Wednesday, October 10, 2001, updated at 14:24(GMT+8)
World
Taliban Says Bin Laden Free to Wage Holy War Against US
The Taliban said on Wednesday that they had lifted all restrictions on Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the September 11 attacks on the US, and he was free to wage a holy war against the United States, reports reaching here said.
Taliban Lifts All Restrictions on Osama bin Laden
Afghanistan's ruling Taliban said on Wednesday they had lifted all restrictions on Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect of 9.11 attacks, and he was free to wage a holy war against the United States.
Taliban spokesman Abdul Hai Mutmaen told the BBC's Pushto service that "With the start of the American attacks, these restrictions are no longer in place."
"Jihad is an obligation on all Muslims of the world," he said. "We want this, bin Laden wants this and America will face the unpleasant consequences of their attacks."
This morning U.S. warplanes launched a daylight raid on their southern stronghold of Kandahar, but bin Laden was unharmed, Mutmaen said.
The Taliban said on Wednesday that they had lifted all restrictions on Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the September 11 attacks on the US, and he was free to wage a holy war against the United States, reports reaching here said.