Osama says he's "right here waiting for you"

Somewhere in Afghanistan (T2N2) Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden has confirmed that he's alive and well and all geared up to continue his fight against the enemies of Islam.

"I am right here waiting for you (US soldiers). I won't die so easily," Laden was quoted as saying by one of his trusted lieutenants Abu Hanif on Thursday.

Hanif told T2N2 in a brief telephonic chat that America's most wanted man was reacting to Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar's recent remarks in the media claiming he hadn't seen Laden since US troops ousted the Taliban from Afghanistan in 2001.

Speculation over the whereabouts and health of bin Laden has been rife with no word from the Al Qaeda chief since the first half of 2006. However, intelligence agencies have rejected several reports of his death. A French newspaper had even claimed Laden had died of typhoid. (T2N2)