By DPA
Baghdad : An Iraqi US-backed tribal council Sunday called on the leader of the Al Qaeda terrorist network Osama bin Laden to order a halt to attacks on Iraqi civilians, media reports said.
Bin Laden issued a new audio message Saturday apparently aimed at stemming the tide of Sunnis joining Iraq’s political process, a US-based monitoring group said.
“Osama bin Laden should order members of Al Qaeda to stop targeting and killing Iraqis and apologise to Iraqi citizens harmed by acts of the organisation’s members, who have committed the worst crimes against them,” said the tribal Awakening Council of Salahaddin province in a statement.
“It is regretful that acts committed by bin Laden’s supporters, which are against the principles of Islam, make non-Muslims look at Islam as a religion of bloodshed rather than one of justice, peace and dialogue,” said the Salahaddin council.
The statement was dismissive of bin Laden’s claims that the councils were set up in pursuit of money and power.
Awakening councils have been set up in several Iraqi provinces, such as Anbar, Salahaddin, Diyala and Nineveh, to fight armed groups, especially Al Qaeda.
Iraq’s interior ministry Saturday said that three-quarters of Al Qaeda in Iraq had been destroyed over the last year. However, the network remains the greatest threat for the country.