AL-QAEDA used the anniversary of the September 11 attacks to claim victory in Iraq and Afghanistan and threaten a new terrorist offensive against the West and its allies in the Middle East.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, the group’s No 2 and ideological mastermind, also gave a chilling prediction that no British soldier would survive the current Afghan war alive.

In an interview lasting more than an hour with al-Qaeda’s media section as-Sahab, the Egyptian former doctor appeared healthy, confident and ready for the next phase of his bloody struggle.

“Your leaders are hiding from you the true extent of the disaster,” he said, in a reference to President Bush and Tony Blair’s handling of the War on Terror. “And the days are pregnant and giving birth to new events, with God’s permission and guidance.”

Dressed in a white turban and robes and seated before a library of Arabic books, he predicted that the Gulf states and Israel would be next for attack. Some fear that this could signal a terrorist onslaught during the holy month of Ramadan, which begins this month.

“We tell you [the West] not to concern yourself with the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan — they are already doomed,” he said, in an interview probably conducted in the past few days.

“Instead, you should bolster your defences in two areas. The first is in the Gulf, from where you will be expelled, God willing after your defeat in Iraq, and your economic ruin will be achieved.

“The second is Israel, because Jihadi reinforcements are getting closer, and with God’s help and power your defeat there will put an end to the supremacy of the Zionists and Crusaders.”

While the threats against Israel are standard rhetoric for Islamic militants, naming the vulnerable Gulf states as targets will cause concern in the region. The US has significant military bases in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. But the threat implied that economic targets would be hit. They could include vital oil terminals in Saudi Arabia, one of which was attacked in an aborted raid in February, or Dubai, the region’s main economic and commercial hub.

His warnings will be taken seriously. Over the past three years al-Zawahiri has emerged as the day-to-day leader of al-Qaeda, in the absence of Osama bin Laden, who has largely disappeared from public view. Al-Zawahiri, who has a $25 million (£13 million) US bounty on his head, was directly involved in planning the September 11 attacks on America and took credit for masterminding the suicide bombings in London last year.

In the latest recording, the al-Qaeda second-in-command also criticised the recent United Nations peace initiative in Lebanon, which halted fighting last month between Israel and Hezbollah. He said that UN Security Council resolution 1701 “humiliated Muslims” and added that the international peacekeeping forces now deploying in the area were enemies of Islam.

Asked about Britain, which currently commands Nato troops fighting the Taleban in Afghanistan, al-Zawahiri compared the current conflict to the disastrous defeat of British forces in the first Afghan war in the 19th century. “I want to bring to the attention of the British people that Dr [William] Brydon will not be returning to India this time,” he said.

He was referring to the only survivor of the ill-fated British expeditionary force to Afghanistan in 1842. All 16,500 British soldiers and civilians were killed in the retreat from Kabul, one of the bloodiest defeats in British colonial history.

Only Dr Brydon, an assistant surgeon, survived after riding 90 miles through hostile territory to the safety of Jalalabad.

WORDS FROM THE WEB

There’s a . . . feeling that I experienced for the first time during the period following 9/11, which I also think has informed the rest of my life. That is, the search for a religious answer to tragedy . . . There was no greater comfort during that time than when our religious leaders guided us, as best as they knew how, towards those answers. I now know that one of my tasks, as a provider of comfort in the hospital or other settings, is to likewise provide some modicum of a spiritual answer.
labrat.blogspo5t.com

Let me just say, as a fairly recent widow, that I think there is entirely TOO MUCH coverage EVERY year about 9/ll. I’m having enough trouble adjusting to the death/loss of my husband, but at least I don’t have to watch a “new version” of his death every year on TV. For God’s sake, how many, many more versions can there be of that awful day? Give it a rest, I say.
madmadworld.blogspot.com

Dear Ken — I just want you to know how often I think about you. Life hasn’t been the same for Lisa and me since you are gone. I know that because you were such a kind person is the reason you are not with us. Because you stayed and helped with the evacuation of the buildings is the reason you perished. I often you wish that you were selfish and thought of your own safety because then you would still be alive.
a-tic-in-the-minds-eye.blogspot.com

Five years ago, time stopped. Evil uncovered its face, burst from the shadows and roared its presence to the world. Nearly 3,000 lights were extinguished in flame, smoke, oil, concrete and metal. The light of the world flickered briefly as we all tried in vain to comprehend all that had changed in one sunny, east-coast morning.
unchartedparent.com

Today is September 11. Let us remember the fallen. propertygrunt.blogspot.com

It is a day that will mark my generation forever, and one that continues to leave a profound effect. I hope the world is a more peaceful place another five years from now.
blogs.zdnet.com

In some ways, its amazing that we’ve gone five years now without another disaster like 9/11. Hopefully, we’ll be able to say the same thing on September 11, 2011.
belowthebeltway.com

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Science News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Donor organ allowed child’s own heart to heal
• Michael Jackson: Not the final chapter
• Brüno toned down for 15 rating