Bin Laden urges Somalis to topple new president

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden urged Somalis in a new audio tape today to topple the new President, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed.

"The war which has been taking place on your soil these past years is a war between Islam and the international crusade," bin Laden said, according to the group's own English translation of the tape.

"These sorts of presidents are the surrogates of our enemies and their authority is null and void in the first place, and as Sheikh Sharif is one of them, he must be dethroned and fought,"

The 11-and-a half minute recording was released by al-Qaeda's media arm As-Sahab and posted on militant websites known as clearing houses for Islamic messaging.

Focused entirely on Somalia and entitled "Fight on, champions of Somalia," it carried an often seen bin Laden photograph with a map of Somalia in the background. The Arabic audio had English subtitles.

Somalia, a nation of about 8 million people, has not had a functioning government since warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991 and then turned on each other.