A man claiming to be an Iraqi Islamic insurgent has released a video tape urging Osama bin Laden to replace al-Qaida in Iraq's leader with an Iraqi national.

The man, who claimed to be Abu Osama al-Iraqi, said in the 17-minute video tape that there were "deviations" by al-Qaida in Iraq under its new leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri.

"The group (al-Qaida) in Iraq has deviated ... from your call," said al-Iraqi, whose image was blurred and his voice deformed to cover his identity in the video tape, which was released on a Web site commonly used by insurgent groups. The authenticity of the video tape and the man's identity could not immediately be verified.

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With an Iraqi accent, the man addressed bin Laden using the words "my beloved master sheik" and complained about al-Qaida practices in Iraq including the killing of Islamic scholars.

"They planted explosives in the houses, the hospitals and the schools and even the electric transformers," al-Iraqi said. He warned "if we (the insurgency) lost (Sunni support) we will be an easy hunt for the crusaders, the occupiers and their agents of the Shiites."

Al-Qaida in Iraq, according to al-Iraqi, forced all insurgents to join the Mujahedeen Shura Council - an umbrella organization of insurgent groups, including al-Qaida in Iraq - and those who objected were kidnapped, tortured or killed.

In retaliation, al-Iraqi said that some insurgents have decided to counterattack al-Qaida.

"The most dangerous fact is that the Mujahedeen (insurgents) feel that the group itself is dangerous to them," al-Iraqi said.

Al-Iraqi pleaded to bin Laden to "dissolve his allegiances" to al-Masri and appoint "an Iraqi for Iraq as you appointed an Afghani for Afghanistan," in reference to Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

Some Islamic Web sites that commonly post al-Qaida video tapes said they removed al-Iraqi's tape after it was posted. Commentators on these sites described al-Iraqi as "an infidel," suggesting he was conspiring to tarnish the image of al-Qaida.

Al-Qaida in Iraq named al-Masri as its leader after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian, was killed June 7 in a U.S. airstrike. Al-Masri is believed to be Egyptian.