AFGHANISTAN: The CIA has said it may take a couple of days to determine the authenticity of an audio tape purported to be from al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden that was aired yesterday.
"It usually takes a couple of days for the authentication process," said a CIA spokesman who asked not to be named.
Among the tasks for US analysts, he said, was to determine when the tape was made and whether "it's real or not," he added. The speaker on the tape, aired by Arabic TV channel Al Jazeera, mentioned the capture of Saddam Hussein last month, indicating it was recorded within the past three weeks. He criticised Gulf Arab governments for supposedly supporting the invasion of Iraq, and urged the use of force against US troops.
He called on Muslims to fight against what he called conspiracies against Islam.