NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Osama bin Laden urged Somalis on Thursday to overthrow their new president, issuing a statement that clearly outlines al-Qaida‘s ambitions in a nation long feared to be a haven for the terrorist network. Bin Laden‘s 11-minute audiotape was entirely focused on Somalia, an impoverished country in the Horn of Africa that has been in chaos for nearly two decades, torn apart by warlords and Islamic militant groups. In January, parliament elected President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, a moderate Islamist, in hopes that he would unify the country‘s factions.
Bin Laden exhorts Somali militants in Web message
By The Associated Press
March 18, 2009