Taliban Vows to Hit U.S., Pakistan Forces Over Hunt
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By Samia Nakhoul

DUBAI (Reuters) - A Taliban spokesman vowed on Friday the group will attack U.S. and Pakistan forces if they do not stop hunting Taliban and al Qaeda militants along the Pakistan-Afghanistan (news - web sites) border.

We will carry out more attacks against international coalition forces if they continue to chase us," the spokesman, identified as Abdul Latif Hakimi, said in taped comments translated into Arabic by Al Jazeera television.


"The Pakistani government has betrayed us in a way that history won't forget and this is why we will launch attacks against them," said Hakimi, whose face was covered when he appeared in the broadcast.


Hakimi said Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, whose government was ousted from power in Afghanistan by U.S.-led forces in late 2001, was safe.


U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan and Pakistani troops have launched new offensives on either side on the border in remote and mountainous areas in an effort to kill or capture Taliban and al Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden (news - web sites).


Pakistani forces said they were fighting a fierce battle on Friday with 300-400 foreign militants and Pakistani tribal allies after encircling them near the Afghan border.


Officials have said the militants might include bin Laden's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri.


"The Pakistan government launched operations against us. Therefore we will launch operations against them. They closed the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, so how can they say that the Taliban are crossing over?" said Hakimi.


"We will attack the American forces on these borders," he said.

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