Courtesy of the Counterterrorism Blog:

By Andrew Cochran

Steven Emerson discusssed the new Ayman al-Zawahri video tape and the Iranian danger yesterday on MSNBC. You can see the interview on the Investigative Project of Terrorism website. Here is the transcript:

ALEX WITT: Let’s get perspective on this from terrorism analyst Steve Emerson. Good morning you to, Steve.

STEVEN EMERSON: Good morning, Alex.

WITT: True? Is that true? Have they broken the back of the American military, the U.S. military over there, these suicide bombings?

EMERSON: I think that is more wishful thinking than actual fact. Certainly the insurgency and the suicide bombings have hurt, but I don’t think it has broken the back, no.

WITT: Okay. What about three messages in one week? Any kind of significance or concern to that?

EMERSON: No. It has sort of been the trifecta of Al Qaeda this week. I would say to you that the fact that they all felt emboldened to issue videotaped messages indicates that they feel secure in their environment right now and they are trying to rally the masses and probably trying to instigate immediate attacks against the United States and western forces.

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