 |
Taliban Reports 115 Deaths in Latest US-Led Strikes
Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Salam Zaeef said on Thursday at least 115 civilians had been killed across Afghanistan in the Wednesday night and Thursday morning US bombing, the fiercest strike since U.S. raids started on Sunday night.
As many as 100 people were killed at a village near the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad alone, he told a news conference. Jalalabad is believed to be surrounded by training camps of Saudi- born dissident Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect behind the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
Civilian casualties were also reported in the Afghan capital Kabul and southern city Kandahar, which were also under U.S. attack Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
Zaeef accused Washington of indiscriminate killing of civilians, while warning that it will fail to destroy the Taliban organization.
"We tell the White House administration that your atrocities, your weapons and your hypocrisy will not weaken the morale of the Afghans," he said.
The Taliban envoy said real war will start when the Americans enter Afghanistan, when asked about reports of the arrival of U.S. troops.
At the same time, Zaeef reiterated Taliban's ban on bin Laden to launch attacks against any country from the Afghan soil, adding that some restrictions on the Saudi billionaire have been lifted and bin Laden is now allowed to make statements.
Bin Laden has been living in Afghanistan since 1996. Washington launched strikes on the mountainous central Asian country after the ruling Taliban refused to hand over bin Laden for trial on terrorism charges.
Taliban demanded proof and pledged to try bin Laden either in Afghanistan or before a court of three Islamic clerics, which would be supervised by the Organization of Islamic Conference. This was rejected by the United States.
In This Section
|