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Osama is alive, says senior Taliban leader

LONDON: Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is alive and in contact with leaders of Afghanistan's Taliban militants, a senior Taliban commander has said in an interview aired on British television.

Mullah Dadullah said he had not met Osama since the fall of the Taliban regime after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

He said the Al-Qaeda leader, believed to be hiding near the Afghan border in northwest Pakistan, met outsiders rarely.

``Only his comrades see him; we exchange messages with each other to share plans,'' Mullah Dadullah said in an interview broadcast on Wednesday by Channel 4 News.

``We actually meet very rarely, just for important consultations. It's hard for anyone to meet bin Laden himself now, but we know he's still alive. Channel 4 did not say how it had obtained the footage. — AP

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