Zawahiri hails 'shrinking' US influence

DUBAI: Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri hailed what he said is the "shrinking influence" of the United States across the world due to attacks it has sustained from extremist groups, in an audio message Wednesday.

"I congratulate you all as the US influence on the world is quickly shrinking," Zawahiri said in the 24-minute audio released on jihadist forums.

"One of the latest signs of this is the reduction in the US Defence Department's budget, which is the big event that forced (US President Barack) Obama to announce it himself so as to reduce its impact on the American people," he said.

"The crises that the United States has faced and which have forced it to reduce its defence budget were mainly due to Allah's help to the mujahedeen (holy fighters) in inflicting harm upon the evil empire of our time," he said.

On February 14, the Pentagon proposed a reduced defence budget for the first time since the September 11, 2001 attacks, finding savings in the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

The total budget of $671 billion was down from last year's request of $708 billion but the "base" budget -- excluding the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- represented a new record at $553 billion, according to figures released by the Pentagon.

Zawahiri said US troops were forced to withdraw from Iraq and will soon withdraw from Afghanistan, accepting "defeat" in both countries.

In Afghanistan, the United States has also "insisted on requesting negotiations with the Islamic Emirate (Taliban), which it used to consider a terrorist group that must be crushed," he said.

The Taliban said last month that they planned to set up a political office in Qatar ahead of possible formal talks with the United States. Afghan and US officials have said exploratory contacts are already underway.

To build confidence, Obama's administration has confirmed tentative talks with the Taliban on a possible transfer of five inmates from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar, and on potential local ceasefires with the militia.

The nascent dialogue comes as the United States and its allies prepare to draw down their combat troop presence and hand full control of Afghanistan's security to Afghan forces by the end of 2014. (AFP)