The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Dubai

Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri called for a holy war against North African leaders and their French, Spanish and US allies in an audiotape message Saturday in which he announced a new Libyan arm of the militant network. In the message released on the internet, he also called on members of Mahmud Abbas's Fatah movement to overthrow the Palestinian president, saying he had turned the movement into an "annex of the CIA". He urged militants to target US, French and Spanish interests in North African countries in the recording, the authenticity of which could not immediately be verified. "Islamic nation of resistance and jihad (holy war) in the Maghreb, see how your children are uniting under the banner of Islam and jihad against the United States, France and Spain," Zawahiri said.