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Osama speaks on Middle East unrest in his last video

May 14, 2011 12:13 IST
United States investigation officials have stumbled upon an unreleased video of Osama bin Laden which shows the slain Al Qaeda chief speaking on the recent unrest in the Middle East but has no reference to the uprisings in Libya, Yemen and Syria.

The Central Intelligence Agency-led inter agency Task Force officials said the video was apparently recorded a few days before Osama was shot dead at his Abbottabad hideout on May 2 by the US Navy SEALs.

Coverage: US hunts down Osama bin Laden

In the video, the Al Qaeda leader talks about the recent unrest in the Middle East, including Egypt and Tunisia, but has no reference to Libya, Yemen and Syria, officials familiar with the video said. The said video is part of a huge cache of electronic and other materials obtained by the Navy SEALs who raided the house where bin Laden was hiding.

Officials, however, expressed surprise as to why the video did not mention the popular uprising in Libya and Yemen.

Analysing the video, officials said through this "it seems bin Laden is trying to prove that Al Qaeda is still relevant in these historic uprisings. He is trying to insert himself into these historic events and the news cycle when he hasn't been part of it."

The analysers said it was a "head scratcher" why bin Laden would not indicate his support for the uprising against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi -- a man he detested, a media report said.

 

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