New Video of Hamza bin Laden Fuels Fears Over Al Qaeda Activity
Al Qaeda’s media arm has released a video of Hamza bin Laden to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, in a move that, according to an analytical website, could signal growing operational and media confidence within the network.
The analytical site “Markaz-e Ettela’at” reported on Friday, 20 Sunbula, that Hamza bin Laden described Islam in the video as engaged in an “all-out war.” The site said the location where the video was recorded is relatively clear in the latest release, something that distinguishes it from some previous publications.
According to the site, in earlier cases, traceable information was removed from the published material, but in the latest video such clues were less concealed. Markaz-e Ettela’at said this change could indicate greater boldness by al Qaeda in both its operational and media activities.
The report also added that Hamza bin Laden’s reappearance is consistent with earlier statements by security officials of Afghanistan’s previous government. Ahmadzia Saraj, the former head of the National Directorate of Security, and Ajmal Obaid Abadi, the former deputy for operations at the agency, had previously reported his presence in Kandahar and at times in Panjshir.
Al-Sahab is al Qaeda’s media arm and usually publishes messages and videos related to the network. The September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, which were blamed on al Qaeda, were a turning point in the start of the US war in Afghanistan.
