Al-Qaeda, Taliban leader alive, claims veiled commander
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamabad, June 16, IRNA
Pakistan-Taliban
A veiled Taliban commander has claimed that Osama bin Laden and Taliban's leader Mullah Omar are alive and in good health.
A man introducing him as Mulla Akhtar Usmani told a local television channel that both were "alive and in good health", The News daily reported in its Thursday issue.
His interview comes on the heels of a statement by President General Pervez Musharraf in Australia that the back of terror groups had been broken by Pakistan.
The Taliban commander, who was hiding his face except his eyes dismissed reports that the Al-Qaeda chief was sick.
However, the private television made no mention when and where this interview was recorded and whether it broadcast it
intentionally during the visit of President Musharraf to Australian and New Zealand.
About Mullah Omar, the veiled man with a smile on the uncovered part of his face said that he is still their commander and issues instructions in carrying out operations, the newspaper reported.
Usmani told the television that he was in constant contact with the Taliban leader. "There are regular meetings but Mulla Omar does not attend them. For decisions, contacts are made with him," he added.
The Taliban militia regime in Afghanistan was toppled by the US-led coalition after the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2002.
Taliban is in hiding in the war-ravaged country and hits foreign forces from time to time.
MHA/TSH/1424/1416
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