'Bin Laden' offers gold reward for killing Britons

“Osama bin Laden” has offered rewards in gold for anyone who kills top US, British and United Nations officials in Iraq.

The transcript of an audio recording dated yesterday appeared on a website known for militant Islamic messages.

The site gave links to hear the statement, but none was working. The authenticity of the statement could not immediately be verified.

“You know that America promised big rewards for those who kill mujahedeen (holy warriors),” the transcript read. ”We in al-Qaida organisation will guarantee, God willing, 10,000 grams 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. The statement also promised the same reward for the deaths of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his envoy to Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi.

“For security reasons, the rewards will be given as soon as conditions permit, God willing,” the transcript read. “As for those who die while killing an occupying soldier, 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 transcript also denounced US plans to hand sovereignty to Iraqis on June 30, calling them a trick to end the resistance that has killed hundreds of US soldiers. He urged Iraqis to fight a holy war against their US-appointed Governing Council.

The statement used language similar to previous bin Laden statements, laden with Koranic verse.

“Bin Laden” also offered gold to anyone who killed Britons.

Bin Laden has never before been known to offer rewards for missions he had described as followers’ religious duty to carry out.

The statement promised a lesser prize – 1kg (2.2lb) of gold – to anyone killing a citizen of countries it called “the masters of the veto like Americans and Britons” – a reference to nations with veto power on the UN Security Council.

And it offered 500g (1.1lb) of gold to anyone killing citizens of countries it called “slaves of the Security Council who are in Iraq, like Japan and Italy”.

“The United Nations is nothing but a Zionists’ tool, even if it worked under the cover of providing humanitarian aid,” the statement said.

The transcript denounced the sovereignty plan for Iraq on June 30: “The so-called handing sovereignty over to Iraqis is an overt trick, to anaesthetise the people and abort the militant resistance, and (such a trick) will not deceive the true mujahedeen of the sons of Iraq,” the statement said.

“There is no sovereignty for Iraq as long as a crusader solider remains in its land, and no sovereignty for Iraq as long as it is not ruled by Islam.”

The statement was titled: “A Word from the emir of the Islamic armies, Osama, to the nation and especially to brotherly Muslims in Iraq.”