DUBAI, November 23, 2004 - Iraqi Defence Minister Hazem Shaalan branded the popular Arabic-language satellite televison Al-Jazeera a "channel of terrorism", in a newspaper interview published Tuesday

"Al-Jazeera is a channel of terrorism. That is clear and we say openly and without hesitation: Al-Jazeera is a channel of terrorism," he told the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.

The Qatar-based station, which has been banned from reporting in Iraq since early August, has frequently been accused by US and Iraqi authorities of inciting violence by screening "exclusive" videotapes from Muslim extremists, including Al-Qaeda terror mastermind Osama bin Laden.

Despite the ban, the 24-hour news channel is often first to announce breaking news from the war-ravaged country, including kidnappings and beheadings of foreign hostages as well as statements from extremist Islamist groups.

Shaalan claimed that Iraqi "terrorist" Omar Hadeed, who he alleged has links to Al-Qaeda, is a brother of Al-Jazeera's office director in Iraq, Hamed Hadeed.

He also said the journalist was receiving videos showing beheadings in the restive Iraqi city of Fallujah from his brother.

Al-Jazeera has denied that its Iraq director has any relationship with Omar Hadeed.

Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Friday that Omar Hadeed is a former bodyguard of Saddam Hussein and a top aide to Iraq's most wanted man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and that he led the battle against US and Iraqi forces in Fallujah.

"We consider him a terrorist for attacking and killing national guard forces as well as multinational forces," said Shaalan.

Some 10,000 US troops, backed by 2,000 Iraqi forces, launched an assault on Fallujah on November 8 to wrest control of the city from rebels.

"Let God curse all those who terrorise Iraqi citizens and children of Iraq, be them journalists or others. The day will come when we will take measures against Al-Jazeera other than by words," the minister warned.

He said the channel continues to operate in Iraq "secretly, in contravention of the law."

Al-Jazeera, which vies for the Arab-world audience along with its Dubai-based rival Al-Arabiya, is highly popular among Arab viewers but has irked many governments in the region for tackling political, social and at times sexual issues, previously regarded as taboo.