Zawahiri urges Afghans to rise against US

He also called on ‘‘the young men of Islam, in the universities and schools of Kabul, to carry out their duties in defence of their religion, honor, land and country’’.

The 3 1/2-minute tape appears to have been made the day after a May 29 accident in which a US military truck crashed into traffic in Kabul, killing up to five people. The incident sparked anti-foreigner riots in Kabul that left about 20 people dead.

Al-Zawahiri makes no reference to the death of al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in an airstrike on June 7.

Unlike al-Zawahiri’s previous messages, which appeared aimed at Americans, the latest video has no English subtitles. He spoke in Arabic, and websites carried translations of his message in Pashtun and Farsi, two languages widely spoken in Afghanistan. The new message is part of a dramatic increase in videos and audiotapes by al-Qaeda. Osama bin Laden has issued three tapes this year, along with the six from his deputy.

In Kabul, hours after the release of the video, President Hamid Karzai called al-Zawahiri ‘‘the enemy of the Afghan people’’ and blamed him for his country’s massive suffering. ‘‘He is first the enemy of the Afghan people, and then the enemy of the rest of the world,’’ Karzai said at a press conference.

‘‘He killed Afghans for years, thousands, and then he went to America and destroyed the twin towers,’’ Karzai said, adding al-Zawahiri ‘‘is the one who destroyed our mosques and schools, vineyards and orchards’’. ‘‘We in Afghanistan want him arrested and put before justice,’’ he said.

Karzai also urged the international community to reassess its approach to the war on terror, saying on Thursday that the deaths of hundreds of Afghans, including Taliban militants, was ‘‘not acceptable’’. A frustrated Karzai said the approach being taken to hunt down militants does not focus on the roots of terrorism itself. ‘‘We must engage strategically in disarming terrorism by stopping their sources of supply of money, equipment and motivation,’’ he said.