Unidentified men on a motorbike handed Reuters an audio cassette on Thursday purporting to be of supreme Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, two years to the day after his hardline regime fled Kabul. The recorded speech, which admonishes commanders who have given up the “jihad,” or holy war against foreign troops in Afghanistan, was made in the last few weeks, said Mullah Abdul Sama, a spokesman for the ousted militia. On November 13, 2001, the hardline Islamic regime fled the Afghan capital under cover of night after weeks of heavy U.S. bombardment, but the Taliban has regrouped as a guerrilla force blamed for a string of attacks in recent months. “I am talking about faith and Islam among the commanders, about those who are not participating in the jihad,” the speaker said. “I sacrificed my rule and all I had and if I can stand for my honor, why can’t you? If you can’t stand for your honor, it means your faith is weak. If you claim to among the faithful, why can’t you be ready for sacrifice? I have sacrificed everything.” Full Story
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