Taleban radio attacks former president

Taleban radio has stepped up its attacks on former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani after talks between the ousted leader and the Russian president in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe.

"How can Mr Rabbani describe himself as a [warrior] and as an Islamic scholar? How can he claim that he took part in the Afghan jihad against the Soviet Union?" a commentary on Voice of Shariah radio asked.

"Is Russia not the same former Soviet Union with only a name change? Is Russia's current policy not the continuation of the policies pursued by former Soviet Union?"

Rabbani's talks with the Russian President have angered the Taleban

The radio accused Russia of "open interference" in Afghan affairs but added that no matter what "sinister acts" are carried out by "Russia and its mercenaries" the "will and determination of the heroic nation of Afghanistan will not change".

Long war

In an interview with the Urdu-language newspaper Pakistan, Taleban commander-in-chief Mowlawi Jalaloddin Haqqani warned the US it was in for a long war and drew an unflattering comparison between its troops and the Soviet soldiers who had fought in Afghanistan.

"Even if, God forbid, Kabul and other important cities are captured, the Taleban will not lay down their arms. We will take to the mountains and launch a guerrilla war," he said.

The Americans... cannot withstand Afghanistan's difficult terrain

Taleban commander-in-chief

"We have made preparations for a long war against the Americans... We have a sufficient stock of arms left behind by the Soviet forces as well as those given to us by the Americans themselves. We have shifted all these weapons from our garrisons to the mountains. Let the Americans drop their commandos and you will see how many casualties they suffer."

Morally weak

Mr Haqqani went on to describe the Russians as "very brave and die-hard soldiers" but noted that even they had been unable to conquer Afghanistan.

"On the other hand, the Americans are a very pleasure-seeking and faint-hearted people. They cannot withstand Afghanistan's difficult terrain," he said.

"Russia, despite being our enemy, had many virtues. It honours its friendships. America, on the other hand, is hypocritical even with its friends. The friendship of the Americans is just for their selfish ends. They often deceive others and are, so, morally very weak."

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.