Purported Al-Qaida in Iraq Audio Recording Says 12,000 Fighters Mobilized
10 November 2006
An audio recording, purported to be from al-Qaida in Iraq, says the group has mobilized 12,000 fighters in Iraq.
On that recording, the head of the group, Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, sharply criticizes President Bush and says the insurgents are making gains in Iraq.
He says the fighters will not rest until they have blown up the White House in Washington. The authenticity of the message, made available on the Internet Friday, could not be immediately verified.
Also today, the U.S. military announced the deaths of five more American service members in Iraq. Four of the five deaths were from combat-related injuries.
On Thursday, Iraqi Health Minister Ali al-Shemari estimated that 150,000 civilians and police have been killed in the war since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
An approximate death toll from the war has been a topic of debate, with estimates ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.
The British journal, Lancet, published a study last month that estimated some 655,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the war. But President Bush dismissed the report, saying he and U.S. and Iraqi officials do not believe that figure is credible.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
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