• In Baghdad, the 1st Cavalry Division continues offensive operations against Sadr’s militia and other extremist forces. The division conducted two intelligence-based raids to destroy and capture enemy targets within the battlespace, capturing 16 suspects. This morning coalition forces detained an additional 29 individuals and confiscated numerous arms and ammunition.
  
  
• Today at 11:05, Hazim al-Araji (ph), a spokesman for Muqtada al- Sadr, was detained for questioning by coalition forces. After questioning, al-Araji (ph) was determined to have no direct involvement in violent acts in Iraq, and is not viewed as an imminent threat to security. He was released at 5:50 p.m. today.
  
  
• In the western zone of operations, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force continued offensive operations throughout the Al Anbar province, except in Fallujah. In Fallujah the current situation remains stable. During the past 24 hours, there heave been a number of provocative attacks on coalition forces. Early this morning a helicopter made an emergency landing due to ground fire. The attack resulted in three wounded and a quick-reaction force secured the crew, and the helicopter was later destroyed to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
  
  
• But before we suggest that all the forces just walked away from the fight, in fact there have been numerous forces that when mustered went to where they needed to be, and have performed brilliantly. In Fallujah, we have two battalions of Iraqi Civil Defense Corps that are fighting alongside coalition forces. In many towns the Iraqi police service has come back to man their stations. But, in truth, there were a number of troops, there were a number of police that didn’t stand up when their country called. We’re going to take a very hard look at those.
  
  
• Anecdotally, though, which we have been meeting with leaders from Iraq who are very much in touch with the local scene in Fallujah, and while there are frustrations along the lines you have described, I would also say that there is a sense of frustration we are hearing among the silent majority of Fallujans about the foreign fighters and international terrorists that are hanging their hats in Fallujah right now, and consequently imposing enormous burden, and misery, and death in some cases by virtue of their location. A number of Fallajans have spoken out on this. Our -- the problem here is not with the Fallujans, the problem here is not with the coalition. The problem here is with foreign fighters, international terrorists, people like Zarqawi, who we believe to be in Fallujah or nearby, and those Iraqis who would support the operations of the foreign fighters and the terrorists. That is not something the majority of Fallujans support. The Fallujans we are hearing from would love to rid themselves of this burden, and put this sad past few days behind them.
  
  
• We would not consider the lines of communication and the major roads coming out of Baghdad from East to West or from North to South completely secure at this time. We think we’ve made a significant improvement. We would still rate them in the military lexicon as "amber" -- not exactly green. And we would advise anyone traveling on those roads to take reasonable force protection measures, as you have been over the past few days, if needing to travel along those.
  
  
• Just a couple of examples of some of the irresponsible and clearly incorrect reporting that has occurred on al Jazeera over the last few days. Saturday, for instance: Baghdad students, according to al Jazeera, gathered at Mustansiriyah University to prepare relief supplies for people in Fallujah. And al Jazeera reported that U.S. troops surrounded the university and demanded via loud speakers that the students leave the university. The report is accompanied by a clip of an armored vehicle driving around Mustansiriyah. And we of course looked right into this when the report as concerning as this one came out, and we learned that approximately 20 students from Mustansiriyah University came to a coalition force compound complaining of an armed militia on their campus. Coalition forces and Iraqi Civil Defense Corps responded to the college, responded to the university and searched 14 buildings, confiscated nine AK-47s, one pistol, pro-al-Sadr banners, and one al-Sadr uniform. The armed militias subsequently departed the area. I’ll give you another example. On Saturday in Kut, al Jazeera reported that large numbers of British soldiers were killed, their vehicles destroyed in an attack on their camp in the governorate of Maysan. And we confirmed this with our officials in Maysan, who confirmed no casualties of any kind, after nine mortar rounds fired at an Iraqi Civil Defense Corps base. Also on Saturday al Jazeera reported that they themselves were being targeted, and that they were being targeted by coalition tanks twice, but they escaped, they reported, but the U.S. wants them out of Fallujah. "But we will stay," the reporter said -- they were reporting that we wanted them out of Fallujah so badly that we sent tanks after them.
  
  
• Of particular interest, some of the weapons that we found in Ar Ramadi, which we have not seen in any large numbers that are Dragunov sniper rifles, which isn’t your typical garden variety buy-it-off-the street AK-47. These are fairly accurate long-range, well-telescoped weapons that have a significant range and a significant lethal capability. So I think those are the weapons that probably are a little bit different than what we’ve seen over the past few months, and ones that no doubt gave the Marines some measure of concern.

• Fallujah: Notwithstanding reports of intermittent ceasefires, massed US armored units cut through town from end to end shelling targets while US air force dropped “noise bombs” that were harmless except for their shock impact. Swarms of snipers equipped with night vision instruments kept traffic off the streets while negotiations continued on surrender of Iraqi guerrillas and foreign fighters.
  
  
• Najef: US troops massed outside Shiite town are held back as bargaining chip in talks ongoing with Shiite leaders headed by Ayatollah Sistani. Moderate militias control town having pushed Sadr’s Mehdi Army militia out of center and off streets. Most Arbain pilgrims have departed.
  

  Gone back to Iran?

• Karbala and al Kufa: moderate militia leaders ask US troops to stay out and let them wind up negotiations with Moqtada Sadr.
  
  
• Earlier, Shiite radical leader Sadr told Lebanese Hizballah al Manar TV he is ready to die to drive Americans out of Iraq. US authorities released top Sadr aide Sheikh Hajem al-Araji shortly after detaining him at news conference he was giving at Baghdad hotel.
  
  
• France and Portugal tell citizens to leave Iraq immediately. Al Jazeera shows video of 4 Italian security workers held hostage against Italian withdrawal from Iraq. They join 3 Japanese hostages and one American civilian whose fate is unknown. Eight employees of Russian engineering firm released after Chinese. US official reports 40 hostages from 12 countries in insurgent hands

Where are you? How is your health? What are you doing for food?
I cannot disclose my location due to security reasons. I change it very frequently. But I can tell you I am in Afghanistan. I am perfectly fine. Food should not be an issue for a true Muslim. God feeds me like he feeds other Muslims.

What is your strength? Who provides you arms and ammunition?
We are so many in numbers that our strength cannot be counted. Before vacating the country, we had dumped the arms and ammunition in huge quantities at various secret locations. We have enough to fight for decades. Moreover, we snatch arms and ammunition from the coalition forces just like we seized it from the Soviet forces.

What is your strategy?
We carry out guerilla activities. We recently carried out some suicide attacks that have been very fruitful by the grace of God. We have set up a special suicide squad that consists of 2,000 Taliban. This squad will make life hell for the US and its allies and force them out of Afghanistan. Insha Allah!

How did you manage to escape the US troops in Afghanistan? Are stories of your under-the-moonlight motorcycle getaway fact or myth?
This does not matter how I managed to escape. What really matters is God’s mercy, kindness and greatness. He has been protecting Osama bin Laden and myself when the US warplanes were intensively bombarding the Tora Bora caves. It was almost impossible to escape this attack. But by the grace of God, we did not receive a single scratch.

Did you flee to Pakistan?
I am not sure. Perhaps! The border between the two countries is so contiguous that it is extremely difficult to judge whether one is physically in Pakistan or Afghanistan. We don’t stay at one place and keep moving.

When was the last time you met or heard from Osama? Is he alive?
I met him months ago and we are in contact with each other. He is very much alive and kicking.

Where is he?
You think I will tell you! All I can says is, he is not in your (Pakistan) tribal areas!

Do you regret lending support to Osama and hosting him in your country?
Not at all. Osama is the greatest mujahid of the present times. He is not a terrorist as propagated by the US. He fought for Afghanistan. He saved Afghans. How could we regret hosting him? I asked the world to provide evidence again him. He was innocent. Therefore, nobody -- even Saudi Arabia -- could prove anything against him. We had tremendous pressure to expel him -- even from our friends like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Your [former Pakistan] interior minister Moinuddin Haider and even General Pervez Musharraf met me personally to seek Osama’s extradition. But I refused. We paid a very heavy price for this decision. But we proved that the Taliban were independent people. They were nobody’s product as portrayed by the media.

The Taliban could have escaped the US wrath had they expelled Osama

We don’t care for the US wrath! We are only afraid of God’s wrath. The US was hell-bent to topple our legitimate government. It would have still done so even had Osama been expelled.

Don’t you think you unnecessarily antagonised the international community? After all, what was the rationale behind destroying the Bamiyan Buddha?
I did not want to destroy the Bamiyan Buddha. In fact, some foreigners came to me and said they would like to conduct the repair work of the Bamiyan Buddha that had been slightly damaged due to rains. This shocked me. I thought, these callous people have no regard for thousands of living human beings -- the Afghans who are dying of hunger, but they are so concerned about non-living objects like the Buddha. This was extremely deplorable. That is why I ordered its destruction. Had they come for humanitarian work, I would have never ordered the Buddha’s destruction.

What is your opinion about General Musharraf?
General Musharraf was used by the US to topple our legitimate government. Thus he has committed a major sin. We will not forgive him! He is not loyal to Pakistan. He has betrayed the people of Pakistan as well as the Muslim nationhood. Like Bush, he too is a threat to the Muslim unity. I urge the people of Pakistan to wage jihad against Musharraf, remove him from power and punish him severely.

Afghans have chosen a constitution. They will be electing their president soon. Don’t you think the country is moving toward stability?
All the delegates of the Loya Jirga were criminals as rightly pointed out by a young lady [Malalai Joya]. She showed the courage of telling the delegates that they were murderers of innocent people of Afghanistan and they should be dragged to the national and international courts of justice. The Loya Jirga is a US ploy to derive legitimacy for the Karzai government. We denounce it. Our position is clear: we will kill all those who will register themselves as voters or cast votes in the forthcoming election. We will kill all those who support the US and its allies in any manner. America is the greatest evil on earth. It is the enemy of Islam. Whoever is the US friend is the enemy of Islam. Killing the enemies of Islam is jihad. We have already consigned to hell more than 1,000 infidels that include the Americans, their allies and their Afghan flunkies.

Have you issued a religious ruling to kill women that are working with aid agencies in Afghanistan?
Yes. As I said, whoever sides with the US or its allies deserves death. I am giving such women the last warning. If they do not dissociate themselves from these agencies within 30 days and confine themselves to the boundary wall of their houses, death will be their destiny. These agencies are preaching Christianity under the cover of development. Most of the Afghans have become apostate. They also deserve death. We will kill them.

Your former foreign minister Mullah Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil has turned renegade after striking a deal with the US. Another colleague Mullah Siddiqullah has deserted you. Does not it indicate ’demoralisation’ among the Taliban?
The Taliban are not demoralised. Despair is a sin. The Taliban are united. We are giving the US and the coalition forces a tough time. We are hunting them down like pigs. We are very happy to learn that the US is dispatching an additional contingent of more than 2,000 soldiers. This will be a huge herd of pigs for us to hunt down. We are waiting anxiously for their arrival!