Mullah Omar issues Eid message Publication time: 1 January 2007, 10:12 Mullah Omar, the leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, has promised to drive foreign occupation forces out of Afghanistan in a new message timed to coincide with the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival.
Speaking on an audio-tape released on last Friday by the Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news agency, Omar also called on his fighters to avoid harming Afghan civilians. "I am confident that the enemy will run away in degradation and embarrassment," Omar said. "Afghans have always expelled their enemies by force and no enemy or aggressive force has left Afghanistan at its own will... They have committed aggression and we will drive them out." Mullah Omar also said the Eid festival, which began on Saturday, offered an example of sacrifice which could inspire his fighters. An ideology based on sacrifice, such as the Taliban's, "never submits and accepts defeat", he said. "You can see that present resistance and struggle in Afghanistan has amply proved the point." In the tape, Omar also criticised a new plan by the karzai "government" to hold tribal councils (jirgas) on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border in an effort to find ways to end recent violence. "Now the aggressor forces in our country want to entangle our valiant nation and tribes in their devilish trap by way of jirgas," he said. "But I am sure that no Muslim will participate in something that is created by the aggressors and puppets. Those who attend will only be people who have sold out." "Our aggressor enemy has been defeated and now they are hatching new conspiracies for their survival," he said. Mullah Omar also instructed his Mujahiddeen to be "mindful of not resorting to actions that may result in casualties of innocent ordinary people". "We must be more cautious and careful in focusing the target. We should have friendly and sincere relations with our own Muslim people." Agencies
