The Latest Bin Laden Tape

An audio tape claiming to have come from Bin Laden has surfaced over the past few days. The significance of this one is what seems to be clear threats against Western civilians. While Taliban attacks on humanitarian organizations have been generally limited to Afghanistan, the potential of more widespread attacks on NGO staff and assets is certainly a possibility. Bin Laden is also now calling for jihad in Darfur (an analysis is here), which would obviously complicate relief efforts.

In most parts of the world, the threat of terrorism against NGOs tends to be very low. However the prudent NGO security officer should pay attention to global patterns and trends and be prepared to adjust security measures appropriately.