KABUL, July 2: Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah said on Tuesday he had evidence to suggest Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the former Taliban ruler of Afghanistan, Mullah Mohammad Omar, were still alive.

Abdullah was speaking after reports that around 40 civilians had been killed by US warplanes during a major operation to hunt down Taliban and Al Qaeda fugitives in the central province of Uruzgan.

Asked about the number of Al Qaeda still present in Afghanistan and the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar, he said, “Regarding Al Qaeda members, I can’t say anything. About bin Laden, our intelligence says that he is alive, unfortunately, with his friend Mullah Omar.”

On Monday, President Pervez Musharraf said he believed Osama bin Laden might be dead, but said he had no evidence to back that up. But he said it was impossible Osama could be hiding in Pakistan without being found.

Osama bin Laden is the chief suspect in the Sept 11 attacks on the United States, and US forces have been hunting for him and his allies in Afghanistan since late last year.—Reuters