Al-Qaida leader: Avenge Afghan Quran burning
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Al-Qaida's leader has urged Muslims to take revenge for the February burning of Quran Muslim holy books at a U.S. air base in Afghanistan.
Ayman al-Zawahri posted an audio on a militant website on Wednesday.
He called on Muslims to avenge the burning by fighting "those aggressors who occupied your countries, stole your wealth and violated your sanctities."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The recording was released by Al-Sahab, al-Qaida's media arm, and reported by the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant messages.
The U.S. apologized, saying the Islamic texts were mistakenly sent to a garbage burn pit. Deadly protests raged in Afghanistan for six days afterward.
Al-Zawahri said the Americans and their allies commit crimes and then pretend to be sorry. He called that a "silly farce."