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CNN Live At Daybreak
America Strikes Back: Analysis of Bin Laden Statements
Aired October 08, 2001 - 07:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Paula, good morning again.
Hours after the coalition sent those first Tomahawk cruise missiles toward Afghanistan and targeted the Taliban, the Al Jazeera Television, the Arab network, played a taped statement by Osama bin Laden. In it, he said Americans, and quoting now, "Got what they deserved back on 9-11." Standing with him, another key player in the bin Laden network, Ayman al-Zawahiri. He is leader of Egypt's Islamic Jihad.
For more perspective on the bin Laden statement, our terrorism analyst, Peter Bergen, live this morning from Washington.
Peter, good morning to you.
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Good morning.
HEMMER: We have a lot to pick apart. Let's start with one of the statements in this tape yesterday. I'm quoting Osama bin Laden. "What America is tasting now is something insignificant compared to what we have tasted for scores of years."
To whom is he referring when he says "we?"
BERGEN: Well, in bin Laden's view, the United States is responsible for a lot of violence against Muslim civilians in the past decades, principally in Israel. He regards the United States support for Israel as one of the reasons that Palestinians are oppressed. He also blames the United States for hundreds of thousands of deaths of civilians in Iraq as a result of U.S. bombing campaigns there and U.S. led U.N. sanctions in Iraq.
So there is a long list of civilian casualties that he blames the United States for. That is why, in his mind, attacking American civilians is simply the just desserts of America.
HEMMER: So his statement then, "we," is a larger reflection of his opinion of the Arab world and Muslims living in the Middle East?
BERGEN: Correct.
HEMMER: OK, Peter, I want to roll a sound bite now from that taped interview. We don't know when it was done. Clearly it was done before the attacks because it was shot during the day time. We will listen to that, that many people say is a chilling chord struck yesterday. Osama bin Laden now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OSAMA BIN LADEN: This is America. God has touched it by a wound which has destroyed its greatest buildings. And thank god for that. And this is America filled with fear from north to south, from east to west. So thank god for that. And what America is tasting now is something very little of what we have tasted for tens of years. Our nation for 80 years is tasting this humiliation, its sons being killed and its holy places getting attacked and nobody is hearing and when god has guided a group pioneers of Islam, god has helped them to destroy America. I pray to god that to lift them up to the highest position.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: And again, Peter, what he refers to as he continues on through his statement, talking about Americans will not know security before we feel secure and safe living in Palestine, ultimately, if there is a solution for the Palestinians, is that the end of this? Or is that too simplistic?
BERGEN: Well, I think two points. One is bin Laden's political demands are so all encompassing they're hardly negotiable even if you wanted to negotiate with him, which clearly the United States government does not want to do. I mean he's really calling for the entire change of Middle Eastern policy, whether it's support for Israel, the sanctions against Iraq, and U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia.
It's a rather all encompassing demands. These are not the sort of demands that you can sit down with and sort of say OK, you want this, we'll give you that in exchange for certain other accommodations.
So I think also bin Laden's on the record as saying that even if American troops, let's say, left Saudi Arabia, which is one of his principal demands, that's still not enough.
HEMMER: Yes, we're running until just about a minute left here, Peter. I want to talk about two people critical to bin Laden at this time. I mentioned him, Ayman al-Zawahiri, had of Islamic Jihad. What is his role at this point?
BERGEN: He's widely regarded by U.S. intelligence and sources in the Middle East as being really the brains of the operation. He's a little older than bin Laden, 10 years. He's been a sort of professional terrorist since 1973. He's radicalized bin Laden.
HEMMER: Some say he's pulling the strings. Correct or not?
BERGEN: Indeed.
HEMMER: Mohammed Atiff, his role?
BERGEN: He is the military commander of the organization. He is also now related by marriage to bin Laden because his daughter just married one of bin Laden's sons. He is widely regarded as being, let's say, the number three.
HEMMER: Peter Bergen, our terrorism expert, with us again this morning from Washington.
Peter, thanks to you.
BERGEN: Thank you.
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