Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has called for Somalia’s new president to be overthrown, according to an audio recording posted Thursday on the Internet.
Bin Laden said Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed had been president of the country’s Islamic Courts but “as a result of inducements and offers from the American envoy in Kenya, he changed and turned back on his heels” … and agreed to partner with the “infidel” to form a government of national unity. Sheikh Ahmed — whom Somali lawmakers elected president on January 31 — should be “dethroned, fought and removed with armed force,” the message said. The bin Laden message is titled “Fight on, Champions of Somalia.” The authenticity of the recording could not be independently verified.
