An unknown group of Iraqi Muslims has warned in a video tape aired on an Arab channel they will fight "jihad" against U.S. President George W. Bush and his administration.
"Bush, Rumsfeld and decision makers in the 'black house' and in the Pentagon...we will shake the ground under your feet and we will send a fire upon you which only God can prevent," a masked man said on a tape aired on Dubai-based Al Arabiya on Monday.
The man called his group the "Salafi Jihad Group".
Salafi is a general term that Islamic movements in mainstream Sunni Islam use to describe a desire to live according to a strict interpretation of Islam.
"America you have declared war on God's soldiers...you won't have security or peace-of-mind as long as you are an infidel and fighting a war against Islam and Muslims," said the man, standing amid a group of similarly masked men bearing weapons.
U.S. commander in Iraq, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, warned on Sunday the country was becoming a "terrorist magnet" for foreigners and said attacks were getting more sophisticated.
The man on the videotape pledged to avenge the arrest of religious figures and Islamist activists in prisons all over the world including Iraq, U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Morocco, Kenya, Egypt, Syria, Pakistan and India.
**Al Jazeera Lashes out against Wolfowitz, Accuses Americans of Being Judgmental***
Qatar based Al Jazeera satellite channel denounced accusations by US deputy Defense secretary - Paul Wolfowitz - of bias and incitement in their coverage of the events in Iraq.
Dubai based Al Arabiya channel, another target of Wolfowitz's comments, declined to comment on the accusations.
Earlier, Wolfowitz described the two channels' news coverage in Iraq as 'very biased' and 'inciteful' - negatively impacting the livelihood of American soldiers in Iraq.
For its part, Al Jazeera lashed out against the allegations describing them as untrue. "The channel is going to be sending a very clear statement to the concerned US agency in protest of these accusations," Al Jazeera spokesman - Jihad Balloot said.
Balloot accused Wolfowitz of being "too quick to voice an opinion" and views his statements as baseless. He attributed the accusations to what he described as an 'inaccurate interpretation' of what Al Jazeera broadcasts.
"The Americans seem to interpret what the Arab media broadcasts as inaccurate. Perhaps this has been the reason why Wolfowitz was quick to express his resentment," said the spokesman.
Wolfowitz warned both the governments of Qatar and the UAE - where both channels are headquartered - saying, "What I'm complaining of are false reporting and very biased reporting that has the effect of inciting violence against our troops, and these governments should stop and realise that this is not a game, that they are endangering the lives of American troops."
However, the government of Qatar did not move to take any action against Al Jazeera. Balloot noted that the channel has been under no pressure to change its editorial policy regarding its coverage on the situation in Iraq. "As far as I know, things are going on as usual at the channel as there have been no pressures," said Balloot, adding "the government of Qatar understands the notion of inaccurate interpretation, which explains why the Americans understand Al Jazeera's coverage as inaccurate."
**PHOTO CAPTION***
A U.S. Army soldier blindfolds a man that was taken into custody at a home that was raided in Tikrit, about 180 kms. northwest of Baghdad, Iraq in the early morning hours of Tuesday July 29, 2003. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)