[The terrorists want to kill “American puppets” in Iraq. This is to be expected. I see they beheaded an Asian hostage. The scum have no respect for anyone. They should be hunted to the ends of the Earth and exterminated. Jan]

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — An audio recording purportedly made by al-Qaida-linked militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi threatened to assassinate Iraq’s interim prime minister and said the fight against “infidels” would continue “until Islamic rule is back on earth.”

The recording, discovered online Wednesday, was believed to be al-Zarqawi’s first reaction to the interim government, headed by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, that was named in late May.

“As for you, Allawi … you don’t know that you have already survived traps we made for you. We promise you that we will continue the game with you until the end,” the online recording said. “We will not get bored until we make you drink from the same glass that Izzadine Saleem tasted.”

Saleem, a former Governing Council president also known as Abdel-Zahraa Othman, was killed May 18 in a car bombing in Baghdad.

“You (Allawi) are the symbol of evil and the infidel nation; you are the source of all traitors,” the recording said.

Allawi heads an interim government that is to take over at the end of June.

“We will carry on our jihad against the Western infidel and the Arab apostate until Islamic rule is back on earth,” the voice said.

There was no way to authenticate the recording, but the voice sounded like al-Zarqawi’s.

The Jordanian terror suspect is believed to have ties to al-Qaida, and groups associated with him have claimed responsibility for a number of bombings and attacks in Iraq, most recently Tuesday’s beheading of South Korean hostage Kim Sun-il.

After news of the beheading and the discovery of Kim’s body, U.S. forces launched an airstrike in Fallujah on what it said was a safehouse used by followers of al-Zarqawi. Three people were killed and nine wounded in the strike, said a doctor at Fallujah hospital

But on the recording, the voice purported to be al-Zarqawi said he was not in Fallujah.

“I am like a tourist in Iraq. I move along the country staying with my family and brothers,” he said.

There was no date on the 16-minute recording, which surfaced on an Islamic Web site known as a clearinghouse for statements and videos from al-Qaida and other extremist groups.

The speaker compared Allawi to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, whom he said was installed by the United States.

“The indirect occupation is the most effective weapon to be used against this nation. The infidel foreigner who aims at stealing the nation, looting its riches and enslaving it, is replaced … with hypocrites who wear the same skin and have the same tongue of this nation,” he said.

“The Arab countries around us are commanded by the White House through mediators who are very devoted to their (American) masters,” the voice said.

He warned Islamic nations to “be careful of the cunning of the infidels.”

“Americans and the new Karzai of Iraq can steal the victory the sons of Iraq accomplished in Fallujah,” he said.

U.S. forces are stepping up their pursuit of al-Zarqawi, 36, considered the most dangerous foreign fighter in Iraq. Earlier this month, U.S. aircraft dropped leaflets over Iraq reminding people of a $10 million reward for information leading to his killing or capture.

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