Taliban: Suicide bombers are ready

Thousands of Taliban suicide bombers have been deployed across Afghanistan to attack Western troops and the government, the group's military chief said yesterday.

Following last year's violence, the worst since the Taliban's ouster in 2001, this year is regarded as the crunch period both for the Taliban and US-led Western troops.

Speaking by satellite phone from an undisclosed location, Mullah Dadullah, the Taliban's military head, said the Islamic guerrillas had the ability and the weapons to fight foreign troops for a long time.