The Arab satellite TV channel al-Arabiya aired on Saturday an audio recording allegedly from Ayman al-Zawahiri, the second-highest-ranking leader of the al-Qaida terror network.

In the recording, Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's right-hand man, said the Taliban still controls large parts of Afghanistan.

"The Islamic administration is, thanks be to God, still present. It controls large parts of the east and south of Afghanistan and is waging a sustained guerilla campaign against the crusaders and apostates," said the voice purportedly from Zawahiri.

Al-Arabiya said it was unable to determine the exact date of the recording as Zawahiri "did not speak of recent events."

On Dec. 7, the Qatar-based al-Jazeera TV channel also broadcast a video, in which Zawahiri claimed that bin Laden was still alive and called upon al-Qaida fighters to unite in the "holy war" against the West.

Source: Xinhua