Arabic TV network Al Jazeera on Saturday broadcast two audiotaped messages from a man purported to be Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

The tapes -- one addressed to Iraqis and Arab Muslims, the other to the American people -- feature a man discussing suicide attacks against American troops in Iraq and the Iraqi Governing Council.

CNN quoted Central Intelligence Agency spokesman Mark Mansfield as saying that officials are "doing a technical analysis" of the tapes.

The message to Americans called on them to reject President George W Bush's "aggression" against Iraq, which was part of a Jewish plot "against our religion and our people".

"We will fight you as long as we have weapons in our hands," he said to Americans.

The message to Iraqis and Arab Muslims called the US aggression "a Christian war".

"The aggressors should know we reserve the right to respond at a time and place that we see appropriate," he said, specifically naming England, Spain, Australia, Japan, Poland, and Italy.

Also, the man said, "There's no exception if that country that is helping is an Arab country -- especially Kuwait."