Bin Laden

An audio recording attributed to Osama bin Laden offered rewards in gold Thursday for the killing of top U.S. and U.N. officials in Iraq or of the citizens of any nation fighting there. The 20-minute recording, dated Thursday, appeared on two Web sites known for militant Islamic messages. The voice sounded like that of Bin Laden and the words were laden with Quranic verse, but the authenticity of the recording could not immediately …

…S.-led coalition. "Whoever helps the infidels against Muslims, or helps the occupying forces and whatever is affiliated to them -- such as the transitional or permanent government -- is committing a violation to Islam," he said, warning of consequences including "spilling blood, taking his money, separating him from his wife." The recording was titled: "A Word from the emir of the Islamic armies, Osama, to the nation and especially to brotherly Muslims in Iraq."