Military

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-281610

TITLE=AFGHAN ATTACKS (L-UPD)

BYLINE=JIM TEEPLE

DATELINE=ISLAMABAD

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Taleban authorities say Allied Forces have not achieved "air superiority" over Afghanistan. V-O-A's Jim Teeple reports from our Islamabad bureau, Taleban officials also say they have lifted restrictions on Osama bin Laden and that he is free to wage war against the United States.

TEXT: The Taleban Ambassador to Islamabad, Abdul Salaam Zaeef says U-S and British jets are flying too high to be struck by Taleban air defenses, but the Taleban still has air defense capabilities. The Ambassador's comments came as U-S warplanes conducted daylight strikes against targets in the southern Afghan city, Kandahar.

The strikes took place as Taleban authorities said they had lifted all restrictions on Osama bin Laden. Earlier, Taleban authorities had placed the Saudi fugitive under what they called their "protection". Now the Taleban says Mr. bin Laden is free to wage war against the United States.

A spokesman for the bin Laden al-Qaida group says because of U-S strikes on terrorist targets in Afghanistan Americans can expect to see more terrorist attacks in the United States.

Speaking to V-O-A, Ambassador Zaaef says no individual statement such as the one from al-Qaida can determine a country's policy, but as long as the U-S attacks targets in Afghanistan it will not be safe.

/// ZAEEF ACT ///

The al-Qaida statement was that if America continues its attacks on the people of Afghanistan, and also continues with these policies against Muslims, they (America) should be confronted with the same attacks. And, this is known. If killing Muslim people and threatening the Muslim world continues the reaction will not be good.

/// END ACT ///

President Bush and other world leaders have stressed the strikes are aimed at eliminating the terrorist threat coming from Afghanistan, and are not aimed at Afghans or Muslims.

/// OPT /// Ambassador Zaeef says the Taleban would still like to see the crisis solved through negotiations.

/// OPT ZAEEF ACT ///

We believe the Americans should come back to the negotiations and dialogue. We have repeated that many times that the solution of the problem is the way of negotiations, not war.

/// END OPT ACT // END OPT ///

Ambassador Zaeef also says opposition Northern Alliance forces have not made gains against the Taleban, even though alliance officials have said U-S and British planes have carried out strikes against Taleban positions along the battle line with the Northern Alliance. He also says reports of Taleban troops trying to cross the border into Pakistan to defect are false.

There have been reports of clashes along the border between Pakistani troops and Taleban forces trying to leave Afghanistan. A spokesman for Pakistan's Foreign Ministry says he could not confirm the reports. (SIGNED)

NEB/JLT/RAE