Islamabad, Nov 23: Elusive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar today asked Afghans to boycott what he called the "crusader's drama of a planned Loya Jirga and elections" in Afghanistan and unite to oust foreign occupation forces from their homeland, a report said. Omar's strongly worded appeal against the assembly of tribal leaders came on the eve of the Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Fitr marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, the Afghan Islamic Press reported.

"Beware of the crusader's drama of planned Loya Jirga and elections hatched by Jews and Christians," Omar said in the statement carried by the Pakistan-based private news agency. President Hamid Karzai led government plans to hold a Loya Jirga (grand assembly) of 500 representatives from across the country next month to debate and approve Afghanistan's new constitution, paving the way for 2004 presidential elections.

The Taliban leader said despite claims of the US and its surrogates in Kabul, Afghanistan remained without a democratic representative government or freedom and trumpeted reconstruction. "Instead, Afghans are being killed and their society is being vulgarised under a campaign to stifle the voice of jihad and suppress lofty Islamic values," Omar said in the statement.

Omar said the Taliban movement was alive and active and asked Afghans to unite against US-led foreign occupation.

Bureau Report