al-Amriki Comments in Audio from Somalia about Obama

Despite the fact that you have been ... forced [by Muslim fighters] to at least pretend to extend your hand in peace to the Muslims, we cannot and shall not extend our hands,” said the man in the audiotape, identified by the Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) as Abu Mansour al-Amriki. “Rather, we shall extend to you our swords, until you leave our lands.”

An American who left the United States to join an Al Qaeda-linked group in Somalia has released a new audiotape, his second high-profile message in recent months.

The 20-minute audiotape, titled “The Beginning of the End,” is a response to President Barack Obama’s much-publicized speech in Cairo on June 4 aimed at the Muslim world.

The Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute identified the man speaking in the audiotape as Abu Mansour al-Amriki, also known simply as “The American.” In April, when al-Amriki appeared in a recruitment video for al-Shabaab, a law enforcement official told Fox News that he is originally from the United States but has been in Somalia "for some time." The official described al-Amriki as in his late 20s or early 30s.

The audiotape begins with praise of Usama bin Laden, according to the Washington-based Middle east Media Research Institute, which is currently translating and transcribing the audiotape. Among other things, the audiotape also mocks President Obama for his pronunciation of the word “hijab” during the June 4 speech.

President Obama had meant to say: “Freedom in America is indivisible from the freedom to practice one's religion. … That's why the United States government has gone to court to protect the right of women and girls to wear the hijab and to punish those who would deny it.”
But President Obama said “hajib” instead of “hijab.” Still, the crowd gathered in Cairo erupted into applause after the line.

Also during the speech in Cairo, President Obama said he was seeking “a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world.” But he also warned that Al Qaeda has “affiliates in many countries and are trying to expand their reach.”

Somalia is one of those countries. An Al Qaeda-linked group known as al-Shabaab has been warring with the moderate Somali government since 2006, and the fighting has turned Somalia into a state of anarchy. U.S. officials say that if al-Shabaab prevails, Somalia could turn into a haven for Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.

In the past year, scores – if not hundreds – of Muslims from several Western countries have left their homes to train and fight with al-Shabaab in Somalia. In fact, the Federal Bureau of investigation has been looking into how dozens of Somali-American men from the Minneapolis were recruited to join al-Shabaab.

The new audiotape is an attempt to recruit even more foreign fighters.

The Rest @ Fox News