Osama's own words, 1997

Reporter: "Mr. bin Laden, you've declared a jihad against the United States.
Can you tell us why? And is the jihad directed against the US government or
the United States' troops in Arabia? What about US civilians in Arabia or the
people of the United States?"

Osama bin Laden: " . . . we have focused our declaration on striking at the soldiers
in the country of The Two Holy Places [Mecca and Medina] ... "
 

* Bin Laden on striking civilian targets, 1997 CNN interview.*

In response to a question from Arnett, bin Laden says: "As for what you asked
whether jihad is directed against US soldiers, the civilians in the land of the
Two Holy Places (Mecca and Medina) or against civilians in America, we have focused our
declaration on striking at the soldiers
in the country of the Two Holy Places.

"The country of the Two Holy Places has in our religion a peculiarity of its own over
the other Muslim countries. In our religion, it is not permissible for any non-Muslim
to stay in our country. Therefore, even though American civilians are not targeted in our
plan, they must leave ..."
 

" . . . the US government is unjust, criminal and tyrannical . . . . The mention
of the US reminds us before everything else of those innocent children who were
dismembered, their heads and arms cut off in the recent explosion that took place in Qana (in Lebanon) . . . " 
 
 

"The US . . . wants to occupy our countries, steal our resources, impose on us
agents to rule us based not on what God has revealed and wants us to agree on all this.
If we refuse to do so, it will say we are terrorists . . . At the time that they condemn
any Muslim who calls for his rights, they receive the highest top official of the Irish
Republican army at the White House as a political leader, while woe, all woe, to the
Muslims if they cry out for their rights. Wherever we look we find the US as the
leader of terrorism and crime in the world."
 

REPORTER: Mr. Bin Ladin, if you had an opportunity to give a message to
President Clinton, what would that message be?

BIN LADIN: Mentioning the name of Clinton or that of the American government provokes
disgust and revulsion. This is because the name of the American government and the
name of Clinton and Bush directly reflect in our minds the picture of children with
their heads cut off before even reaching one year of age. It reflects the picture of
children with their hands cut off, the picture of the children who died in Iraq, the
picture of the hands of the Israelis with weapons destroying our children. The hearts of
Muslims are filled with hatred towards the United States of America and the American
president The President has a heart that knows no words. A heart that kills hundreds of
children definitely, knows no words. Our people in the Arabian Peninsula will send him
messages with no words because he does not know any words. If there is a message that I
may send through you, then it is a message I address to the mothers of the American
troops who came here with their military uniform walking proudly up and down our land
while the scholars of our country are thrown in prisons. I say that this represents a
blatant provocation to 1,250 million Muslims. To these mothers I say if they are
concerned for their sons, then let them object to the American government's policy
and to the American president. Do not let themselves be cheated by his standing
before the bodies of the killed soldiers describing the freedom fighters in
Saudi Arabia as terrorists. It is he who is a terrorist who pushed their sons into
this for the sake of the Israeli interest. We believe that the American army in
Saudi Arabia came to separate between the Muslims and the people for not ruling in
accordance with Allah's wish. They came to be in support of the Israeli forces in
occupied Palestine, the land of the "Israa" of our Prophet (PBUH).

From: http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/impact/9705/09/feature/transcript.ladin.html