In audio tape,Osama hails winds of change

The tape was released online on Wednesday to jihadist websites by al-Qaedas media arm al-Sahab and was obtained and translated by Americas SITE intelligence group

Al-Qaeda has released the first audio message of Osama bin Laden after his death,praising the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia and predicting that the revolt would engulf the entire Arab region.

The winds of change started from Tahrir Square will blow over the entire Muslim world, Osama is quoted as saying in the 13-minute message,apparently recorded months before he was shot dead by US forces at his Abbottabad compound in Pakistan.

The tape was released online on Wednesday to jihadist websites by al-Qaedas media arm al-Sahab and was obtained and translated by Americas SITE intelligence group.

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The posthumous tape has an apparent reference to revolts in Tunisia and Egypt and includes still images emblazoned with an old picture of the al-Qaeda leader.

This wasnt a revolution of starving and pain,but a revolution of giving and peace… The great oppression in our countries has reached great levels,and we have delayed enough the wave of change, he says.

Oh Muslims,you have seen many revolutions in your past… Those that the people have been so happy about,but then have turned into nothing. And the way to keep these revolutions from having the same problem is fighting ignorance. And some of the most important information is Islam. For this is the true crisis that has hit our nations, he says according to available translation of his message.