IRAQ: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi yesterday declared an all-out war on Iraqi elections next week in an audiotape message likely to inflame religious tension in the country.
The message on an Islamist website and purportedly voiced by the Jordanian-born militant urged Sunni Muslims to fight against the vote.
"We have declared a bitter war against the principle of democracy and all those who seek to enact it," the speaker said.
The 45-minute message singled out for attack Iraq's Shia majority, whose parties are widely expected to win next Sunday's election.
It accused Shias of taking part in a "wicked trap" to install themselves in power and spread "their insidious beliefs" to Sunni areas of Iraq.
Zarqawi has claimed responsibility for a spate of bombings and beheadings in the country, many aimed at the country's Shia community.
The US has offered a $25 million reward for his capture, although American officials say they are no closer to establishing Zarqawi's whereabouts.
In recent months the al-Qaeda linked organisation Zarqawi fronts has called for specific attacks on Shia groups, in an attempt to spark intercommunal violence ahead of the January 30th poll.
An inflammatory message earlier this week accused Shias of taking part in the US assault on the Sunni Muslim city of Fallujah and described their spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, as Satan. On Friday car bombs tore apart a Shia mosque and wedding party, killing 30.
Many in the country fear that elections may further divide the country along ethnic lines, with Shias in the south of the country preparing to turn out in numbers, while Sunnis stay away from polling booths in insurgent-hit central Iraq.
Mainstream Sunni parties have withdrawn from the elections, saying it is too dangerous to hold a vote.
Yesterday Iraqi interim Prime Minister Mr Iyad Allawi, who is expected to retain his post in the election, steadfastly defended the poll.
In a BBC interview, Mr Allawi said he believed the polls will eventually spell the end of violence in the country, but said that insurgent attacks are likely to continue in the short-term.
The interim government has announced sweeping security measures to protect voters in the January 30th elections, including the closure of land borders and extended curfews.
Zarqawi's message was aired as leading politicians engaged in their own form of infighting, which many fear may set the tone for the days ahead as parties jockey for government posts.
Former Pentagon favourite Mr Ahmed Chalabi, who is on the Shia list of candidates expected to dominate elections, accused Iraq's defence minister Mr Hazim al-Shalaan of misappropriating funds.
In turn, Mr Shalaan threatened Mr Chalabi with extradition to Jordan, where he is wanted in connection with a fraud inquiry. Mr Chalabi denies any wrongdoing in Jordan in the 1980s, and filed a lawsuit in the US against former Jordanian officials who accuse him of stealing millions from the Petra Bank.
Election results will not be announced for days after the poll due to the difficulties in gathering ballot papers in insurgent-hit areas of the country, according to elections officials.
The spat between Mr Chalabi and Mr Shalaan has proved an embarrassing diversion from the interim government's efforts to persuade the country to vote and focus efforts on stopping insurgent attacks.