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"I call on all
Muslims who can harm the countries of the crusader coalition not
to hesitate. We must now focus on moving the war to the heart of
the homes and cities of the crusader West and specifically
America," he said in an audio recording posted online on Sunday,
referring to nations making up the Western-led coalition in Iraq
and Syria.
He suggested Muslim youth in the West take the Tsarnaev and
Kouachi brothers, who carried out the Boston marathon bombings
and Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris respectively, and others as
examples to follow.
It was not clear when the recording was made but references to
former Taliban leader Mullah Mohamed Omar as being alive suggest
it is at least two months old. Omar's death was announced by
Afghanistan's government in late July.
Zawahri reiterated his position on Islamic State, repeating what
he said in a recording posted on Wednesday - that he viewed the
group's claim to be a caliphate as illegitimate but would join
them in fighting Western and secular forces in Iraq and Syria.
Former Egyptian doctor Zawahri urged unity between Islamist
militant factions in Syria and Iraq, where a Western-led
coalition is bombing Islamic State targets, but recognized it
would he be difficult. He called for the formation of an
independent sharia court to settle disputes.
(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein and Omar Fahmy; Editing by Angus
MacSwan)
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