Saddam’s second tape seeks covert attacks

‘‘Returning to covert attacks is the appropriate means for resistance,’’ said the voice, which sounded like Saddam. ‘‘Your main mission, Iraqis, is to evict the invaders from Iraqi territory,’’ it said.

‘‘This is your fundamental mission, you Iraqis, Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Shi’ites, Sunnis, Muslims and Christians…you must work on unifying your ranks.’’

The tape was the second recording in a week purportedly made by Saddam. On Friday, Al Jazeera aired an audio tape it said was from Saddam in which he said he was alive and still living in Iraq almost three months after the US-led war on his country.

The voice on the latest tape mocked the US for believing Iraqis would greet their armies as liberators. As many as 29 US soldiers have been killed in what appears to be a concerted guerrilla campaign since Baghdad fell on April 9.

There was no immediate confirmation of the speaker’s identity, but like the first tape, the recording bore hallmarks of Saddam’s speech. In Washington, a US official said he didn’t know whether the tape was authentic or not. The CIA has said the Friday tape was probably made by Saddam.