The US government has said an audio tape released yesterday, thought to come from Osama bin Laden, shows the al-Qaeda leadership is on the run and under a lot of pressure.
Officials in Washington believe the tape, aired by the Al Jazeera television network, is authentic.
In the tape, he called on his supporters to open up a new front in al-Qaeda's struggle.
In extracts from the tape, a voice sounding like bin Laden's said the Western public shared responsibility for the actions of their governments.
