Taliban names anti-US leadership council

The whereabouts of Mullah Omar and Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who is blamed for masterminding the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, remain unknown despite more than a year and a half of US-led operations in Afghanistan. There are about 11,500 foreign troops under US command hunting Taliban and Al Qaeda remnants in Afghanistan.

In the tape, Mullah Omar called on the Taliban to make sacrifices to drive out US and other foreign troops and the ‘‘puppet’’ government of US-backed President Hamid Karzai, the paper quoted Mohammed Mukhtar Mujahid as saying.

The paper said members of the Rahbari Shura or leadership council, were mostly Taliban military commanders and most were from the southwest of the country. The council included former Defence minister Mullah Obaidullah and military commanders, including the one-legged Mullah Dadullah and Akhtar Mohammad Usmani.

Mullah Abdul Rauf, a provincial governor in the Taliban regime ousted from power by a US-led coalition in late 2001, told Reuters the council was formed after five days of talks that ended on Monday between senior Taliban officials at an undisclosed location in southern Afghanistan. ‘‘The Shura was formed to expedite jihad against occupation forces and strengthen the Taliban movement,’’ he said.

Mullah Abdul Samad, a Taliban intelligence official, said the council had already begun its work. ‘‘Now jihad will be waged against the US and allied forces under a new military strategy,’’ he said, but gave no details.