Has al Qaeda been hit by the recession? Bin Laden's deputy asks Pakistanis to fund fight against the U.S.

It appears that al Qaeda is in desperate need of a bailout.

(Daily Mail) Osama bin Laden's number two appealed for money today in a sign that the economic crisis is even taking its toll on terrorism.

Stressing the need for funds, Ayman al-Zawahri called on Muslims to rise up against the United States – or at least donate some cash for the cause.

His appeal echoes one made by Mustafa Abu al-Yazeed, al Qaeda’s top commander in Afghanistan, who complained that militants in the region were hampered by a lack of equipment and money.

Al-Zawahri’s plea was particularly aimed at Pakistan, where public opinion appears to be swinging against Al Qaeda to support army offensives to root the fundamentalist fighters out of strongholds along the border with Afghanistan.

‘It is the individual duty of every Muslim in Pakistan to join the Mujahedeen, or at the very least, to support the Jihad in Pakistan and Afghanistan with money,’ he said.

He warned that without help ‘we shall not only contribute to the destruction of Pakistan and Afghanistan, but we shall also deserve the painful punishment of Almighty Allah.’

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Funny he has to ask dirt poor Pakistanis for money and not the "Almighty Allah".