U.S. presses Taliban about alleged terrorist

'Taliban's responsibility to expel bin Laden'

State Department spokesman James Foley said the United States asked for the meeting with Mujahid to clear up confusion over bin Laden's movements after conflicting reports.

"We have no information on his current whereabouts," Foley said. "We do not have information that he's not in Afghanistan.

"We believe that it is the responsibility of the Taliban inside Afghanistan to ensure that he is expelled from Afghanistan and brought to justice for the horrible, unspeakable crimes against civilians that he has committed," Foley said.

Taliban opponents

Mujahid outside the State Department

Wali Massoud, the London ambassador of the Afghan government forces that continue to fight the Taliban, told CNN that bin Laden remains in Afghanistan, more than likely in an area controlled by the Taliban.

Massoud cast doubt on recent reports of a split between bin Laden and the Taliban, saying there is "no difference between them." Massoud suggested those reports were designed to postpone efforts to expel bin Laden from Afghanistan.

Possible U.S. strikes

The United States launched cruise missiles against bin Laden's group in eastern Afghanistan last August in response to the U.S. Embassy bombings earlier that month in East Africa. Foley made clear Washington was prepared to strike again.

"The United States reserves the right to act either in anticipation of, or to prevent, terrorist attacks or in retaliation against terrorist attacks," he said.

A Taliban spokesman quoted by a Pakistan-based Afghan news service said Wednesday that because bin Laden had "most probably" left Afghanistan, the United States had no grounds to attack.

"It will be another thing if America is looking for a mere excuse" for an attack, Mullah Abdul Haye Mutmaen told the Afghan Islamic Press.

The State Department official said Inderfurth also planned to inform Mujahid that the United States will help victims of the February 11 earthquake that struck south of Kabul.

Inderfurth also pressed the ruling militia to cooperate with United Nations special representative Lakhdar Brahimi in his ongoing efforts to help Afghanistan reach a political solution to its conflict.

Also on Inderfurth's agenda: urging the Taliban to honor international human rights norms, in particular concerning women and girls; and urging the Taliban to end poppy production and narcotics trafficking in the areas it rules.

Wednesday's meeting was a follow-up to Inderfurth's previous meeting with Taliban Foreign Minister Mullah Abdul Jalil two weeks ago in Islamabad.