CAIRO - Al Qaeda's deputy leader called on Pakistanis to join his group's holy war against the United States in Pakistan and Afghanistan and warned they could face the destruction of both countries and provoke God's wrath if they don't.
Ayman al-Zawahri's audio message, which was posted on the Internet on Tuesday, comes as the Pakistani military has stepped up its operations against militants along the border with Afghanistan, including in South Waziristan where some suspect al-Zawahri and Osama bin Laden could be hiding.
The military offensive has received widespread support from Pakistanis who once viewed al Qaeda and Taliban militants as little threat to the country, but have grown increasingly alarmed as attacks have killed hundreds of Pakistani civilians.
Al-Zawahri's message was likely aimed at undercutting that support by casting the offensive as a U.S. plot to control the country. He delivered the message in English, which is much more widely spoken in Pakistan than Arabic. He used the same tactic in a message to the Pakistani people last August.
Al-Zawahri pointed his finger at "a clique of corrupt politicians and a junta of military officers who are fighting to remain on the American pay list by employing Pakistan's entire military and all its resources in the American Crusade against Islam."
Bin Laden employed this same tactic in his last message released in June, blaming the U.S. for pressuring the Pakistani military to launch an operation against the Taliban in the Swat Valley in April that prompted more than 2 million residents to flee. The U.S. rejected the allegations.
Al-Zawahri said the only hope to save Pakistan from the "disastrous fate" of American control was jihad, or holy war.
"It is the individual duty of every Muslim in Pakistan to join the mujahedeen, or at the very least to support the jihad in Pakistan and Afghanistan with money, advice, expertise, information, communications, shelter and anything else he can offer," said al-Zawahri.
"If we stand by passively without offering due support to the mujahedeen, we shall not only contribute to the destruction of Pakistan and Afghanistan, but we shall also deserve the painful punishment of almighty Allah," said al-Zawahri.
The authenticity of the message could not be verified, but it carried the logo of al Qaeda's media wing, As-Sahab, and was posted on Web sites that usually carry militant statements.
Al-Zawahri's appeal for funds echoes one made last month by Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed, al Qaeda's top commander in Afghanistan, who said militants in the country were hampered by a lack of equipment and money.
A survey of Pakistanis carried out in May highlighted the growing challenge for al-Zawahri and other militants to rally support in the country.
It showed that 81 per cent of Pakistanis believe the activities of the Taliban and other Muslim extremists are a "critical threat" to the country, up from 34 per cent in Sept. 2007. Eighty-two per cent said al Qaeda was also a critical threat, exactly twice as many as thought so almost two years ago.
The poll was carried out by Socio-Economic Development Consultants in Islamabad on behalf of WorldPublicOpinion.org. It questioned 1,000 people across Pakistan from May 17 to 28 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
