Mullah Omar Safe,
According to Message Allegedly From Cleric

June 16, 2002

Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar is alive and safe, according to a message allegedly from the fugitive cleric that has been distributed on audiocassettes through Afghanistan.


Witnesses on Sunday told Reuters that tapes with words from Mullah Omar and other Taliban leaders were placed in front of government buildings, hotels and houses Friday night. It's not clear when or where the recording was made.

"American bombing cannot hurt us, even if they carry it out for 10 years," Mullah Omar says.

In the 15-minutes speech, Mullah Omar defiantly declares himself safe and says the Taliban's strict Islamic regime offers battle-racked Afghanistan its best possible future.

"I challenge all the countries of the world, including the United States, to establish Taliban-like peace in Afghanistan even for a day," Omar says on the tapes.

Other religious leaders on the tape say Mullah Omar is fighting for Islam and that he will save the Afghan people, Reuters reported.

Mullah Omar has been in hiding since last year, when the U.S. attacked the Taliban for offering shelter to Sept. 11 mastermind and Al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden. American and allied military forces are still trying to root out Taliban and Al Qaeda soldiers in Afghanistan and track down bin Laden and Mullah Omar.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,55418,00.html