Osama bin Laden, al-Zawahiri let the world know that ''all is well'' with al-Qaeda

Osama bin Laden, al-Zawahiri let the world know that ''all is well'' with al-Qaeda

WASHINGTON - Osama bin Laden's tape that was released by the Qatar-based Al Jazeera, has intelligence circles abuzz and the US Government now wants to find out when exactly the al-Qaeda supremo recorded this tape. They feel that the timing could be vital in gauging the seriousness of the threats against the United States.

Intelligence officials said that they were combing through the tapes in order to identify is any specific words or phrases have been used as a signal for the al-Qaeda members to proceed in their deadly agenda. But the Homeland Security Department said that there was no indication of an imminent attack and hence the terror alert would not be raised in the country. "We, of course, have been very concerned about the threat of terrorism, generally, since the attacks of 9/11," said Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. "And obviously we expect the American people to live their lives as normally as possible.

We clearly understand that we have a very real threat against the United States, United States interests here and abroad."

This audio recording was the first one released by Osama bin Laden after December 2004. There were speculations that Osama was either dead or seriously injured. The US Intelligence services estimate that he and several of his close lieutenants are hiding out in the tribal belt that borders Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The terrain here is extremely difficult and it is next to impossible to negotiate on vehicles. Last week's CIA strike on a village in Pakistan where the al-Qaida number 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri was expected for dinner has invited criticism from all quarters in the Pakistan and it is safe to assume that the US is not in a mood to launch further strikes unless they are absolutely sure of the information. It is also reported that three of the top al-Qaida henchmen died in that particular attack.

But just a day after Osama's tape surfaced, Ayman al-Zawahiri also decided to let the world know that he was alive and kicking. In a lengthy tape, the al-Qaeda number 2 reads out what is a long poem about the "martyrs of jihad," or holy war. The CIA confirmed that the voice on the 18-minute tape was that of al-Zawahiri.