Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia today fiercely denied reports it had declared jihad against the United States but repeated it would do so automatically if Washington attacked.
"Of course if there is an invasion of an Islamic country, there will be jihad against the invaders," a senior Taliban official told reporters.
Earlier, Taliban's Voice of Shariat radio monitored by the BBC reported that Afghanistan's ruling Taliban has announced a jihad against the United States.
"I would like to tell my people that our jihad will be formally resuming against the Americans," deputy chairman of the Taliban Council of Ministers Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhond said in a speech broadcast late yesterday.
Mullah Akhond said it was unimaginable the terror attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon had been committed by the Taliban or by Osama bin Laden.
A meeting of Islamic clerics from across Afghanistan to decide whether to extradite Osama bin Laden has been postponed.
There are unconfirmed reported that the Taliban has discussed conditions for the possible extradition of Osama bin Laden.
A Pakistan government source says the Afghan leaders will consider extraditing bin Laden only to a country other than the US.
The conditions, including international recognition of the Taliban government, were discussed by Islamic clerks in a meeting with a Pakistan delegation but no final agreement has been reached.
But despite the bravado, there were signs of nervousness among the leadership, with witnesses saying some Taliban officials had began fleeing Kabul.
The Shura (council) meeting of some 1,000 clerics was convened by Mullah Omar, but the reclusive spiritual leader of the Taliban movement was not expected to attend.
The United States says bin Laden - a guest of the Taliban for several years - is a prime suspect and has vowed to punish those responsible and anyone who protects them. US President Bush said Americans want bin Laden dead or alive.
Pakistani officials said it was possible that a Pakistani team in Afghanistan on a mission to convince the ruling Taliban of the danger they face from a possible US attack would attend or be briefed on results of the Shura.
Pakistan is one of only three countries to recognise the Taliban government and was a key backer of the purist Islamic movement as it seized most of Afghanistan in the mid-1990s.
But their ties may be fraying as Pakistan's military ruler, Gen Pervez Musharraf, has promised full cooperation with US efforts to end global terrorism.
Pakistan closed its borders on Monday as tens of thousands of Afghans headed toward the frontier, sparking fears of a mass exodus and prompting aid officials to put emergency plans in place.
Aid officials were worried large numbers of Afghans may head for neighbouring Pakistan, already overburdened with more than 2.5 million Afghan refugees from two decades of strife.
Officials said Pakistan had tightened security at crossing points along its porous 1,400-kilometre (880-mile) border with Afghanistan.