The Taliban’s ambassador to Pakistan has said that the regime has not changed its stance on Osama bin Laden. Speaking after a visit to Afghanistan, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef added that the Taliban's soldiers were ready to fight off any US ground troops who entered the country.
“Osama is an Islamic issue and a faith issue, and we are not going to change our faith for anyone,” said Mullah Zaeef, who admitted that a US rocket missed him by just 20 metres while he was on a visit to the southern city of Kandahar. He said that this was evidence that US air strikes are hitting civilian areas.
The United States has previously stated that that it is willing to reconsider its air strikes if the Taliban hands over prime suspect bin Laden. In turn, the Taliban would consider handing him over to a third country if the United States provided solid evidence of his guilt.
