September 25, 2003	Thursday	Rajab 27, 1424

CHAMAN, Sept 24: Taliban spiritual leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has vowed to intensify attacks against Afghan and US-led forces, a militia official said Wednesday.

At a secret meeting with commanders of his militia, Mullah Omar directed his men to step up the jihad in Afghanistan, a Taliban official told journalists in the southern Afghan town of Spin Boldak.

The reclusive chief of the hardline Taliban distributed a message written in Pashtu to some 50 commanders at the meeting so they could forward it to their comrades elsewhere in Afghanistan, he said.

“All commanders of Islamic movement (of Taliban) are informed that considering jihad their personal duty, they should act on their own,” Mullah Omar said in his message.

“All Taliban and ordinary Muslims are informed that without further wait and patience they should continue their responsibilities.”

The meeting, at an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan, was also attended by 10 members of the Taliban’s central shura, the official said.

He said Omar’s message had been distributed to other commanders in Kandahar by Mullah Sabir, alias Momin, who is an assistant to Taliban’s Kandahar commander Hafiz Abdul Rahim.

The Taliban chief also asked the Afghan people to look for “traitors”.—AFP