World Affairs Correspondent Nick Childs: 'He appears defiant in the face of US pressure.'

Osama bin Laden, who was interviewed in Afghanistan, said the US had been trying since 1993 to starve him of funds and arrest him, but had failed.

Osama bin Laden again denied direct responsibility for the bombing of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania but said other people had responded to his instigation.

Time magazine said Osama bin Laden was specifically asked if he was responsible for the embassy attacks.

He replied: "If the instigation for jihad (holy war) against the Jews and the Americans ... is considered a crime, then let history be a witness that I am a criminal.

"Our job is to instigate, and by the grace of God, we did that, and certain people responded to this instigation."

Cruise attacks

The US has indicted him on charges of masterminding the attacks in Kenya and Tanzania on 7 August that killed more than 200 people.

Thirteen days after the embassy bombings the US used cruise missiles to attack camps in Afghanistan suspected of being Osama bin Laden's training centres for extremist Muslims. A factory in Sudan suspected of manufacturing chemical weapons was also targeted.

Osama bin Laden said that two men in US custody charged in connection with the bombings were innocent.

He also criticised US and British airstrikes in Iraq last month, saying they were part of a plot to help Israel divide, enslave and loot the Muslim world.

As for US accusations that he is seeking to buy chemical and nuclear weapons, Osama bin Laden said: "Acquiring weapons for the defense of Muslims is a religious duty. If I seek to acquire these weapons, I am carrying out a duty."