Second 'Saddam' tape aired

The voice urged Iraqis to overthrow the occupying forces

A tape recording said to be of Saddam Hussein has urged Iraqis to throw the occupying forces out of Iraq.

The voice on the recordings, played on a Lebanese television station and Arabic satellite station Al-Jazeera, said: "Victory is coming. It is coming, God willing."

It is the second time recordings attributed to the deposed Iraqi leader have been aired in the last week.

On Monday, US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officials said the first recording, played on Al-Jazeera on 4 July, was probably authentic.

In the new message, broadcast on Lebanon's al-Hayat-LBC satellite station and Al-Jazeera, the voice warned: "The American administration and their followers will be driven away, and may God curse them until doomsday".

There was no confirmation of the authenticity of the tape, nor any indication of when it was made.

It is your duty to expel the aggressor invaders from our country 'Saddam Hussein' tape The text of latest 'Saddam broadcast'

But an experienced Iraqi academic, who listened to the poor-quality tape, said he believed it was the voice of Saddam Hussein.

But although the TV stations said the tape was new, it contained identical passages to a tape received by the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper in May.

The paper said it received the 15-minute tape on 5 May when it was given to their reporters in Baghdad.

An Al-Hayat-LBC reporter said the tape had been left in an envelope at the door of his office in Baghdad.

He said it had not been previously aired, and the other side of the tape contained songs.

"I appeal to you, O Iraqis, Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen, Shia or Sunni, Christians or Muslims, it is your duty to expel the aggressor invaders from our country," the voice on the tape said.

Fresh attack

"Unify your ranks and act as one hand. Boycott the occupying soldiers ... Act and do not let the occupying forces settle down in your land.

"He who favours division over unity, and acts to divide ranks instead of unifying them, is not only a servant of the foreign occupier but he is also the enemy of God and the people.

"Go on, you Iraqis, as victory is near, God willing," the voice said.

Saddam's 'appearances' 18 April: Abu Dhabi television broadcasts footage and speech by a man they claimed was the former Iraqi leader, said to have been recorded on 9 April. 30 April: A London-based Arabic newspaper publishes letter bearing 'Saddam's signature'. 7 May: Sydney Morning Herald broadcasts tape on its website. 4 July: Al-Jazeera plays tape of Saddam. 8 July: Al-Jazeera and Al Hayat-LBC play the new tape.

The tape was played as US and British forces continued to come under attack in Iraq.

On Tuesday a British soldier was shot while on a joint patrol in Basra with Iraqi police officers.

A bullet hit the solider in the leg but the assailants ran off after a brief exchange of fire.

In the tape broadcast on Al-Jazeera on 4 July, the speaker, who identified himself as Saddam Hussein, praised continuing violence against coalition troops and said he was alive and well and living among Iraqis.

The station said the message was dated 14 June - six weeks after US President George W Bush declared major hostilities over.

"The CIA's assessment, after a technical analysis of the tape, is that it's most likely his voice," said CIA spokesman Bill Harlow on Monday.

Officials said the tape contained a great deal of background noise. They speculated that the speaker was located some distance from the microphone and the tape might have been used a number of times before.

"The exact date of the recording cannot be determined," Mr Harlow added. The CIA says that there were no references in the recording that would preclude the possibility that it was recorded before 14 June.