Tape says Libyan group now in al-Qaida

TRIPOLI, Libya, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- An audio message on the Internet said to be from Osama bin Laden's top deputy says a Libyan group has joined al-Qaida.

In his recording, Ayman al-Zawahiri urges the overthrow of North African leaders like Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi, the BBC reports.

"O nation of jihad, support your sons so that we defeat our enemies and rid our homeland of their slaves," the recording said.

Gadhafi is called "an enemy of Islam."

The Fighting Islamic Group was formed in the 1990s with Libyan veterans of fighting against the Soviet army in Afghanistan as its base. A man identified as Abu Laith al-Libi, described on the tape as the group's leader, promises its members will become "the faithful soldiers of Osama bin Laden."

Zawahiri, now believed to be in Pakistan with bin Laden, is a native of Egypt.