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Al Qaeda and IraqUltimately what sold the war in Iraq to the American people was the widely held belief that al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein’s regime had entered into an unholy alliance. A poll released by the Pew Research Center just before the Iraq war showed that two out of three Americans believed Saddam “helped […]

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: New audiotape to tell you about tonight being played on Arab television. The speaker claims to be a spokesperson for al Qaeda. He says Osama bin Laden is alive and well and he calls on Muslims to fight U.S. forces in Iraq.

CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen joining us from Washington this evening to help us understand what is in the tape.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Peter Bergen, also our expert on terrorism also joining us to talk about this pretty much of a coup for the United States, I guess you could say. Peter, there’s been so much focus on Iraq and the hunt for Saddam Hussein and loyalists to Saddam Hussein, now we see this key operative within al Qaeda being captured. What does it say about this war on terrorism, and handling, I guess, both countries and both sides of the terrorist front?

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The war on terror continues. See, the enemies of freedom are not idle. And neither are we. This country will not rest. We will not tire. And we will not stop until this danger to civilization is removed.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): One month to the second anniversary of the September 11 attacks, and the White House finds itself waging a public relations war about the war against terror. Critics say the U.S. has turned its back on the anti-terror effort, focusing instead on Iraq and the hunt for Saddam Hussein.

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I’m Linda Wertheimer.

Coming up, how do poets compete? One verse at a time?

But first, this week, Attorney General John Ashcroft said there is a very real potential that al-Qaeda could unleash more terrorist attacks on the United States, this after the Department of Homeland Security warned of possible suicide hijackings in the months ahead. The warnings and the bombings this week in Indonesia and at the Jordanian Embassy in Iraq leave no doubt that the threat of terrorism against American interests and American allies is very much alive. Peter Bergen is a fellow at the New American Foundation and the author of “Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden.” He joins us here in the studio.

BLITZER: Turning now to two deadly bombings this past week, one at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Indonesia and another at the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad. These attacks are raising fresh concern that the United States and its allies are still easy targets for terrorism. There’s also questions about whether al Qaeda is behind both […]

Comment regarding Jordan embassy blastIt’s worth noting given the professional nature of the Jordan bomb blast that the attack may well be the work of al Qaeda. Note should be taken of the audiotape released by bin Laden in February which said “Muslims should mobilize to liberate themselves from the yoke of these apostate regimes, […]

rRegarding the following announcement:Travelers may encounter longer lines at U.S. airports as screeners focus extra attention on CD players, cameras, laptops and other electronic gadgets that terrorists might try to use to conceal weapons or bombs..Among the items that will prompt increased scrutiny at airports are remote door or lock openers, automatic camera flash attachments, […]

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Now let’s get some more insight into those new threats against the U.S. on an audiotape said to be the voice of Ayman al-Zawahiri. He is regarded as the No. 2 man to Osama bin Laden.

Our terrorism analyst Peter Bergen joining us now from Washington. Peter, good morning.

PERTER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Good morning, Daryn.

This is TALK OF THE NATION. I’m Neal Conan in Washington. Tomorrow at this time we’ll get an update on the Korean Demilitarized Zone from National Geographic’s Tom O’Neill, who’s just back from a rare visit into North Korea.

But we turn now to Afghanistan, the second stop in our weeklong look at hot spots around the world. Earlier this week, the Bush administration pledged a billion dollars in aid to Afghanistan. During his press conference this morning, the president reiterated his support for that country, saying, ‘We will complete our mission in Afghanistan.’ By most reports, there is a lot to do.