Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Al-Qaida Leader Message Vows to Free Guantanamo Prisoners The leader of al-Qaida appears to have condemned U.S. treatment of hunger-striking inmates at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and vowed that the terror network will "spare no efforts" to free them. An audio message claiming to be from Ayman al-Zawahiri could not be independently confirmed. It was posted on an Islamist website Wednesday that is commonly used by al-Qaida terrorists. The message says the prisoners` hunger strike "unmasks the true ugly face of America." It did not say how al-Qaida planned to free the prisoners. The U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay holds 166 prisoners, many imprisoned in counter-terrorism operations after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States. Several are on a hunger strike to protest against their indefinite detention, with some being force-fed. Early Tuesday, Pakistani Taliban members broke 250 inmates out of a prison in the northwest city of Dera Ismail Khan. Last week, al-Qaida claimed responsibility for raids on two Iraqi jails. The group said they freed more than 500 inmates in the raid. __________________________________________________________________ [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/alqaida-leader-message-vows-to-free-g uantanamo-prisoners/1713969.html References 1. http://www.voanews.com/content/alqaida-leader-message-vows-to-free-guantanamo-prisoners/1713969.html