U.S. Transcript of Bin Laden Videotape

WASHINGTON, Dec 13, 2001, (United Press International)--Following is the Pentagon's transcript of the videotape in which suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden is heard discussing the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

The tape is believed to have been made Nov. 7. It was found in an abandoned house in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, after that city fell to anti-Taliban forces, according to Pentagon officials.

The 39-minute video begins with the end of bin Laden's remarks at a business dinner in Afghanistan because the amateur photographer ran out of tape and rewound it to capture the end of bin Laden's remarks. Therefore, the chronological beginning of bin Laden's remarks is missing.

The tape was not apparently intended for public consumption.

For accuracy's sake, the low-quality video was translated by four independent Arabic interpreters over the course of the last week, according to Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke.

The Pentagon did not provide a translation for the Arabic word "fiqh," which United Press International translates as "understanding, comprehension or jurisprudence regarding Islamic law."

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