Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has urged fighter groups in Iraq to unify their ranks in a newly released audio tape. Photo by BBC
Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has urged fighter groups in Iraq to unify their ranks in a newly released audio tape, BBC reported Tuesday.
The identity of the voice has not been confirmed yet. It is not clear either when or where the message was recorded.
The speaker says the strength of faith is in bonds between Muslims, not in a tribe, nationalism or an organisation.
"The interest of the Islamic nation surpasses that of a group - it is more important than that of a state," says the message broadcast on al-Jazeera TV.
"Some of you have been lax in one duty, which is to unite your ranks... Beware of division... Muslims are waiting for you to gather under a single banner to champion righteousness," he adds.
The voice on the tape also admits "mistakes have been made during holy wars".
The call comes amid moves by some Sunni groups in Iraq to side with the Iraqi government against al-Qaeda.
Osama Bin Laden's last message was on 20 September when he called for a holy war against Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf.
The al-Qaeda leader has also released a message to mark the sixth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the US.