Al-Jazeera airs Zawahiri video vowing revenge

DUBAI: Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television on Friday aired a video of Al Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri vowing to avenge the death of the network's Iraq frontman Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, killed in a United States air raid on June 7.

"Yes O Bush, none of us is killed without us avenging him, with the help of God," said Zawahiri, who addressed US President George W Bush and was speaking to the backdrop of a picture of Zarqawi.

"Do you remember, O Bush, how the lion of Islam, the mujahed (holy warrior) Osama bin Laden, God keep him, swore that America will not be able to dream of security until it (security) becomes a reality in Palestine and all Muslim lands?" Zawahiri said.

Zawahiri blasted Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, saying Maliki "trades with Islam" for power and describing Khalilzad as "the Afghan apostate."

He said Zarqawi "died under bombardment" and not in hiding, and never shed his "explosives belt."