Al Qaeda leader Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri has called on Somalia’s Al Shabaab group militia to disregard international peace efforts and use guerrilla tactics against Somalia government forces and other regional armies in the country.

In a seven minute video message al-Zawahiri urged Al-Shabaab fighters in Somalia to continue what he called the apostates in Somalia and their allies.

“Fight them in the manner of guerrilla warfare to annihilate, destroy and blow them up,” he said in a video broadcast entitled “The lions of Somalia” which aired by radio Andalus on behalf of Al Shabaab.

“O Somali youth do not lie down your weapons and do not worry what every attempt might be. Kill the boys of Abii Riqaal” al-Zawahiri said.

Al Qaeda leader Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri commended Al Shabaab’s new tactics of war against the Ethiopian and the Kenyan forces those entered into Somalia territory late last year as he minimized the bombing of US planes targeting Al Shabaab officials in Somalia.

“Don’t worry about the bombing of America, it bombed in Vietnam and then it was defeated, and in Iraq, and then it was defeated, and after that in Afghanistan,” he added.

The Al Qaeda boss condemned Somalia interim president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed who he described “modern apraha”.

Al Zawahiri’s message came two months after Al Shabaab officially announced they have merged with Al Qaeda network in February.  Senior fighters and officials begun to operate in somalia’s northern regions of Puntland according to the group’s spokesman.

Source: Radio RBC – (Mogadishu, Somalia) May 12, 2012.

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