CAIRO, Aug 12: The leader of the Yemen-based Al Qaeda offshoot vowed in a message posted on Monday to free fellow militants from prisons.

The note by Nasser al-Wahishi rallied the prisoners not “to be lured by their jailers” and false promises of a “lush life if they abandon jihad”.

He addressed his message to “prisoners who are in the jails of the oppressors because of their religion” and tells them to “rejoice... as your brothers are pounding the walls of injustice and demolishing the thrones of oppression”. He also said “victory is imminent” to ensure their freedom, adding: “We have not forgotten you and will never forget you.”

The note did not name the prisons from which Al Qaeda fighters would be freed.—AP