Afghan insurgents urged to unite

The US says Mullah Omar must pay for his crimes

Fugitive Taleban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar has purportedly called on the movement's supporters to unite and fight Afghan and foreign troops.

In an audio tape, a man said to be Mullah Omar is heard telling his forces not to harass civilians while waging war against foreign invaders.

Mullah Omar is one of the most-wanted fugitives being hunted by US-led forces in Afghanistan.

He has been in hiding since the fall of the Taleban regime in 2001.

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More than 700 people have been killed this year in violence blamed largely on supporters of the movement.

'Continue war'

The tape was distributed to news agencies in the southern city of Kandahar, a former Taleban stronghold.

"Continue your holy war," a male voice says, "and victory will be yours".

The US military has refused to comment on whether it believes the tape to be authentic.

The Taleban leader is purported to have issued several previous messages to supporters.

In May a statement was released in his name, rejecting an apparent amnesty offer from President Hamid Karzai's government.

"The tape is to prove that Mullah Omar is alive," Abdul Latif Hakimi, who claims to speak for the Taleban, told AFP news agency.