‘Osama, Mullah Omar alive’

He said the Taliban leader has the advantage of being an Afghan, knows Pashto and the world knows little about his appearance.

‘‘Mullah Omar is living in his country, within his own tribe and my knowledge is he does not have a major problem. There are active Taliban elements who would defend him at any cost,’’ Yusufzai said.

‘‘However, Osama’s case is quite different. He does not know either Pashto or Urdu. He merely speaks Arabic. Americans have kept a big award on his head. Therefore his movements are restricted and difficult as compared to Mullah Omar, as he does not belong to the region also,’’ he said.

Osama does prove his presence by sending out regular video or audio cassettes either warning America of fresh attacks or praising Muslim militants, Yusufzai said.

‘‘The last one was sent out in October, and we are expecting a fresh video or audio cassette soon,’’ he said.