Mohammad Davoud Soltan Zawi also described the claims by Pakistani officials about Bin Laden's presence in Afghanistan as baseless, and told FNA that the al-Qaeda leader has fled to Pakistan after the September 11 events in 2001.
Asked about the cause for the Pakistani officials' denial of Bin Laden's presence in their country, Zawi said that Islamabad intends to clear itself of harboring the al-Qaeda leaders and stay away from the harms and losses that it would sustain if it accepts the responsibility for hiding these terrorists in the country specially on the threshold of the major international conference which is due to be held in Kabul to review Afghanistan's issues.
Since the beginning of the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the US has made no substantial effort to detain top al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders such as Osama Bin Laden and Mullah Mohammed Omar, who are now believed to reside in Pakistan.
Insurgency has skyrocketed in southern and eastern Afghanistan, where the Taliban has stepped up attacks utilizing roadside bombs and ambushes.
More than 400 Western troops have lost their lives in the fighting in 2009, making it the deadliest year of the war.
Afghan civilian casualties in the first nine months of the year have also risen to 1,500 with many killed in US air raids, resulting in greater animosity toward the occupiers.
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