IRAQ - Bin Laden Urges Sunni Insurgents To Unite.

In an audiotape broadcast on Oct. 22 on al-Jazeera TV, Osama bin Laden called for Iraq's Sunni insurgents to unite and avoid divisive "extremism". Apparently admitting weakness and seeking to win over Sunnis opposed to al-Qaeda, bin Laden called on Iraq's Sunni Islamic scholars and tribal leaders to mediate between rival insurgent groups. He said Neo-Salafi insurgents should admit "mistakes" and that he himself sought to avoid extremism in his leadership.

The tape appeared to be in response to moves by Sunni Arab tribes in Iraq which have joined US troops in fighting al-Qaeda and other Neo-Salafi groups. US commanders in Iraq have said they are making progress against al-Qaeda, which has carried out some of the deadliest suicide bombings against civilians.

Bin Laden said: "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. Be keen to oblige with this duty. I advise myself, [Sunni] Muslims in general and [Neo-Salafi] brothers in al-Qaeda everywhere to avoid extremism among men and groups". He said Neo-Salafi leaders should not build themselves up as the sole authority and that instead Neo-Salafi fighters should follow "what God and his Prophet have said". This is the first time bin Laden uses such words a "extremism".

Bin Laden used the Arabic word "ta'assub", which in Islamic thought means extremist fanaticism in allegiance or adherence to a group, to a degree which excludes others - apparently advising flexibility to overcome divisions. He said he wanted to "eliminate the exaggeration" among some Neo-Salafi groups which led them to "magnify the orders of one group or its leader to the degree they treat them like infallible texts".

It was the third message from bin Laden since September, when a video marking the anniversary of 9/11 ended an absence of more than a year from the Qaeda leader. In Baghdad, the Iraqi Interior Ministry on Oct. 22 said there had been a 70% fall in violence countrywide in the three months from July to September from the previous quarter. Car bombs in Baghdad decreased 67% and roadside bombs 40%, said Maj Gen Abdul Karim Khalaf, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry.