ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - The cabinet of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban movement Monday decided to resist U.S.-led military strikes that began the previous night, a Pakistan-based Afghan news service said.A spokesman for the Taliban government said an emergency meeting of the cabinet held in the capital, Kabul, also decided to reinforce military positions against the attacks designed to flush out Saudi-born fugitive Osama bin Laden and his followers hiding in the country, Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) said. (Read photo caption below)
``We have decided to forcefully resist the American-British attacks,'' AIP quoted spokesman Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi as saying.
``We will resist America as we resisted the Russians,'' he said, referring to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Muttaqi said the cabinet discussed the Taliban ``military and political strategy and made important decisions in the military field.''
``Although we have already strengthened our military bases, the new decision includes deployment of forces at some more places and tactics of resistance,'' he said.
``There is no change in our policy about Osama (bin Laden),'' he said without elaborating. ``We always believes in negotiations.''
PHOTO CAPTION:
Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Salam Zaeef speaks during a news conference at the Afghanistan Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan Monday, Oct. 8, 2001 2001. According to the ambassador, 20 civilians were killed during the military strikes launched by British and U.S. forces.(AP Photo/Enric Marti)
- Oct 08 6:56 AM ET