Relieved that Osama is dead: Taliban

Describing al Qaeda as a "plague that was sent down to us by the heavens", a senior member of the Taliban has said he was relieved at the death of the terror outfit's chief Osama bin Laden.

The unnamed Taliban senior member also said it is unlikely that insurgents can win the war in Afghanistan.

"At least 70 per cent of the Taliban are angry at al Qaeda. Our people consider al Qaeda to be a plague that was sent down to us by the heavens," New Statesman magazine quoted him as saying.

Taliban expert and author Michael Semple, who was a UN envoy to Afghanistan and is now with the Carr Centre for Human Rights Policy at Harvard had interviewed the Taliban member.

The unnamed Taliban said some even concluded that al Qaeda are actually the spies of America.

"Originally, the Taliban were naive and ignorant of politics and welcomed al Qaeda into their homes. But al Qaeda abused our hospitality. It was in Guantanamo that I realised how disloyal the al-Qaeda people were... To tell the truth, I was relieved at the death of Osama.

"Through his policies, he destroyed Afghanistan. If he really believed in jihad he should have gone to Saudi Arabia and done jihad there, rather than wrecking our country," he said.

Asked about Pakistan, he responded, "The one thing I dare not talk about is the relationship with Pakistan".

Replying to a query what the future Taliban social policy would look like, he said, "In their time, the Taliban gained notoriety over three points - their treatment of women, their harsh enforcement of petty rules on things like beards and prayers, and their international relations.

"The priority now should be restoration of security. But on the other issues I anticipate that they would soften their tough policies," he said.