An Arab satellite television station has quoted the suspected terrorist, Osama bin Laden, calling on Pakistanis to defend Afghanistan and urging a "jihad" against US "infidel forces".
Qatar's al-Jazeera television last night reported bin Laden as inciting his "Muslim brothers" to fight the American crusaders.
The statement said: "We incite our Muslim brothers in Pakistan to deter with all their capabilities the American crusaders from invading Pakistan and Afghanistan."
There was no independent confirmation of the statement's authenticity; however, an editor at Jazeera said the Qatar-based satellite channel, which interviewed the Islamic militant in Afghanistan in 1999, considered the statement genuine.
The statement gave no indication of the whereabouts of the Muslim dissident. Afghanistan's Taliban rulers have said bin Laden has gone missing but anti-Taliban Afghan forces have said they believe he remains in the country.
The statement said: "I assure you, dear brothers, that we are firm on the road of jihad (holy struggle) for the sake of God inspired by His Prophet, may peace be upon him, and with the heroic faithful Afghani people under the leadership of the emir of the faithful, Mullah Mohammed Omar, and to make him triumph over the infidel forces and the forces of tyranny and to destroy the new Jewish Crusade campaign on the soil of Pakistan and Afghanistan."
The statement said it was being sent to express condolences for what it called the killing of Muslims in recent disturbances in Karachi related to US plans to use Pakistan in its campaign of retaliation against the suicide-hijacks.