From correspondents in Washington | January 15, 2009
BARACK Obama says al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden remain the "No.1 one threat" to US security, after a new voice recording emerged from the terror group's leader.
The recording warned the President-elect of new fronts in bin Laden's self-styled holy war against Western interests.
Mr Obama said: "Bin Laden and al-Qaeda are our No.1 threat when it comes to American security.
"We're going to do everything in our power to make sure that they cannot create safe havens that can attack Americans. That's the bottom line."
Bin Laden's 22-minute audio recording, which the US-based Site Intelligence Group believes is authentic, was the first commentary from the al-Qaeda leader in eight months.
It comes as President George W. Bush, whose presidency was dominated by the September 11, 2001 attacks, prepares to hand power to Mr Obama next week.
Bin Laden said: "Indicators suggest ... that 75 per cent of the American people are pleased with the departure of the President who bogged them down in wars that they have nothing to do with.
"He drowned them in economic turmoil that reached their ears. He passed a heavy legacy to his successor."
Mr Obama spoke today after talks today with Vice-President-elect Joseph Biden and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who recently completed a trip that included stops in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Mr Biden stressed that the mission was to gather facts on the ground rather than shape policy for the incoming administration. But he promised "a significant shift" in Afghanistan.
After six years of war, he said, "it has not gotten better".
In the delegation's contacts with the nations' leaders, Mr Biden said he occasionally expressed concerns about "some of their actions or lack of action".
"Things are going to get tougher in Afghanistan before they get better," he said, adding: "Pakistan's position on Afghanistan is going to affect our ability to succeed."
Mr Obama has vowed to boost development in Afghanistan and shift the focus of the war on terror from Baghdad to Kabul as he winds down the war in Iraq.
BARACK Obama says al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden remain the "No.1 one threat" to US security, after a new voice recording emerged from the terror group's leader.
The recording warned the President-elect of new fronts in bin Laden's self-styled holy war against Western interests.
Mr Obama said: "Bin Laden and al-Qaeda are our No.1 threat when it comes to American security.
"We're going to do everything in our power to make sure that they cannot create safe havens that can attack Americans. That's the bottom line."
Bin Laden's 22-minute audio recording, which the US-based Site Intelligence Group believes is authentic, was the first commentary from the al-Qaeda leader in eight months.
It comes as President George W. Bush, whose presidency was dominated by the September 11, 2001 attacks, prepares to hand power to Mr Obama next week.
Bin Laden said: "Indicators suggest ... that 75 per cent of the American people are pleased with the departure of the President who bogged them down in wars that they have nothing to do with.
"He drowned them in economic turmoil that reached their ears. He passed a heavy legacy to his successor."
Mr Obama spoke today after talks today with Vice-President-elect Joseph Biden and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who recently completed a trip that included stops in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Mr Biden stressed that the mission was to gather facts on the ground rather than shape policy for the incoming administration. But he promised "a significant shift" in Afghanistan.
After six years of war, he said, "it has not gotten better".
In the delegation's contacts with the nations' leaders, Mr Biden said he occasionally expressed concerns about "some of their actions or lack of action".
"Things are going to get tougher in Afghanistan before they get better," he said, adding: "Pakistan's position on Afghanistan is going to affect our ability to succeed."
Mr Obama has vowed to boost development in Afghanistan and shift the focus of the war on terror from Baghdad to Kabul as he winds down the war in Iraq.
Source: The Australian
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