The deputy leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula called on Yemeni tribes on Monday to stage jihad, or holy war, against the Western interest and the Yemeni government to revenge recent air raids against their hideouts.
In an audiotape posted on the Internet on Monday, Said Ali al- Shihri said Yemeni tribes have been hit by air strikes of the West “in collaboration with its local agents in the Yemeni government.”
“Stand by your Mujahedeen (freedom-fighters) sons and make preparation for waging a long jihad”against the Western interests and its agents in the Yemeni government, he said.
Saudi-born al-Shihri, a former Guantanamo detainee, also said that he addressed a letter to the headquarters in Afghanistan under Osama bin Laden’s leadership. Xinhua