BREAKING NEWS

Afghanistan al-Qaida leader says group needs cash

Al-Qaida's top commander in Afghanistan urged Turkish Muslims in a new audio message Wednesday to send money to militants fighting coalition troops in the country, saying they are low on funds. Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed said many militants in Afghanistan are unable to fight because they lack the necessary equipment. "And we, here in Afghanistan, are needy of money," said al-Yazeed. "And the reason for the weakness of the operations here is the inadequacy of equipment." The authenticity of the audio message could not be verified, but it appeared on Web sites often used by al-Qaida.