In a statement posted on the Internet on Saturday, bin Laden said Washington wanted to build military bases in the country and dominate the region.
DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden accused the United States of plotting to take control of Iraqi oil supplies and he urged Iraqis to reject efforts to rebuild a U.S.-backed national unity government.
In a statement posted on the Internet on Saturday, bin Laden said Washington wanted to build military bases in the country and dominate the region.
The militant leader urged Iraqis to reject the envisaged plan and said those who take part in it would be turning their backs on Islam.
It is meant "to give the Americans all they wish of Iraq's oil," he said.
!ADVERTISEMENT!Sunni Arabs pulled out of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government earlier this year, accusing it of being too sectarian.
(Reporting by Inal Ersan; Editing by Michael Winfrey)
