KHOST, Feb 20: The remnants of the Taliban will stage a new wave of attacks against US-led forces in southern and southeastern Afghanistan this spring, a man claiming to represent the militia said on Friday.

In an interview in the southeastern city of Khost, the man, who has previously proved himself a credible source of information on the intentions of the Taliban, also claimed that Osama bin Laden and the Taliban chief, Mullah Omar, were both alive and in Afghanistan.

Osama and his deputy, the Egyptian Ayman al Zawahiri, "are alive and both are in Afghanistan, in different places", Mohammed Saiful Adel said in an interview in Khost, near the border with Pakistan.

A former leader of the anti-Soviet Mujahideen fighters, Jalaluddin Haqqani, "has taken on the role of deputy leader of the Taliban", Mr Adel said. "He is playing a key role in our movement and is responsible for all the military operations," he added.

"Haqqani is personally leading the operations in Paktia, Paktika and Khost," said the spokesman, referring to three southeastern provinces. Some western analysts warn that the Taliban are now attempting to exaggerate their real power in an attempt to destabilize Afghanistan in the run-up to elections intended to take place sometime this year.

The Taliban will launch hit-and-run attacks but cannot pose a serious threat in a country where their popular support remains low, they say. Mr Adel insisted the movement was capable of mounting serious attacks and boasted, but without providing any proof, that: "We will stage attacks on an unprecedented scale in the spring."

Taliban members would "for example, attack a big town, seize it, occupy it for several hours and then leave ... We will lead attacks against American bases here. We will have a lot of martyrs but we will do it," said the spokesman.

The interview with Saif Adel took place over two hours in a room at a hotel in the centre of the town. The Taliban spokesman appeared at the interview apparently unarmed but several Taliban fighters were visible nearby, patrolling the surrounding area apparently as security for him.

The entire interview took place not more than a few hundred metres from the offices of the local governor and several military installations.

Apparently attempting to put pressure on Afghans who work for the occupation forces, Mr Adel declared that the Taliban had a full list of those he called "traitors" for working with the United States.

"As soon as the Americans move out of their bases we know where they are going. We even know the names of the traitors who work for them and how much they are paid," he said.

Guerillas in Iraq have made a point of targeting Iraqis working for the occupation, but this has so far yet to happen in Afghanistan. Mr Adel admitted the Taliban's lack of defences against US air power was a weakness of the movement.

But he claimed that the movement would soon have this capability. "The lack of air defence means is our biggest weakness," he admitted, but "we are working on it." He also claimed to have the support of several high officials in a number of local authorities in the south east.

"We have a lot of supporters in the local authorities. We have a good relationship with some officials," he said, claiming responsibility for the killing of another local official earlier this month who he said had been a traitor.

The Taliban spokesman claimed to have dozens of volunteer fighters in the movement's ranks, "most of them our Arab brothers, but with more and more Afghans.

The Americans have killed lots of innocent people in this region and their relatives want revenge", he said. He also said the Taliban were working with the Al Qaeda group, providing them with military support in return for their financial assistance.-AFP