Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden lamented the lack of unity among insurgents in Iraq in a new audiotape. Analysts say that Mr. bin Laden's latest tape adds to evidence that the group has failed to extend its strength or spread its message inside the troubled country.

The Associated Press said the new audiotape, played on Al Jazeera television, could not be independently confirmed as authentic but that the voice resembled bin Laden's.

The message of his new audiotape Monday reflected the growing disarray among Iraq's Sunni Arab insurgents and bin Laden's client group in the country, both of which are facing heavy US military pressure and an uprising among Sunni tribesmen ...

He used the word "ta'assub" – "fanaticism" – to chastise insurgents for putting their allegiance to tribe or radical organization above the larger fight to overcome American forces ...

He warned followers "against hypocritical enemies who are infiltrating your ranks to create sedition among mujahedeen groups."

According to The Washington Post, the military believes that Al Qaeda in Iraq, which established itself in the country after the US's 2003 invasion, is largely a spent force, partially due to military strategy and partially because the movement's own operatives' attempts at enforcing their version of Islamic law have alienated many Sunni Iraqi tribesmen in Anbar Province, where it has largely been based.

The Guardian newspaper of Britain says the latest bin Laden tape represents a shift in tone from earlier communications and points out that it seems to emphasize Al Qaeda's errors.

"Everybody can make a mistake, but the best of them are those who admit their mistakes," he said, adding in a rare moment of self-criticism that he advises "himself, Muslims in general and brothers in al-Qaida everywhere" not to be extreme.

The latest recording came amid Iraqi government reports of a sharp drop in violence in Iraq, following a series of US-led offensives in Washington's "surge" strategy.

Bin Laden's followers in Iraq have angered other Sunni groups and tribes through their hardline interpretations of Islam and the indiscriminate killing of civilians. Some Sunni groups have joined forces with al-Qaida in Iraq to set up what they call an Islamic state in the country, but other groups and tribal leaders, especially in Anbar province, have rejected the move and have cooperated with the US.

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