Al-Qaida terrorist chief Osama bin Laden has called on Pakistanis to rebel against President Pervez Musharraf.
U.S. terrorism experts say al-Qaida's media unit, As-Sahab produced a bin Laden audio message that was released Thursday on Islamic militant Web sites. They say bin Laden's voice can be heard over previously released video footage of the terrorist leader.
In the recording, bin Laden calls General Musharraf an "infidel" and says al-Qaida will retaliate against him for the killing of a militant cleric by Pakistani forces.
Pakistani troops killed the cleric, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, and more than 100 of his followers in a raid on Islamabad's Red Mosque in July. The mosque had become a stronghold of Islamic militants.
Pakistan's army spokesman, Major General Waheed Arshad dismissed bin Laden's threat, saying it will not deter the military from fighting extremists and terrorists.
Al-Qaida released a video message and an audio recording of bin Laden earlier this month to coincide with the sixth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. The video was the first new footage of bin Laden for three years.
Hours before Thursday's bin Laden recording was released, al-Qaida issued a new video of bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
In that recording, Zawahiri also condemns the Pakistani military's assault on the Red Mosque and calls for revenge.
Bin Laden and Zawahiri are believed to be hiding in the border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The United States has offered a $25 million reward for the capture of either man.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
