Al-Qaida lauds slain Taliban leader, vows revenge

A purported al-Qaida commander in Afghanistan praised a slain Taliban leader in a videotape released Wednesday and threatened revenge for his death. In the almost 21-minute tape, Abu Laith al-Libi offered a eulogy to Mullah Dadullah, a one-legged commander who orchestrated suicide attacks and beheadings before dying of gunshot wounds in a US-led operation on May 12 in southern Afghanistan. The tape's authenticity could not be independently verified, but it appeared on an Islamic Web site commonly used by militants and contained the logo of al-Qaida's As-Sahab media production wing. "Maintaining principles, establishing right and justice are more superior and dear than everything, including life," said al-Libi, who sat next to an AK-47 automatic weapon and in front of large portraits of Dadullah.