Civilians being targeted: Taliban

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, OCT. 22 The Taliban today accused the U.S.-led forces of bombing a 100-bed hospital in Herat, allegedly taking the number of civilian causalities to 1,000 since the military campaign of October 7, even as the Taliban supremo, Mullah Omar, asserted that the U.S. and its allies would be defeated in the war.

Addressing a news conference here, the Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan, Mullah Abdul Saleem Zaeef, claimed that the Taliban forces had shot down an American plane in the Registan area of Helmand province.

Mullah Zaeef is making full use of the Taliban Embassy as well as the record number of international journalists here to present his country's viewpoint on the war. His press conferences are a big draw. The turn-out of scribes is so huge that he now holds his press briefings on the open lawns of the Taliban Embassy.

``With passage of each day, the inhuman and brutal face of America is becoming naked. The American air raids have so far killed 1,000 innocent civilians. They include men, women and children'', he said.

Mullah Zaeef alleged that besides the 100-bed hospital in Herat, two clinics and numerous shops were hit in Oruzgon province in the raids. Eighteen civilians were also killed in the incident.

``It now clear that American planes are intentionally targeting the Afghan people. The goal is to punish the Afghan nation for having chosen an Islamic system. America is using against the Afghan people sophisticated and destructive weapons that have never been used before in any war,'' he said.

According to the Taliban, the air raids were acts of terrorism the envoy said and accused Washington of justifying the killing of civilians in the name of 6,000 civilian causalities in the September 11 terror attacks.

``The Bush administration is annoying the souls of those killed in New York by killing innocent men, women and children in Afghanistan and attacking our country on mere suspicion. Because the CIA and the FBI have failed to find the real culprit they put the blame on Afghanistan without any evidence. We call on those who have human conscience to stand by truth'', Mullah Zaeef said.

He reiterated the Taliban stand on the issue of hand over of Osama bin Laden and his associates and said that the question did not arise till Washington provided conclusive proof in the crimes cited against them. Mullah Zaeef said Taliban has no fresh proposal for peace or ceasefire and his recent meeting with the Pakistan authorities was to discuss `other matters'.

In a separate statement issued through the Peshawar- based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP), the Taliban supremo said, Mullah Omar ``I hope that Almighty Allah will make the Islamic Emirate (Taliban government) victorious over the oppressive American government''. The statement has been issued from an undisclosed destination in Afghanistan.

Mullah Omar praised the Taliban forces for ``achieving significant successes recently'' without giving details. He also lashed out at Mr. Bush, saying his war on terrorism was a war on Islam and Muslims.

``President Bush has told the truth that this is a crusade against Islam,'' the statement said. ``Therefore, Muslims all over the world should continue their movements for their defense,'' he said.

``Jihad (holy war) fought with sword, tongue and pen is all jihad. Death is death and it must come one day,'' he said.

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Section  : International
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