Zawahiri urges Afghans to rise up

KABUL, Afghanistan, March 22 (UPI) -- Afghans must fight the West or they will be "humiliated in this life and punished in the hereafter," the head of al-Qaida said in a message posted on the Web.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, who succeeded Osama bin Laden as head of the group, spoke for 11 minutes in his second message of the week, CNN reported. The audio was posted Wednesday, appearing on Web sites catering to jihadists.

Zawahiri cited recent actions by U.S. troops in Afghanistan as typical of "crusader secular Western civilization." They include videotape that appears to show U.S. Marines urinating on the bodies of Taliban fighters.

"This act represents their values, and this is their view toward other people in general and the Muslims in particular, and this is their way of treating us," Zawahiri said.

He tells Afghans there is only one solution: "Honorable Afghans, the way is clear! It is either to stand by the banner of Islam to fight and support the mujahedin using your hand, tongue, money and heart. Or you will be humiliated in this life and be punished in the hereafter."

In a tape released last week, Zawahiri urged Pakistanis to overthrow the government, using the Arab Spring uprisings as a model.