Osama tape mentions US torture

Today al-Jazeera will air an audio tape of a speech by Osama Bin Laden addressed to the people of the United States of America (BBC transcript). In it, he will refer to the US government's torture policy (links to what he's referring to have been added)

Jihad is continuing, praise be to God, despite all the repressive measures the US army and its agents take to the point where there is no significant difference between these crimes and those of Saddam.

These crimes include the raping of women and taking them hostage instead of their husbands. There is no power but in God.

The torturing of men has reached the point of using chemical acids [victims found with peeling skin?] and electric drills in their joints. If they become desperate with them, they put the drill on their heads until death.

If you like, read the humanitarian reports on the atrocities and crimes in the prisons of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.

I say that despite all the barbaric methods, they have failed to ease resistance, and the number of mujahideen, praise be to God, is increasing.

He will also misquote `Rogue State' by William Blum (actually the quote is from `Freeing the World to Death: Essays on the American Empire' by the same) to express the response he wants from the American people

If Bush declines but to continue lying and practicing injustice [against us], it is useful for you to read the book of "The Rogue State", the introduction of which reads: If I were a president, I would halt the operations against the United States.

First, I will extend my apologies to the widows, orphans, and the persons who were tortured. Afterwards, I will announce that the US interference in the world's countries has ended for ever.

As a curious side-note, `Rogue State' has jumped from No. 209,000 to No. 30 on the Amazon.com sales list (source).