Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden has termed the United States as "weak" in his new video which has appeared after three years. Osama also vowed to increase Al-Qaeda activities in many parts of the world, especially in Iraq. CIA Director Mr. Michael Hayden warned recently about plans of large-scale attacks of Al-Qaeda on US targets.

There were no direct threats in the video which was released on Friday. The video has been released closer to upcoming sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington.

Bin Laden was looking younger in the current video. The beard was smaller and dyed black to hide gray hair. Compared to the previous videos, the Al-Qaeda chief was looking in better health.

As per statement of Bin Laden, there are two ways to end the Iraq war. He further added that, "The first is from our side, and it is to continue to escalate the killing and fighting against you."

Second option is to do away with US democratic system which according to Bin Laden is only serving the interests of big corporations.

US intelligence agencies confirmed that the tape is authentic. In an unofficial statement an officer from US intelligence said, "I think people are pretty confident it is his voice."

US President Mr. Bush said, "The tape is a reminder about the dangerous world in which we live. I find it interesting that Iraq was mentioned, which is a reminder that Iraq is a part of this war against extremists. If Al-Qaeda bothers to mention Iraq, it's because they want to achieve their objectives in Iraq, which is to drive attacks and develop a safe haven." Bush was attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Sydney, Australia.