Iraqi group calls on American soldiers to join it

In a remarkable development for methods pursued by fighters in Iraq, an armed group calling itself the "Islamic Jihad in Iraq" urged the American soldiers to drop their weapons and to fight against the US with it.

In a statement registered on a video tape in English language, a member of the group said that the American soldiers if they decide to drop their weapons and challenge to the policy of the American President George W. Bush, they can resort to mosques, churches and houses in Iraq where they will find protection in the Iraqi people.

The spokesman for the group ridiculed statements made by the US President on his ability to silence the Iraqi resistance. He stressed that resistance will continue until the departure of the American forces from Iraq.