Al Qaeda's Image Makeover?

A 17-minute al Qaeda video released to the Internet on Friday features Adam Gadahn, the American-born Muslim convert known as "Azzam the American," expressing condolences to innocent Muslims killed by the group. "We express our condolences to the families of the Muslim men, women, and children killed in these criminal acts and we ask Allah to have mercy on those killed and accept them as shohadaa [martyrs]," the high-ranking al Qaeda operative said in the video, in a rare example of apology. Though the video comes two weeks after President Obama announced a troop surge in Afghanistan, Gadahn did not specifically address the surge, instead offering a general rebuke to "those who have made the foolish decision to stand with America and its allies in their losing war against Islam."