A new audio tape purportedly made by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been released today and is addressed directly to Osama Bin Laden.

“I am sure you have heard through the media that I was wounded and treated in a Ramadi hospital. I would like to assure you and the Muslim nation that these were pure allegations. It was a light wound, thank God. We are back fighting them in the land of the two rivers.”

The speaker addressed the message as “a letter from a soldier on the firing line to his commander.”

The speaker purporting to be al-Zarqawi addressed bin Laden as his “emir,” or commander, asked bin Laden for guidance on conducting the insurgency. He said he sent bin Laden a war plan and asked for comments or approval.

In my opinion this entire audio tape is pure rubbish. If Zarqawi did in fact record the tape, it is only a source of disinformation rather than actual details. This would be only the second audio tape recorded by Zarqawi if in fact this one was done by the Al Qaida in Iraq leader.

We know Zarqawi was not shot, though several press outlets still say he was shot in a battle with United States soldiers, and we know he suffered from a punctured lung. A punctured lung is not an injury which the afflicted person is running around without problems the next day. It’s quite serious and there is a recovery time. Zarqawi’s denial of how serious his injury is purely designed to increase morale among Al Qaida in Iraq terrorists as well as continue to assault what his group repeatedly calls “Western misinformation.”

Furthermore, I’m quite skeptical of this message in that he asks Bin Laden for guidance on military matters. Where this is strange dates back to Bin Laden’s role in the mujihadeen fighting in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union. Bin Laden did not direct military actions and only held a radio to relay information between squads. He was a financier and facilitator of mujihadeen to Afghanistan through Pakistan and nothing more. It is all but inconceivable he has somehow gained military leadership while suggesting how static targets can be attacked. This is not what is being done in Iraq as Al Qaida in Iraq are attacking people rather than buildings.

If this audio tape was made by Zarqawi, this key statement to Bin Laden is done for two main reasons. First, Zarqawi seeks to further align himself with Bin Laden in the hopes of winning the hearts and minds of Muslims who see Bin Laden as a hero. Second, Zarqawi wants to attain further Al Qaida help in Iraq, which is a great sign for the Coalition and for Iraq because it demonstrates his organization is in need of outside assisstance.

Update:
According to Fox News, the CIA has authenticated the voice in this audio tape as that of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.