tukkersterror
23-10-06, 14:59
Taliban leader warns of fierce fighting
Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:32 AM BST162
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KABUL (Reuters) - Fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has used the holiest Muslim holiday of the year to warn that his men will intensify their fighting in Afghanistan to "surprising" levels to drive out foreign forces.
In a lengthy message to Afghans for Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, Omar also urged NATO to withdraw its almost 20,000 troops and stop sacrificing soldiers for the United States, adding the nation stood with him.
"With the grace of Allah, the fighting will be increased ... and it will be organised in the next few months," he said in a Pashto message to media also posted on the Internet and signed "Leader of the Faithful in the Afghan Resistance".
"I am confident the fighting will be a surprise for many," said the one-eyed leader, who has a $10 million (5.3 million pound) bounty on his head.
This has been the bloodiest year in Afghanistan since Omar's Islamist government was ousted by a U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
NATO, which took over full national command of the war against the Taliban from U.S. forces this month, says attacks in the south have fallen since it killed hundreds of insurgents in a two-week offensive last month named Operation Medusa.
TALIBAN VIDEO
But fighting and bombings are virtually daily events and the government has warned of a rise in suicide bombings ahead of the traditional winter lull in combat.
One police officer in Kabul said 15 men had been caught trying to enter the city with explosives ahead of Eid. Continued...
Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:32 AM BST162
Email This Article | Print This Article | RSS
[-] Text [+]
KABUL (Reuters) - Fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has used the holiest Muslim holiday of the year to warn that his men will intensify their fighting in Afghanistan to "surprising" levels to drive out foreign forces.
In a lengthy message to Afghans for Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, Omar also urged NATO to withdraw its almost 20,000 troops and stop sacrificing soldiers for the United States, adding the nation stood with him.
"With the grace of Allah, the fighting will be increased ... and it will be organised in the next few months," he said in a Pashto message to media also posted on the Internet and signed "Leader of the Faithful in the Afghan Resistance".
"I am confident the fighting will be a surprise for many," said the one-eyed leader, who has a $10 million (5.3 million pound) bounty on his head.
This has been the bloodiest year in Afghanistan since Omar's Islamist government was ousted by a U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
NATO, which took over full national command of the war against the Taliban from U.S. forces this month, says attacks in the south have fallen since it killed hundreds of insurgents in a two-week offensive last month named Operation Medusa.
TALIBAN VIDEO
But fighting and bombings are virtually daily events and the government has warned of a rise in suicide bombings ahead of the traditional winter lull in combat.
One police officer in Kabul said 15 men had been caught trying to enter the city with explosives ahead of Eid. Continued...