Change of Tone in Bin Laden's Latest Message

Osama bin Laden has resurfaced with a new message urging insurgent groups in Iraq to avoid divisions and unite to defeat the US-led coalition. The message, in an Arabic audio tape broadcast by al-Jazeera television last night, was addressed directly to "my brother fighters in Iraq". They were told: "Muslims are waiting for you to gather under one banner so that justice can be served."

The fugitive al-Qaida leader said, without elaborating, that some fighters had committed "mistakes", and called on the insurgents not to follow "their leaders and groups blindly.

"Everybody can make a mistake, but the best of them are those who admit their mistakes," he said, adding in a rare moment of self-criticism that he advises "himself, Muslims in general and brothers in al-Qaida everywhere" not to be extreme.

The latest recording came amid Iraqi government reports of a sharp drop in violence in Iraq, following a series of US-led offensives in Washington's "surge" strategy.

Bin Laden's followers in Iraq have angered other Sunni groups and tribes through their hardline interpretations of Islam and the indiscriminate killing of civilians. Some Sunni groups have joined forces with al-Qaida in Iraq to set up what they call an Islamic state in the country, but other groups and tribal leaders, especially in Anbar province, have rejected the move and have cooperated with the US.

Last night's message was the first from Bin Laden since September 20, when he called for jihad, or holy war, against the Pakistani president, Pervez Musharraf, over his support for Washington.

Experts said the voice on the tape sounded genuine. But there was no indication as to when or where the tape was recorded as it made no reference to any specific events.