Bin Laden offers gold bounty for coalition deaths

OSAMA BIN LADEN yesterday offered gold for anyone killing US or UN officials while Iraqi worshippers were told anyone who captures a female British soldier can keep her as a slave.

An audio recording attributed to Osama bin Laden offers rewards in gold for the killing of top US and UN officials in Iraq or of the citizens of any nation fighting there.

The 20-minute recording, dated Thursday and which the CIA said was probably authentic, appeared on two websites known for militant Islamic messages.

The voice sounded like bin Laden's and the words were laden with Koranic verse, but the authenticity of the recording could not immediately be verified.

"You know that America promised big rewards for those who kill mujahedeen (holy warriors)," the speaker said. "We in al-Qaida organisation will guarantee, God willing, 10,000 grammes of gold to whoever kills the occupier Bremer, or the American chief commander or his deputy in Iraq."

He was referring to Paul Bremer, the chief US administrator in Iraq, and top military officials.

"For security reasons, the rewards will be given as soon as conditions permit, God willing," the voice said. "As for those who die while killing an occupying solider, the great prize will be for us and for him when God grants him martyrdom, and the smaller prize (the gold) will be for his family."

The recording promised the same reward for the deaths of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his envoy to Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi.