered to give US troops a month to pull out free of attack in an audiotape posted on the internet overnight and demanded an answer within two weeks.
"Abu Omar al-Baghdadi also charged that Washington had attempted to open communications through Saudi intermediaries but said he had rebuffed the overture, in the voice recording whose authenticity could not immediately be verified."We are offering you the opportunity to withdraw your troops in complete safety and we are expecting your response within two weeks,'' said the voice purporting to be that of Baghdadi, leader of a self-proclaimed Islamic emirate in western and north-central Iraq that is dominated by al-Qaeda supporters.
"We appeal to President George W. Bush to seize this historic opportunity which should allow your troops to pull out in safety,'' it said.
Bush has faced intense political pressure to overhaul his Iraq policy, following the rout of his Republican party in mid-term elections, rock-bottom approval of his management of the Iraq war and mounting US combat deaths.
A policy review by the Iraq Study Group, a bi-partisan panel, recommended that all frontline US troops be withdrawn by early 2008.
Found on Antiwar.com
No comments:
Post a Comment