PESHAWAR, Jan 18: Taliban militants released on Sunday a rare video of statements from purported suicide bombers and footage of deadly attacks they claimed to have perpetrated in Pakistan.

The 40-minute tape shows men and youths, some apparently in their teens, addressing the camera about their intention to carry out suicide attacks to background music of Urdu militant anthems.

The video was handed out to journalists in Peshawar by militant commander Qari Hussain, who is based in South Waziristan.

Hussain is also known as “Ustad-i-Fidayeen” or teacher of suicide bombers. All those featured on the video spoke Pashto.

The two biggest attacks claimed on the video were a double truck bombing last March against the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) building in Lahore and bombing an office of the Inter-Services Intelligence in 2007.

At least 87 people, including government and security personnel, were killed in the attacks.“I’m going to do this suicide bombing with Islamic sentiments,” says someone who gave his name only as Masood and looked to be in his teens, to a backdrop of footage from the FIA attack.

“Suicide bombers are the atomic weapons of Muslims because Muslims do not have the latest weapons to fight enemies who are committing atrocities against Muslims in Kashmir, Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq,” Masood said.

Another voice demanded that the Pakistani government call an immediate halt to military operations in tribal areas, release arrested militants and lift a ban on an extremist group.

Pakistan has been wracked by violence since hundreds of Taliban and Al Qaeda militants sought refuge in the north-western region after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan toppled the Taliban regime in late 2001.—AFP