DUBAI - The world's most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, on Monday reportedly praised the perpetrators of last week's anti-Western attacks in Kuwait and Yemen and warned the United States and Israel in a statement of more carnage to come.

The statement, faxed to Qatar's Jazeera television and carried by Jazeera and at least one Islamist Web site (www.islammemo.com), could be the first conclusive proof that the Saudi-born militant had survived last year's U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan.

Washington struck Afghanistan to flush out bin Laden and his al Qaeda network, its key suspects in last year's September 11 hijacked plane attacks on New York and Washington.

The typed text also blasted the United States for planning to strike Iraq and accused Washington of trying to rob Arab nations of their "riches," particularly crude oil.

"We congratulate the Muslim nation for the daring and heroic jihad (holy war) operations which our brave sons conducted in Yemen against the Christian oil tanker and in Kuwait against the American occupation and aggression forces," it said.

"By striking the oil tanker in Yemen with explosives, the attackers struck at the umbilical cord of the Christians, reminding the enemy of the bloody price they have to pay for continuing their aggression against our nation," it added.

The text, which Jazeera said bore bin Laden's signature, was referring to last Tuesday's attack on U.S. troops training on a Kuwaiti island which killed one Marine and to the October 6 blast which gutted the French-flagged tanker Limburg in the Gulf of Aden, killing one crewman.

QAEDA FINGERPRINTS

The statement made no mention of the weekend bomb attack which killed 181 people, mostly young Westerners, on the resort island of Bali and which Indonesia and other nations have linked to al Qaeda.

Kuwait has blamed Tuesday's shooting on a local militant cell indirectly linked to al Qaeda while Yemen, home to many Islamic militants and suspected al Qaeda members, said it was convinced the supertanker had been deliberately struck.

"We renew our promise to God, and to the nation, and our promise to the Americans and Jews that they will not be at peace and should not dream of security until they let our nations be and stop their aggression and support for our enemies," the statement added.

"The priority in this war at this stage must be against the infidels, the Americans and the Jews... who will not stop infringing upon us except through jihad," it added.

Bin Laden regards the United States as the key enemy of Muslims for what he calls bias toward Israel and for having a military presence in Muslim countries such as his homeland Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam.

The statement called on Muslims to unite and unleash what it called their countries' substantial military and economic capabilities against the United States.

The text also jeered at the United States, saying that Washington's campaign in Afghanistan had failed to break the back of al Qaeda and the ousted militant Taliban government which had sheltered it.

"These attacks coincide with the anniversary of the crusade and are a clear message to enemies and friends alike that the mujahideen have not been weakened or exhausted," it declared.

Jazeera said it received the statement by fax. A U.S. intelligence official in the United States said that "if received electronically it would be impossible to verify" (the signature).

Last week, Jazeera broadcast what it said was the voice of bin Laden threatening to repay the United States "twofold" for any attack on Muslim countries.

The last bin Laden video emerged in April, undated, and was a warning to the United States it would not feel safe until Palestinians enjoyed peace.

In Washington, President Bush shrugged off the statement.

"We don't know whether bin Laden is alive or dead. You know, they keep floating supposed letters and radio broadcasts. We do know that al Qaeda's still dangerous, and while we've made good progress, there is a lot more work to do," Bush said at an impromptu news conference.

(Additional reporting by Ghaida Ghantous, Inal Ersan and Firouz Sedarat)