BAJAUR, Oct 23: The Governor of Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar province, Maulvi Abdur Rauf Khaddam, has said that the non-stop US air strikes have failed either to inflict damage to Taliban’s military might or demoralize them.

Talking to Dawn at the Governor’s House in Assadabad, capital of Kunar province, he said that the Taliban were waiting for the arrival of US ground troops in Afghanistan. A large number of Jihadi commanders and volunteers had left for Kabul, Kandahar and Jalalabad to take on the allied ground forces there, he added.

Khaddam said that the US had failed to paralyze the Taliban’s government in two weeks of continuous and intense bombardment on Kabul, Jalalabad, Kandahar, Mazar-i-Sharif and other civilian areas in the beleaguered and war-weary country.

He said that the war-hardened Afghans would give a tough time to the American troops on the Afghan soil.

Answering a question, the Kunar governor, who had returned from Kandahar on Friday, said that he stayed there for one week to hold consultations with the Taliban supreme leader, Mullah Omar, with regard to the current situation.

He dispelled the impression that there were any rifts in the rank and file of Taliban. All Taliban commanders and ministers have pledged allegiance to their supreme leader, he added.

He termed the idea of “moderate Taliban” rubbish.