Sep 28, 2009, 16:53 GMT
Istanbul - A tape recorded message Monday purportedly from al-Qaeda's number two leader, Eiman al-Sawahiri, accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of lying about the role of German troops in Afghanistan.
In the message distributed on Islamic websites, and referring to the German chancellor as 'premier,' al-Sawahiri said 'I am amazed how your premier can stand up in parliament and say the German troops are in Afghanistan in order to secure peace and security in the world.'
He added, that this was a lie, and that the Germans could only contribute to peace by withdrawing their forces from Afghanistan.
The message - with the voice sounding like that of al-Sawahiri in previous tapes - also commented on the death of the Pakistani Taliban leader Beitullah Mehsud, with al-Sawahiri calling Mehsud a 'martyr.' Mehsud is believed to have been killed in a US missile attack in early August.
The message about Merkel - who won re-election in Sunday's national elections - is the latest by al-Qaeda specifically targeting Germany's role in Afghanstan of late. In mid-September, a video by Bekkay Harrach, a German linked to al-Qaeda, threatened Germany with terrorist attacks if the country failed to withdraw from Afghanistan.
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