Islamabad: Taleban, ousted from power in Afghanistan, has asked its "fighters" to launch a fresh 'jihad' (holy war) against President Hamid Karzai's government and the US-led coalition.

In a statement reportedly issued from an unidentified location in Pakistan, Muhammad Mukhtar Mjahid, claiming to be a spokesman for Taleban said, the leader of the outfit Mullah Omar has directed the organisation to declare a holy war against US and allies for the "atrocities" being committed in Afghanistan as well as Washington's attempts to attack Iraq.

"Thousands of innocent Afghans were killed by the US military activities and dwellings that had survived the Russian aggression were destroyed," Mjahid said.

"Afghanistan was deprived of its sovereignty and with the ouster of the Taleban government the puppet regime of Karazi was installed in its place," said the statement, reportedly faxed to the office of Pakistan daily 'The News' in Peshawar.

The new directive caught the observers here by surprise as Taleban had already given such a directive when Omar was ousted from power along with al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

Claiming that Kabul has become more insecure after the ouster of Taleban, the statement said, "Afghanistan is now a divided country with different centres of power. Narcotics have staged a comeback and the country was in turmoil."

Accusing the US of using terrorism as an issue to retain control on Afghanistan, it called on all Afghans to wage a war against America under the leadership of Mullah Omar.

Omar is absconding along with Laden for over a year, but the duo is reportedly hiding in the Afghan-Pakistan border.

PTI