CAIRO - Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader has ridiculed U.S. President Barack Obama's plan to increase troop numbers in Afghanistan in a new Internet audio recording released today.
Ayman al-Zawahri also urged al Qaeda in Iraq to "break the borders" of neighbouring countries and liberate Jerusalem from the Israelis, whom he called "crusader invaders."
Al-Zawahri's comments were posted on a militant website Monday and came as the Obama administration plans to increase troop levels in Afghanistan and start withdrawing forces from Iraq.
Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant also criticized Pakistan's U.S.-allied government for its attempts to make deals with Muslim fundamentalists along its border with Afghanistan in hopes of draining support for extremists.
He accused Obama of encouraging Pakistan's government to make such deals, calling the strategy "a delusion."
The U.S. has expressed concern about the Pakistani government's peace efforts in the region.
Al-Zawahri also warned the Obama administration against any co-operation with Iran in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
In the 41-minute recording, al-Zawahri also criticized Egypt's mediation in talks between rival Palestinian factions. He said those talks are aimed at pressuring the Islamic Hamas group to accept peace with Israel.
