Osama bin Laden has scolded his Al-Qaida followers in Iraq and other insurgents, saying they have "been lax" for failing to overcome fanatical tribal loyalties and unite in the fight against US troops.

The message of his new audiotape reflected the growing disarray among Iraq's Sunni Arab insurgents and bin Laden's client group in the country, both of which are facing heavy US military pressure and an uprising among Sunni tribesmen.

In the brief tape played on Monday on Al-Jazeera television, the terrorist leader urged militants to "beware of division ... The Muslim world is waiting for you to gather under one banner".

The Al-Qaida leader also 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.

He used the word "ta'assub" - "fanaticism" - to chastise insurgents for putting their allegiance to tribe or radical organization above the larger fight to overcome American forces.

While the authenticity of the tape could not be verified immediately, the voice resembled that of bin Laden in previous messages.

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. US officials in Washington said analysts were still studying the tape.

Al-Jazeera did not say how it got the tape, which was bin Laden's third this year.

"My mujahedeen brothers in Iraq, you are a people worthy of praise and flattery. You've done well to carry out a glorious duty by fighting the enemy. But some of you have lagged behind in carrying out another glorious duty, which is to unite as one - as God wants," bin Laden said.

He warned followers "against hypocritical enemies who are infiltrating your ranks to create sedition among mujahedeen groups".

Anthony Cordesman, a terror analyst for the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said bin Laden's underlying message appeared to be aimed at Al-Qaida in Iraq - "that Al-Qaida needs to be less arrogant and moderate its conduct".

Cordesman pointed to Al-Qaida in Iraq's attempts to impose Taliban-like Islamic laws in some areas it controlled as well as its killings of rival tribal figures, actions that alienated some Sunni Arabs and led them to join a movement opposing Al-Qaida.

Agencies

(China Daily 10/24/2007 page8)