Al-Qaida's deputy leader called on Muslim nations to fight the United States and NATO if their forces enter the country in a video released on Thursday. The video was recorded before international airstrikes began in Libya.
Ayman al-Zawahri also called on Muslim nations to fight the forces of Moammar Gadhafi.
Al-Qaida and its North African offshoot have called for the Libyan leader's overthrow and the establishment of Islamic rule in the country.
In the recording posted on militant Internet forums Thursday, al-Zawahri said neighboring Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia, in particular, should rise up and
fight both the mercenaries of Gadhafi and the rest of NATO.
A summary of the video was provided by SITE Intelligence Group, a U.S.-based organization that tracks extremist websites.
The release of the video came on the same day that that United States, Britain and France pledged to keep up the military campaign in Libya until leader Muammar Gadhafi leaves.
In a joint declaration, U.S. President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister
David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said they will not stop the campaign and remain united - despite European complaints about the low-profile U.S. role.
The leaders said that as long as Gadhafi remains in power, NATO and its partners must keep up their operations to protect civilians and increase pressure on Gadhafi.
The statement definitively called on Gadhafi to leave. If he doesn't, they warned, his opponents would face vicious reprisals and the country could become a haven for extremists.
Sarkozy's office released the declaration to The Associated Press late Thursday.