There are thousands of the Islamic nation's youths who are eager to die just as the Americans are eager to live

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith

He praised the suicide attacks against America on 11 September and said there would be more of them.

The ruling Taleban regime in Afghanistan has said that it will free up Bin Laden, whom it is sheltering, to wage this jihad. He had previously been barred by the regime from using telephones, fax machines and the internet.

Taleban spokesman Abdul Hai Mutmaen told the BBC's Pashto service that all previous restrictions on the Saudi-born dissident would be lifted following the US-led air raids.

'Crusade'

Abu Ghaith said in his statement: "The Americans should know that the storm of plane attacks will not abate. There are thousands of the Islamic nation's youths who are eager to die just as the Americans are eager to live."

He said the US and Britain, by attacking Afghanistan, had opened a door that would never be closed.

Several times, he used the word "crusade" as a derogatory term to describe the actions of the US and its Western allies.

The rhetoric echoed Bin Laden's broadcast

The message from Abu Ghaith was the second statement by al-Qaeda since the launch of US-led air strikes against Afghanistan on Sunday.

Bin Laden issued a videotaped message the same day, though it appeared to have been recorded before the attacks began.

Abu Ghaith said: "US interests are spread throughout the world. So, every Muslim should carry out his real role to champion his Islamic nation and religion.

"Carrying out terrorism against the oppressors is one of the tenets of our religion."

He said those who carried out devastating attacks on New York and Washington with hijacked aircraft had "done a good deed" and taken the battle to the heart of America.

"Let the United States know that the battle will continue to be waged on its territory until it leaves our land, stops its support for the Jews, and lifts the unjust embargo on the Iraqi people."

State Department criticism

The message was similar to Bin Laden's earlier statement, which interpreted the battle between the US and al-Qaeda as one between the West and Israel against the interests of Muslims.

An official from the al-Jazeera station told the Reuters news agency it had received the video recorded statement in the Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday.

It was not clear why Abu Ghaith rather than Bin Laden made the recording.

The American State Department has complained to the Emir of Qatar about al-Jazeera, accusing it of carrying inflammatory rhetoric and untrue stories.