The al-Qaida leader, Osama bin Laden has warned the European countries to get back their troops from the Afghanistan soil.

“A wise person would not waste his sons and money for a gang of criminals in Washington ... In summary, we are not asking too much or an invalid demand, but it would be fair that you lift your oppression and withdraw your troops,” – he said.

The tape was released by an Islamic website yesterday. It was just under five minutes long.

He also said that the war against the Americans in Afghanistan will end very soon.

“It won’t be long before the war’s dust in Afghanistan clears out, and you will not find a trace of an American (soldier) ... and it will be only us and you left,” he said, addressing Europeans.

Reacting to this Interior Ministry spokesman Stefan Paris said that the video will be taken seriously.

“We are taking this video serious. It is another step in the propaganda of al Qaida,”—he said.

“We don’t let the terrorists and their announcements put us in a state of agitation,”—he added.