Iraq Qaeda's Zarqawi appears in rare Web video

DUBAI, Apr 25 (Reuters) The leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, said mujahideen were fighting on despite a three-year ''crusader'' war, according to a rare video of him posted on the Internet today.

A statement from the al-Qaeda affiliated Mujahideen Council, accompanying the tape said it was the first ''video of the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq''.

''Your mujahideen sons were able to confront the most ferocious of crusader campaigns on a Muslim state. They have stood in the face of this onslaught for three years,'' Zarqawi said on the video.

''When the crusader enemy entered Iraq, he intended to control the Islamic nation and supported the Zionist state,'' said Zarqawi, who was clad in black and a green vest with an assault rifle by his side.

Zarqawi, who has earlier issued his messages via audio recordings, was also shown training with a group of masked men outdoors.

REUTERS SK RAI0037