LONDON, March 1: Osama bin Laden is alive and in contact with leaders of Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgents, a senior Taliban commander said in an interview aired on British television.

Mullah Dadullah said he had not met Osama since the fall of the Taliban regime after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

He said the Al Qaeda leader, believed to be hiding near the Afghan border in northwest Pakistan, met outsiders rarely. “Only his comrades see him; we exchange messages with each other to share plans,” Mullah Dadullah said in an interview broadcast on Wednesday by Channel 4 News.

“We also go to the battlefield together. We actually meet very rarely, just for important consultations. It’s hard for anyone to meet Osama himself now, but we know he’s still alive.

“He’s not yet martyred. Such information would be easy to get … his comrades stand shoulder to shoulder with us. They keep us informed,” said Dadullah, commander of Taliban operations in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan and a trusted associate of Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

The authenticity of the information could not be confirmed. Channel 4 did not say how it had obtained the footage.

Dadullah said the Taliban had “hundreds more” suicide bombers ready to attack Nato forces in Afghanistan. Nato commanders have said they believe the Taliban plans a spring offensive against alliance troops in the country.—AP