Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network has threatened a new onslaught against Americans. The audio tape message, dated September 3, was broadcast on al-Arabiyya satellite TV channel yesterday.

"We announce there will be new attacks inside and outside [the US] which would make America forget the attacks of September 11," said an al Qaeda spokesman.

"We assure Muslims that al Qaeda ranks have doubled...Our casualties are nothing compared to our [good] conditions now. Our coming martyrdom operations will prove to you what we are saying," he added.

Meanwhile, in his first prime-time address since he declared major combat operations over on May 1, President Bush has said that victory in Iraq is vital to world security.

After announcing that Congress will be asked for an extra $87 billion to pay for a year's operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said that the UN now had the "opportunity and responsibility" to undertake a broader role in Iraq.