A new videotape of Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri has been broadcast by Al-Jazeera television on Wednesday. Aired on the eve of the second anniversary of the September 11 attacks against US targets, the tape showed Osama and Zawahri in an "undisclosed mountain area." In the tape, bin Laden praised those who carried out the 11 September attacks. "Whoever wants to be taught about loyalty and honesty should have known them…they were the most honest and the bravest," bin Ladin said in the tape. He had a word of caution for those who opposed Jihad. "I tell them that those who fear climbing up mountains will live forever in holes," bin Laden said. The Qatar-based satellite channel also aired an audiotape of Zawahri, in which al-Qaida's second-in-command warned that the "real battle" against the US was yet to start. He described attacks till date only as "skirmishes". The new video of Osama and Zawahri could have been recorded either towards the end of April or in early May. Bin Laden makes a reappearance in the new video after having dropped out of sight for a long while. The latest video possibly ends months of speculations about bin Laden's fate. In the immediate aftermath of their Afghanistan campaign, US military sources had said that bin Laden could have been killed in bombing raids. The speculations were further fuelled after bin Laden dropped out of sight. The tape showed bin Laden to be hale and hearty. Leaning lightly on a stick , bin Ladin is shown gently climbing down together with Zawahri a rocky mountainous slope. In his audio tape, Zawahri challenged the US to disclose their real casualty figures in Afghanistan. He said a fitting reply would be given to the US aggression. "With the help of God, we will cut the arms of anyone that touches us, prepare yourself for punishment for your crimes," he said in the tape. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Osama ibn Laden (Al-Jazeera)